Shadows of the Past
by dashboardgecko
Summary: A sequel to The Lost Civilization. It's been 25 years since the Alatreon was slain. The Lost are integrating into the hunter's era, and the world is slowly advancing. But darkness looms to the east, and even greater threats than before, both monster and human, are appearing to challenge the next generation of Lost. MH4U.
1. Prologue - Letters from Levin

Prologue/Letters from Levin

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96, Thomas A. Hawk, and DinoJake_

* * *

Dear Ellie,

I really hope this letter reaches you. I know I should trust the Felyne mail system by now, but given how frequently these cats are distracted by shiny things and Felvine, it's a little challenging to take them too seriously.

Anyway, we've reached the border! I have to admit I'm rather excited. This is the first time I've ever been to Gahiji, even with all the work the Guild's had me doing with Harker the last few years.

We docked at the town of Val Habar (that's where I'm sending this letter from), which is apparently one of the few cities that even allow airships to land. I wish you and the kids could have been here; it's really an amazing place to see! The city lies right at the edge of the desert, and it looks as though there's a line cutting right through the earth with desert on one side and lush grasslands on the other. I don't think I've ever seen a place where calling the sand sea what we do was quite so literal!

Harker and Leif are both glad to be on solid ground again; Harker because he's raring to set out and find his Meridian tower, and Leif because he really doesn't like flying. I warned him that's what he'd have to suffer if he came along with us on his 'pilgrimage' or whatever he calls it, but he still spent the entire flight moaning about it.

Anyway, the town itself is quite a bustling place. The paths were pretty sandy since it's right by the desert, but it didn't really bother me too much after all that time in Loc Lac. The streets were positively filled with shops, and - I think you'll like this part - they were all traveling merchants! Nearly every salesman was peddling out of these elaborate wagons with opening panels on the sides with intricate displays, and at the end of the day they'd snap everything shut, pretty as you please. I'm sure Geisel Sundries could find a place here if you were able to get permission to expand to this country. You wouldn't even need to build a proper shop, just put together a wagon like the ones here. I figure that'll spark your interest if nothing else in this letter does.

The Guild hall here is rather impressive, if a little oddly-shaped. It's like a giant sandship crashed into the city, then was just left there and converted into a Guild building. It's got a giant gong at the top of it though, and they use that like a signal when the town's under attack. I heard there was an attack a few weeks ago by some creature called the Daren Mohran, or whatever that Jhen-like monster in this area of the sandsea is called.

Anyway, we traveled straight there almost the second we landed. Harker was ecstatic to get going, though I don't exactly understand why he was in such a hurry. That Meridian tower we're going to investigate isn't going anywhere after all, so why not take a little bit of time to see the sights while we're here? It took him years for the Gahin government to allow us into their country, so we should try to take our time with this one, right?

The Guild Master of the city, Treno, was waiting for us when we got there. He sort of caught me by surprise though, since he wasn't wearing a Guild uniform, but this kind of silly-looking cowboy garb or something. He was a really sharp guy when we got talking to him, though it was a little tricky to figure out what he was saying sometimes. The Gahin have their own dialect, with this sort of wispy manner of speaking, and this guy was trying to speak with a southern drawl on top of that. Needless to say, it was tricky to listen to.

Treno seemed pretty sure we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. You know all about the stringent rules Gahiji had about people entering the country (trying to cut into the market, you sly saleswoman), and how the border restrictions have been slackening enough recently for Harker's requests to be accepted. Treno got a bit tight-lipped when I asked why the rules had been getting kinder recently. He told me it was very complicated, and he didn't want to get into all the details.

He also said to be careful about the Meridian tower we were heading off to investigate. Apparently, one of the reasons that Harker's requests have been denied for so long is because the Gahin people tend to look upon the old Meridian stuff with something between fear and reverence. We explained that we were just planning to translate the writings we could find there, but Treno still warned us to show caution when we talked to people about our expedition.

He wasn't all dire warnings though. Apparently he'd gone out of his way to find us a couple of Felyne guides who were well-versed in the terrain of Gahiji and could take us all the way to the tower, and were skilled hunters in their own rights. (They're called Palicos here. Weird title if you ask me.) Leif was positively ecstatic. I guess he really looks up to them as skilled individuals of the 'Felyne homeland' or whatever. Their accents are kind of strange, not exactly the same as the local dialect, but they're not completely unintelligible, and they seem eager to help too. Felyne or not, these guys seem really dependable, so we might be able to get to the tower and back quicker than we thought.

I'll cut this letter short for now. Too much more, and the Felyne courier's gonna bump up the price for weight. And don't you say anything about me being stingy; they literally double the price if you put too many papers in an envelope, and I didn't expect the price of post to be so high when I prepared my wallet for this trip. Harker's going to be regretting it if he keeps sending Kerry those small novels he writes her.

Anyway, tell the kids I love them, and I miss them. I really miss you, too, and already look forward to coming home.

With love, Levin

P.S. Let me know how Sonia and Bram are doing. Hopefully they're not getting in too far over their heads training for the exam. They don't need to go through what we did before heading off to Orage.

* * *

"Are the preparations done?"

"We have sent out the messages. It will take time to receive the responses we require, but they will come soon enough. If they come at all…"

"You doubt the loyalty of our comrades?"

"The vows are old, Mother. It has been a long time. A very, _very_ long time… It is easy to make a promise when you feel you will not need to keep it within your lifetime."

"They will keep their promises. They have made their vows, and will be held true to them. If they do not… they will be reminded of the consequences of oath-breaking, and the rest will be all the more _willing_ to maintain their loyalty."

"That is, if it's true that our waiting is finally over…"

"You doubt, child?"

"We have kept memory of our vows for a very long time, Mother. There is a _reason_ we have had to sit and wait. It is… hard to believe the rumors and stories, after so long of hopeless waiting."

"You have been thorough in making certain these stories are true… _haven't you_?"

"Of course, Mother, of course! The tales are spoken by everyone, everywhere in Theron and beyond! They must speak of the tale even the most out of the way hole in the wall in the far reaches of Shrade! But I have checked. I have read the Guild reports, and seen the proof myself. They are true, I am certain."

"Then we have nothing to fear. Our time has come, though we are many years late in beginning our work. I wish we could have began the moment news first reached us…"

"We had to make sure, Mother! We had to be absolutely certain! To move too quickly, to be premature in our duty, especially after so long…"

"I know child, I know. But the time is now! So many years, and the days we have awaited are finally upon us! We are so nearly ready!"

"Yes, yes. Only one last thing we need, Mother."

"Yes… the gift. Our offering. And you have guaranteed-"

"The gift will be here. It took much work to ensure that, many deft maneuvers to pull it off. But our comrades are skilled, though their abilities may not be called upon frequently. They did what they were asked, and did it well. Soon, all will be ready."

"Their skills will find much more use soon. They will all be needed once we have fulfilled our duty."

"I certainly hope so."

"Worry not, child. Once our duty is fulfilled they will not need to be forced. They will aid us readily and willingly. It is in their blood. What else can they do but serve? Now go, child. Get some rest. We will be very busy soon, and you have worked very hard."

"Thank you, Mother."

"Sleep well, child. You will need your strength for the days to come."

* * *

To my dearest Eleanor, flower of my heart,

My heart aches to be away from you as long as I have. To be away from you is torture, and my dreams are filled with tantalizing visions of your beauty. I long to merely grace your presence once more, to simply allow my ears to listen to your beautiful voice, to gaze into your brilliant green eyes and have them look into my own with even half the love that I feel for you. To feel your slightest touch, the gentlest kiss, would be a greater gift than I could ever hope for, and I long for the day when I can once again bask in your presence and hold you in my arms with all the love and longing I feel in this moment.

See? I can be flowery too, pretty lady. I just choose not to do so in letters. So please don't compare my letters to those ridiculously poetic novellas that Harker enjoys sending Kerry. Besides, I prefer using such words when we're alone and the kids are otherwise occupied. Preferably somewhere with dim lighting, near a bed, with you wearing something nice and revealing, and I know I have you to myself for several hours…

I really shouldn't be having thoughts like this when I'm something like a thousand miles away from you, pleasant though they may be. I'm really looking forward to coming home.

Also, I really hope you're not reading these aloud to the kids.

Such thoughts aside, we entered the forests after the last letter, and have started on a northwestern path. Mercy, there are a lot of hills here! I always considered Theron to be rather rugged terrain, but now that I'm in Gahiji, oh man our country is flat as a pancake in comparison! Most of the paths that our guides are taking are dangerous, with sharp inclines and steep hills on all sides. Seems like you can't go twenty yards without some crazy rock protrusion jutting up from the ground, or a ledge dropping down ten yards. The only place we've seen that's really flat are the plains next to the sandsea, but beyond that the terrain is just insane. Harker's been going on about wild tectonics and other such stuff, but I can't follow half of what he says.

At least the Felynes are good at what they do; they keep taking us down these narrow paths and secret caves that we never would have found otherwise, and shaving days off our journey by leading us through mountains rather than around them.

We haven't run across any monsters on the roads yet, or at least nothing that's really that bad. A lot of little things like Jaggis, and some of their distant cousins called Velociprey. They're quick, but nothing worth getting worried about. I've also seen some big gorilla-looking things that our guides said were called Congas, and some Neopterons called Konchu. The Konchu kind of surprised me, since their shells were hard enough to deflect my switch axe blade, despite it being made from Deviljho materials! They're easy enough to kill once you flip them over though. Our guides have told us that we shouldn't need to fear anything more dangerous on the journey, as they're taking us through some of the safer paths. That's fine by me.

Leif is really enjoying himself. Despite being a 'city' Felyne, he having fun with his 'pilgrimage' in his 'ancestral homeland'. Our guides have started acting a little sour around him, though, despite the efforts he's gone to trying to make friends with them. I guess there's just some cultural difference that he's just not picking up. The other Felynes spend most of their time prattling on in their own language, and though Leif tries to get in on their conversation, their accent is too thick for him to understand that well. He says they're using some really archaic tongue that he doesn't know.

At least it hasn't affected their work as guides. We're making great time, as far as I can tell.

That being said, we are out of the forest for now. I'm actually sending this letter from a large Gahin city called Dundorma Town. We needed to stop for supplies, and what better place than one of the most prominent hunting cities in the region? But man, if I thought the surrounding area was hilly, Dundorma is a testament to the geography. Maybe I've been spoiled by places like Loc Lac, Orage, and Tanzia, where all the roads and paths are nice and flat, but this place is a different beast altogether. Hell, even that vacation we took in Yukumo wasn't as rough as this place is, and that's in the middle of the Misty Peaks.

Dundorma is pretty much built on the tallest hill in the area, right next to a massive lake to the south. The city itself is made up of about a dozen or so tiers going up the sides of the hill, with a lot of ramps and stairs that climb up and down the city's cardinal directions. The locals seem pretty used to it, but me and Harker had to stop and catch our breaths after climbing up a few tiers. It's even worse when you're getting passed on the stairs by pregnant women and doddering old codgers.

Even with that, the city's beautiful. From a distance it looks like an old, worn-out stone fortress, but inside they've really put in a lot of effort to color the place with grass, trees, and vines, as well as bright banners and the like. For its cold, lifeless exterior, the locals have really livened the place up.

Oh, yeah, and to answer your question from the last letter: no, I'm not going to try and buy some rare materials from this country to sell back in Theron. I don't care how much the going price for Yian Garuga beaks and Khezu steaks are back in Orage Dell, I'm not going to weigh myself down. I urge you to remember: I am not good at business. I am a frugal man, but you're liable to lose profit if you trust me to barter. And besides, it's unethical to tell your customers that powdered Rajang horns do what you're saying they do.

They don't do what you say they do, right? You haven't tested this or anything? Do I need to start checking my food when you cook? I mean, I'm not really complaining if they do have that effect, but it's the principle of the thing.

I met a few hunters while we were here that I could understand through that wispy dialect. They seemed rather impressed with my Golden Lune mail, so we started swapping stories. However, when I told them that I was a Therian hunter, they got this really sour look on their faces. For some reason, Therian hunters really aren't that well-respected here in Gahiji. I tried asking about it, but after hearing that I was Therian, a lot of them lost interest in me or straight up walked away. I didn't understand what was going on until this old guy I met at the inn explained it to me.

Apparently there's a really big disconnect between what Therians consider hunting and what the Gahin consider hunting. The old guy (I didn't catch his name, sorry) was a civilian, so he couldn't exactly explain properly, but from what I understand, the Gahin consider Therian hunters to be - and I quote - 'brutish, noisy, and lacking in tact or wit'. Too much 'hit it until it dies' and not enough 'hunting', whatever that means. I tried to ask for more, but the old guy just shrugged and couldn't give me anything else.

Now that he's told me, I've gotten a bit more receptive to the looks I'm getting from other hunters when I tell them I'm from Theron. Rolled eyes, scoffs of disdain, and just this general look of superiority. Maybe this is why Leif's having such trouble bonding with our guides. If nothing else, it's encouraging me to try and get this mission done as quickly as I can so I can come home. I mean, I could tell them about the Alatreon, but I've never really liked the attention that gets me, and in this country I'm not even sure if that would make them think more or less of me.

Either way, I guess it doesn't matter too much. We've gathered up everything we need for the rest of the journey, so we'll be leaving Dundorma in the morning. The next letter I send might be a while. The Meridian tower we're investigating is pretty far northeast of here, and we'll have to travel through pretty thick countryside to get there. There aren't many towns off in that direction, and I'm not sure how many villages will have Felyne postal service, but hopefully we'll be able to find a place where they're still sending and receiving. At the very least, I suppose I'll have to take one for the team and pay extra for a longer letter.

Anyway, tell Sonia to be careful hunting. It doesn't matter if she and Bram have taken down two Gobul together, the next one might prove to be really nasty. Or worse, it might end up being Goliath. I know he doesn't usually kill any hunters he meets, but any hunter that does get the short end of his attacks usually don't come home in very good condition. He's G-Rank these days for good reason. Also, what's Van been up to? Anything new with him?

I miss you all. With luck we'll get through this forest quickly, and I'll be back home soon.

With love, Levin

* * *

"Hmm… You're sure about this?"

"Hmph. You're asking if I'm sure? You? You don't believe anything that comes out of my mouth."

"Oh, that's not true. I believe it. I'm just not as confident in the _inevitability_ of all your divining nonsense as you seem to be. Mercy knows I've tweaked your precious predictions into being inaccurate once or twice."

"They were _not_ inaccurate."

"Ha, of course not, they were just _vague_ and you _horribly_ misinterpreted them. But you're certain that there's not much time left?"

"Positive. There is some… uncertainty-"

"How surprising."

"Do you want this information or not?"

"Oh, _do_ forgive me. I apologize _profusely_ , and _prostrate_ myself before you. How much time do we have?"

"Hmph. Five years at the most. If we're very lucky."

"And if we're _not_ lucky?"

"A few months… Maybe a year and a half. The fact that we've had twenty-five years already is more than I could have dreamed."

"A few months? Damn… Does she know yet?"

"No. That's why I came to you. You can get to her faster than I can."

"I'm not your messenger, old man. A few months is plenty of time for you to inform her before-"

"No! I cannot leave this country! Not yet. There are other dangers that I must seek out and try to prevent here."

"Dangers? What kind of dangers?"

"I'm not… sure. Even more so than usual, the visions are unclear. Something is coming, something dangerous, something different. It is a shadow of the past that lingers, looming in the distance. I don't know if it is related to our current threat, but I must try and unearth the truth and stop it if I can. Or at least minimize the casualties."

"Hmm… I don't like the sound of that."

"You must not focus on that. I will focus my attention on it, and _you_ must travel and tell her what I have told you. She must know of this, and prepare for it!"

"Calm down, calm down! I'll tell her. She'll certainly want to know of this. However…"

"No! Damn you! I know that tone! You're planning on ignoring this and doing something completely different!"

"I'm flattered! To think you're so familiar with me that you can tell that much with just a word! I'm not ignoring it though; I'll get around to informing her eventually. There are simply a few other stops I need to make first."

"Damn you to hell! This is _vitally_ important! You can get to her the fastest! What are you planning to do if not this?"

"I plan on doing the same thing I always do, oh great Veggie Elder: throw a wrench into the cogs of fate and see what breaks."

"That's what I was afraid of…"

* * *

Dear Ellie,

I have no idea how the Felynes do it. We got through the forest, and your letter was waiting for me in the village on the far side. I don't know what sort of magic the Felynes have conjured up to be so damn good at their job, but I applaud them for it.

But me and Harker have problems: I'm starting to suspect foul play. We've been going in circles, or at least, we're taking the most roundabout paths possible. I can tell, no matter how confusing this landscape is. And we've been backtracking a lot as well. Our guides keep telling us that 'the paths are blocked' and the like, though we've never seen any signs of this being true. It seems like when we reach a fork in the road, we always take every other path first, before getting on the right one last! We haven't called them out on it yet since we really are getting closer to the Meridian tower, despite everything. Harker's pretty competent at navigating, and I'm no scrub myself, so if our 'guides' are doing this intentionally, they can't keep fooling us forever.

Leif's been getting into a lot of arguments with our guides as well. I'm not sure what the issue between them is all about, but I think it's some religious dispute or something like that. Leif's stopped calling them 'helpful' and 'courageous', and started using other choice words like 'obstinate', 'archaic', and 'antediluvian'. (Actually, I'm not sure what that last word means, myself.) I'm not too sure what the guides are saying, but they certainly aren't nice. Insults tend to sound the same, even if you can't understand what the word means.

I've asked Leif what's going on, but he's not talking. Says it's a Felyne thing. I'm a little worried, but I'll leave it to Leif. We are guests in this country, so maybe we're just unintentionally stepping over some bounds that we didn't know about. I'll keep an eye on our guides though, in case this argument gets out of hand.

From what we've been able to pick up from the villages we've passed through, the tower's located somewhere deep within a place called the Blasted Lands. Mercy knows what sort of place that is, but I was getting mixed messages from people. Some of them seemed to consider it a holy land, while others considered it horribly cursed. A few of the villages we passed through seemed to view it as some sort of blasphemy that we were even entering the area. Most folks we talk to seem to think we're walking to our certain doom by heading to that area, one of those 'whoever enters never leaves' sorts of places.

Sounds about par for the course, considering my luck.

Something else I've noted is that I've seen almost no switch axes or gunlances in this country, and even bowguns are pretty sparse. It didn't really occur to me at first, not until a kid I met on the street asked me what sort of weapon I had. I guess 'kid' might not be the right word, since he was at least twenty, but he'd never seen a switch axe before! I mean, I know the weapon was created in Theron something like thirty years ago, but I remember seeing a few hunters wielding them in Dundorma. I told him what it was and gave a short rundown on how it works, and he just gives me this look like I'd admitted to rolling around in Aptonoth dung as a hobby, and walks away without another word.

Oddly enough, it was Harker that explained it to me. I didn't think he was really paying too close of attention to our surroundings, but apparently he'd picked up some information trying to figure out why he'd been barred from entering the country for so long before now. Apparently Gahin culture was formerly a very luddite country as early as twenty years ago, opposing the creation and use of certain types of technology within their borders, and only in the last couple decades has there been a surge for advancement. It seems like it split the country in two groups: the 'Progress' faction and the 'Purist' faction. The Progress faction is what it sounds like, encouraging technology and scientific study. The Purist faction favors keeping to the old ways and customs, including the use of hunting weapons that aren't too advanced and calling down the use of airships.

I was worried that it might mean we were stepping into a fight of some kind coming here, what with me having a switch axe as a weapon and Harker being himself. It seems like this whole faction dispute has split most of the cities here into two, with a lot of arguments breaking out on each side. But apparently this whole thing has actually been developing quite civilly, despite the disagreements between the locals. There are a few brawls breaking out in bars, but not much worse than that.

It's not as though there's no technology at all. You know some of those trade wagons I told you about? I've seen a few where if you hit a switch, the entire thing folds up in on itself using steam-powered gizmos, and those don't seem to bother the Purists that much. It's just that certain things like airships or certain weapons. I think there's some sort of technology cap, or maybe it's just certain types of technology? It's really strange, in my opinion, and I can't figure out why they do it.

I suppose it's just a different culture here. It looks as though most of the people in the larger cities seem to be primarily Progressive, but most of the smaller villages we pass through out in the mountains are still Purist. We get a lot of really dirty looks from the locals out in the wilderness. I'm just glad I keep my Dark Metal limbs covered most of the time. I'm not sure how the locals would react to that, considering the looks I already get in Theron.

Let it be said that I don't think less of these people for their Purist mentality though. Most of the people we've met are nice and generous to us, and though they turn their noses up at my weapon and what we're in Gahiji to do, they've all been pretty cordial. Maybe that's why they finally let Harker go on this expedition. With people in this country pushing towards advancement and trying to leave behind a lot of the old superstitions, they really don't have a reason to keep men like Harker from coming to study old Meridian artifacts anymore.

I'll be honest, all this political nonsense is making my head hurt. I'm not made for stuff like this. My skill set consists mainly of controlled applications of violence. I am pretty damn good at it, but not much else. That and keeping Harker from becoming a full-fledged, world-dominating mad scientist.

About what you said about Sonia, I'm honestly glad she and Bram have that extra six months before the next exam rolls around, no matter how eager they are to get their licenses. I know the Guild allows young men and women to try out at eighteen, but doing it the very second they're old enough just bothers me. Maybe it's just my overprotectiveness as a father speaking, but I wish my little girl would take some more time before throwing herself into such a dangerous profession. I mean, we didn't really get into the hunting game until we were in our early twenties, though admittedly there were unique circumstances for the two of us. I guess we probably would have taken the exam at eighteen too, if we'd been brought here a few years younger.

I guess I don't really have room to talk either way. All I can do is hope for the best and trust that she'll be smart enough not to play things too risky. She's learning from a good teacher after all, and she's got Bram around to keep her level-headed.

Anyway, tell her the usual: love, caution, all that jazz. Oh, and congratulate Van on doing so well in school. It's nice to see your children doing well in something other than professional killing.

With love, Levin

* * *

Deep within a lush green forest, two shapes rushed through the foliage. Panting and gasping with wheezing, fearful breaths, the two armored individuals dodged and leapt through the tall trunks and rugged roots, until they came upon a sudden drop, a shallow trench at the base of which trickled a shallow stream of water. Neither of the runners paused as the leapt down the drop, dropping to a crouch as they hit the ground. Rather than continuing to run, however, both individuals pulled back, pressing their backs against the dirt wall of the trench, gasping to catch their breath.

One of them, a hunter wearing solid grey plating, armor made from a Gravios, calmed himself quickly, leveling his breathing and tilting his head to listen. The other, a huntress in dull Monoblos armor, however, had yet to calm herself, gasping frantically for air and jolting in terror at the slightest sound. The hunter reached over, planting a hand on her shoulder and whispering sharply.

"Get down! Get down. Hold still and be quiet. I think… I think we've lost it."

"Oh, mercy… Oh, mercy, they're dead! It killed them like it was nothing! Geoff… he didn't stand a chance!"

"Hush now, Harriet. You must calm down-"

"Freida… oh, Freida! We left her to die! We left her behind!"

"She stayed behind so we could escape! Now please, be quiet, or it will-"

"What the hell is that thing?! It was… it was dead! I watched it _die_! It's not… It's not…"

" _Calm down!_ Please. Please, my love, calm down. Freida is… she is a skilled huntress. She will not die to the beast so easily. She has killed Tigrex before on her own, and she will do it again. It's not even a Brute! She will be fine, I… I am certain."

"Yes… yes, of course. It's just… just a Tigrex. We've fought them before, haven't we? Together. This one's just… just a little stronger. And it… it breathes poison. Freida was coughing when she inhaled it, that black miasma… She… Oh, mercy, that thing wasn't _natural_! And that shadow in the trees, the dark creature…"

"Hush Harriet! Be quiet! I thought I heard…"

There was a sharp crash, followed by the ripping of wood. Thundering footsteps echoed through the trees, and a twisted howl accompanied them. It was a familiar cry, one the hunters had heard before… but unnaturals and warped in a way that defied description.

"It's _coming_! It's killed her! Freida! We left her to die, and now it's coming for us!"

"No! It will _not_ kill us, my love! We can't… we cannot die here. We cannot… _both_ die here."

"...What? Alistair, what are you-"

"Get back to the city. I will hold back the beast. If you run, it should only be an hour back to Dundorma from here…"

"No… no, Alastair! No! I… I am afraid, but I will not leave you behind! I will not run away leave you here to-"

"You must, Harriet! The Guild will need to hear of this immediately! Whatever sort of… _thing_ this creature is, and whatever caused it, someone needs to be told! This is greater than the two of us, my love, whatever this is, and we have to do what we can to warn people… whatever the cost."

"Please, Alistair… Don't ask me to do this…"

"I must, Harriet. Don't… don't worry about me. Why, I'll… perhaps I'll kill the beast before you even get to Dundorma. I've fought my fair share of Tigrex. I can hold my own against this beast, I'm sure."

"Like Freida did? Like Geoff did?"

"I can't… Nonetheless, it must be done. I have my lance. I have my shield. I can outlast a Tigrex in a war of attrition."

"What of the creature? The dark shadow we saw?"

"If it challenges me, my love… I will make sure it does not leave unscathed."

"Oh, Alistair, please…"

"Go, Harriet. Quickly, before it gets here. I can hear it breaking through the trees already."

"Damn you, Alistair. Damn you! Don't… Don't die! Don't you dare die! If you do… if you do, I'll drag your sorry backside out of hell and kill you again!"

"I'd expect nothing less, my love. Now go! It's almost here."

The huntress hesitated, but leaned forward and kissed the hunter gently before turning and fleeing through the underbrush. The hunter sighed, stepping away from the dirt wall and walking towards the other side of the creek, unsheathing his lance and swinging it around to point towards the oncoming monster that continued to storm through the forest. A moment later he caught sight of it, tearing through the trees and charging directly towards him: a Tigrex, but with blackened skin, glowing red eyes… and a wave of black miasma steaming from its mouth with every breath it took. The hunter braced himself, bellowing loudly at the creature.

"Hold it right there, beast! If you think I'm going to let you take another step, you've got another thing coming! You've chased us far, but this is where your rampage ends! Come get me, Tigrex! Come kill me if you can! I've killed a thousand of your species, and I'll kill you too! You and that black beast that that created you! Roar all you want, beast, it won't save you when my lance pierces your - _hurk_. Damn it…"

* * *

Dear Ellie,

We enter the Blasted Lands tomorrow. I can see the tower just over the next few hills, and I've got to admit, it looks a lot more intimidating than I remember the Compound looking when we saw it for the first time. Though I suppose that one was mostly buried in a mountain. This one looks like it's freestanding in the middle of a valley. I don't know, it's just got this eerie presence about it.

I'm sending this letter from the only village close to the Blasted Lands that still has postal service. It's a small place with a lot of quiet, peaceful folks. There are a few farms where they grow crops, a small town smithy, and a general store. Seems really out of the way, but I kind of like it. It reminds me a lot of Boma, and I really miss that simplicity. There was some dispute among the villagers when they realized what we were here for and where we were going, but it was more of a plea for us to reconsider. I suppose these men and women are the kind of people who consider it a cursed place, not a holy one.

I have to admit, I'm getting nervous about this whole thing now. I try not to get pulled into this superstitious stuff like the locals do, but with the way everyone we've talked to goes on about it, I'll admit it's making me nervous. But we're still going to press on. Harker doesn't believe in this superstitious stuff, and I'm certainly not going to let him head in there on his own, no matter how uncomfortable this is all making me. I suppose on the bright side, if there is something there waiting to surprise us, Harker and I have a few surprises of our own to offer up.

Anyway, sorry this letter's so short, but Harker's rushing me. His excitement is getting the better of him, and he wants to head out as soon as possible. If I'd known he was in such a hurry, I would've written more last night. I guess I'll just have to write an extra-long letter once I manage to drag Harker away from whatever we find.

Gotta run. Harker's egging the guides to take us on, and I need to get this letter sent. I guess my suspicions I had about them in the last letter were unfounded, because we've been making a beeline for the tower for the last couple weeks. With our speed, we should be able to get to the tower in a day or two, spend a few days there so Harker can scour the area for whatever he's looking for, then returning to this village so I can send another letter. I don't know how long he'll want to stay after that though. Hopefully he'll get everything he wants after only a few days.

Tell the kids I miss them, and remind Sonia not to get too far in over her head.

With love, Levin

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about a man writing letters to his wife! Please Review!**

 **-Greetings MH fans! This is DBG, writing this chapter from the far-flung past of July 2014! While I'm not certain when this chapter is going to be released for the world to read on FFnet, from where I sit now, 4U still has no definite release date save for 'early 2015', so I'm thinking… seven months from when I'm writing this?-**

 **That was a pretty accurate guess by past me, since 4U released in February…**

 **But it's been awhile since I posted on this site, hasn't it? If I'd known it would take me this long to prepare the sequel, I probably would've put together another DLC chapter or two to tide my readers over. Ah well, lesson learned.**

 **But welcome new readers, and hello again returning readers, to Shadows of the Past! This story has been a long time coming, and I hope you all enjoy the ride!**

 **The reason I haven't been posting anything is because I wanted a backlog of chapters built up before I started releasing them to the public. As is, there are eight chapters ready to release (mostly, since 8 is in the final stages of editing). I'm planning on putting them out once every two weeks, so I should have enough for sixteen weeks of releases, which will give me enough time to have even more chapters written up. So at the very least, I should be able to release the first ten chapters at least without missing a beat. Quick note though: for those of you who read The Lost Civilization, but never got around to reading the DLC chapters, you might want to go back and give those a look. Some of them are joke chapters, or at least not canon, but the canonical ones are a little bit more prevalent to the story. I suggest at least reading Experiment, G-Rank, Underground, Frustration, and Memory, since those have more world-building off the last story.**

 **A couple more things before I sign off on this first chapter. Firstly, a request. I know there are a few of you out there that ask to swap friend codes so that we can play 4U together. I'm fine with that, and perfectly happy to play with all of you! That being said, PLEASE maintain basic online etiquette when you want to play with me! If you see that I'm online, and you join my room, and you see that I'm in the middle of something that is beyond your rank (i.e. you are high rank and I am doing G-rank quests), please has the courtesy to leave! Chances are the room I'm in is specifically made for that kind of thing, and we don't need someone around that cannot participate in the quests! Say hello, and if you really want to play with me, ask politely if I can join you once I've gotten what I need, and chance are I'll say yes! But in a room that's dedicated to a particular monster/task, don't expect me to cater to you! Also, even if you are the proper rank, don't rush in and ask for help with some quest that you want to do! Again, chances are the room I'm in is made for a particular monster, and trying to get three other people to help you with something that may not have anything to do with that is just rude!**

 **Lastly, some very big news! The Lost Civilization is going to become a voice-acted series on YouTube and maybe as a podcast!**

 **A little while before I finished After Life, I got a message from one of my readers, asking to use my story and turn it into a radio play! I admit being hesitant at first, but it seems like the project is coming together! I'm not sure when the first episode is planned to be released, but hopefully I'll be able to give you more information soon! Look forward to it!**

 **And that's about it for now. Look forward to the next chapter!**

 **Playing: Pokemon X, MH3U, Pokemon AS, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor**


	2. Perir Town

Perir Town

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

Warm sunlight filtered through the windows, brushing against Ellie's face and lulling her from sleep. Cracking an eye open, she groaned a bit under her breath; the amount of light in the room meant she'd slept in a little too long… she should've been at the shop by now.

Her father would've opened up for her since he was always at the print shop early, and she'd hired a local girl to man the store during the mornings. She didn't let anyone aside from her conduct the material trading though, and she knew that was the primary attraction. She really needed to hire someone who was good at bartering so she could take more time off, but she just hadn't found anyone good enough to meet her standards. So, no matter how comfortable her bed was, it was time to get up and moving; there was work to do.

There was a quiet yawn and some sleepy muttering next to her, letting her know that the person next to her was easing out of dreamland as well. Rolling over in bed, she came face to face with the one who shared her blankets last night: a small boy, tightly clutching the storybook they'd fallen asleep reading. With another big yawn, the boy cracked his eyes open, looking around in confusion before looking at Ellie.

"Good morning, Van," Ellie said sweetly.

"Morning, mommy," the boy replied tiredly.

Ellie chuckled, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. "Up and at 'em. You've got school this morning, and we don't want to be late."

"Okay," the child replied. Ellie grinned as the small boy rolled out of the bed, staggering his way wearily over to the door to return to his own room.

Van was Ellie and her husband Levin's youngest child, already eight years old. He was small for his age, with messy brown hair and soft green eyes. He was a quiet, introverted boy, a real surprise considering he was her and Levin's child. He always had a perceptive or curious look on his face, but never the eager or adventurous expressions that seemed dominant on everyone else in their family. Most of the people who knew them seemed shocked that one of their children was so gentle and soft-spoken, a boy who didn't seem to care in the slightest about becoming a hunter.

But Ellie didn't mind at all. In fact, she loved him all the more for it. She'd never known real stress and worry until her daughter Sonia had decided to become a hunter, and even as an apprentice she came home frequently enough from hunts with a new scar or wound which sent Ellie into fits of maternal worry. She'd known it was part of the occupation, but it didn't make Ellie feel any better. No, Van not having any interest in hunting was perfectly fine with her.

It took about half an hour to prepare for the day after Ellie managed to roll out of bed, but soon enough she and Van were out the door, making their way down the hill towards Perir Town. Ellie, Levin, and their children all lived in a cozy house at the base of the mountains to the northeast of town. Ellie really loved the house, a comfortable cottage that had been made to spend the rest of their lives in, with enough room that they'd have space for all their hunting equipment, as well as extra bedrooms for their children and guests. With prolific friends like Kerry and Harker, it was space they'd certainly needed. It was quiet and out of the way, but close enough to be a pleasant walk to and from town. Most importantly, both she and Levin loved the _privacy_ the rural location allowed. Even now, twenty-four years after the Alatreon had been slain, there were still people who dropped by in search of the 'famous hunters', and the distance from the center of town usually kept a majority of the story seekers from dropping by. Most of the people in town were kind enough to keep the location a secret as well, which was good.

Twenty minutes after leaving their home, Ellie and Van passed through the outer wall of Perir Town proper. The guard nodded politely to the two of them as they entered under the iron gate onto the main street. Buskers and shopkeepers were already in full swing, calling out to passerby to peruse their wares and claiming they had the best goods to offer between here and Orage Dell. It was the sound of business and trade, and music to Ellie's ears.

Perir itself was a relatively new town, only a couple decades old and populated mostly by the Lost. After the death of the Alatreon all those years ago, there was a mass migration of Lost from the city of Loc Lac, with a majority of them setting out to explore and see the world with their own eyes. It was a well-needed branching out, as well; the world was not the same as it had once been for the Lost.

Millennia ago, the Lost had essentially ruled the world through technology and advancement, and believed themselves the dominant species on the planet. That had changed almost overnight, when the Alatreon had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, sweeping across the world and devastating cities and countries with a speed that overwhelmed humanity. Then terrible creatures, now simply called 'monsters', adding to the mayhem. In a few short years, the world the Lost had once known lay in ruins, and great and powerful creatures were now the most dangerous beasts on the face of the earth.

But that was not the end of the Lost, not completely. For reasons unknown, perhaps for its own amusement, the Alatreon had seen fit to 'preserve' some of the Lost. Some tens of thousands of Lost were swept up into massive azure crystals created by the Alatreon, put into stasis for thousands and thousands of years until around thirty years ago, when the crystals' power faded and the Lost began to 'awaken'. It had been challenging for the Lost to come to terms with the shocking changes to the world and adapt to it as best they could. Things had not been easy, but they'd managed to get along. At first, they'd all tried to cluster together at the desert city of Loc Lac, but after the Alatreon had been slain, something seemed to have awakened a thirst for exploration in the Lost, and they'd finally begun branching out to explore the world and make of it what they could.

Perir Town was one of the results of the Lost's 'exodus' from Loc Lac. A small town's worth of Lost, after heading west over the desert and through the mountains, found a large, relatively safe stretch of land on the far side of the peaks. It was fertile and warm, and there weren't too many really dangerous monsters in the area, so the Lost had decided to settle in, planting themselves down right at the edge of the mountains and claiming the land as their own.

It had taken a couple rough years to get settled in, but the people proved to be determined, and with the town sitting right on the road between Orage Dell and Loc Lac, soon enough the first Lost town in Theron had become quite the trade depot for the western side of the country. With all the caravans and travelers going through the town, giving them a little wealth and room to grow, it wasn't long at all before Perir began to prosper. With a majority of Perir citizens being Lost, there were many who were eager to try and bring back some of the old technology and ideas that had been destroyed when the Alatreon had razed their civilization. It had been slow to start, since most of the minute complexities of the Lost machines weren't perfectly known, even by the Lost, but soon useful machines and designs were recreated, simplifying the lives of those within Perir, and the rest of the country began to take notice.

Ellie and Levin had moved to Perir only a couple years after its foundation, when Ellie's father had decided to move to this new industrial town and try and recreate his own technology: the printing press. Books weren't uncommon in Theron, but they certainly weren't easy or cheap to print. There were a few methods with rudimentary machines that did similar work, and Daniel Geisel's plan was to try and improve on that… and profit off of it as best he could. It took him a year to recreate old simple designs that he could remember, and a slow couple years after he'd gotten things running before his business picked up, when he began making thousands of copies of Lost books and spreading them out through the country. Those had been received with explosive popularity with people who became enveloped in stories that they were able to read, rather than simply listening to them in taverns or going to a theatre. After that, Geisel Printing really took off, with businesses opening in larger cities to print Guild reports and mission statements, and a few larger cities like Loc Lac and Orage Dell had even begun experimenting with newspapers.

That was her father's business, however, and though she appreciated having a small library's worth of books in their home, Ellie had a store of her own to look after. Geisel Sundries was her foray into the world of entrepreneurship, one which had ended up being more successful than she'd ever intended. Her plan had been to open a hunter's shop that offered to trade monster carves and materials for different carves and materials, then try and trade those for other, more valuable goods. It had been an experiment to pass the time during her first pregnancy and maternity period, and she had discovered two things in the process. First, she was pretty damn good at haggling with other hunters. Second, the hunters actually _liked_ her store, despite her getting the better of them more often than not.

She had expected that the store would stay open for a while, and then she could just drop the bartering side of it and let her parents take over once Ellie got back into hunting. However, before she even gave birth to Sonia, the small store had boomed in popularity to the point that the hunters that frequented the shop were practically begging her to keep the trade service available post-pregnancy. It spared them the pain of having to hunt down those hard-to-get carves, or battle a monster they weren't particularly fond of fighting. Ellie still wanted her parents to take over, but it seemed that neither Daniel nor Mary Geisel were very skilled in determining the value of monster parts. If the shop was to stay open, it needed to be maintained by someone who actually knew the value of hunting materials.

Ellie had still kept herself uncommitted to full-time work during Sonia's early childhood. Admittedly, she really enjoyed the job, and earning herself a profit off a good trade gave her a thrill when she was successful. But at the same time, she also enjoyed hunting with Levin, and having the chance to do so without extraneous threats breathing down their necks was something the two of them hadn't had the luxury to enjoy during the their earlier hunting years. Once Sonia was old enough, she and Levin had taken time to properly enjoy their occupation as hunters, traveling around Theron with their daughter in tow and challenging monsters that they'd never had the chance to. For five years, they'd lived out the exciting lives they'd always wanted, making friends and having adventures across the country. However, that had finally come to a halt when Ellie had gotten pregnant with Van.

Pregnancies were always a hard time for huntresses, if only because it was a sure way of stopping a hunting career cold for at least a year and a half for the pregnancy and maternity care. Going so long without hunting could end a career for good if the huntress didn't have the dedication to get back into the game after so long. One child could usually be raised without too much challenge, but two or more generally ended a woman's life as a huntress for good. Ellie only knew about four huntresses that had given birth three or more times and were still out hunting. She herself had gotten through Sonia's birth well enough, getting through nine more years of hunting after that.

After getting pregnant with Van though, she'd decided to call it quits. Despite the low priority she'd put into her sundries shop, the store seemed just as popular with hunters, and Ellie really wanted to see what she could do with the business if she really put her mind to it. Besides, Sonia had been nearly ten years old at the time, and had spent most of her early life on the move, traveling across the country with occasional stints back in Perir Town. That kind of life just wasn't good for a growing child; they needed stability in their lives. Not to mention that more and more dangerous monsters were appearing in the country, and Ellie just couldn't risk her and Levin both being in such a dangerous occupation. It was tough at first, giving up the life of adventure, but one of them needed to call it quits for the sake of their children, and Ellie was ready and willing for it to be her.

In the end, she was glad she had. Though Sonia had huffed a bit at not going out on journeys with her parents again, she got some much-needed time growing up around other children her age and getting a proper education at the school that had been built in Perir. Van had certainly grown up in a better atmosphere as well, considering his quiet personality. Ellie's trade business had proven exceptionally profitable once she got fully invested, providing her and Levin a steady method of income, even when Levin was knocked out of hunting for a month or two from injuries or other circumstances. She'd even managed to expand a little, and now Geisel Sundries had small shops in Orage Dell and the Compound too. Ellie had gotten to see Perir Town grow as well as the years passed, watching in awe as the Lost took what they had and made the growing industrial town that Perir was today, nearly doubling the town in size over the last eight years.

Nearly twenty-five years had passed since the fall of the Alatreon, and the world was advancing, slowly but surely. She and her friends were aging; Ellie herself was forty-five years old already, and she could feel her age catching up with her. Any day now she'd start seeing her hair greying; Levin's hair was already growing a peppery color under the brown. But she still had a lot of life in her, and was glad she was around to see the world changing and take part in that change, even if only a little.

The day passed without incident. Ellie dropped Van off at school before making her way to her store, where she spent the day haggling with hunters and passing trade caravans. She felt like she'd been cheated when she'd sold some Large Wyvern Stones for less than she'd wanted to, but her mood had improved when she'd gotten hold of some Zinogre Skymeralds from a hunter for far less than she thought he'd trade them for. She didn't know _why_ he was so desperate for Foul Venom Glands, but fifteen glands for two Skymeralds was a _steal_ in Ellie's books. The man certainly looked as though he felt he was getting the better end of the deal though, so maybe he really didn't like fighting Gigginox… Ellie didn't really blame him. One man's trash was another man's treasure, and all that.

The bartering ended at four o'clock, despite the protests from the hunters that still lingered in Ellie's shop. Ellie would hear none of it, however; with both Levin and Sonia out of town on their own adventures, Ellie was the only one available to take care of Van, and business could wait until tomorrow. She really needed to hire someone that could barter well for times like this… most of the ones she had working for her were sent out with their caravan to trade materials in villages and cities she didn't have shops in. Ellie supposed it couldn't be helped though.

Van was playing under a tree with a few of his friends when she arrived, but was eager to head home, carrying a book one of his friends had let him borrow under an arm. This was a common occurrence for the boy, who seemed to love to read anything and everything he could get his hands on, even if they weren't storybooks. Ellie couldn't help but wonder what an inquisitive boy like him would become in the future… a researcher perhaps? The thought sent chills up her spine, considering the type of researchers she knew personally.

The sun had passed below the horizon before they arrived home. Normally, it wasn't uncommon for Ellie to return to lights on as her family beat her home. Today, however, the house was quiet. Levin was out on his expedition with Harker, and Sonia was on a hunt with Bram and Logan in the south, chasing down a Royal Ludroth and searching for some Machalite the local smith had requested. It was just her and Van tonight, unless the hunt went well, in which case Sonia and Bram might be home tonight… Ellie would have to cook a little extra, just in case.

She was halfway done with cooking dinner, Van leaning over the table behind her and poring through his book with rapt attention, when the sound of excited chattering could be heard coming up the path. There was a noisy clattering from the front of the house, and Ellie smiled to herself. Van's eyes lit up as well, and he turned expectantly towards the entrance to the kitchen.

"Mom! Van! I'm home! And I brought friends with me!"

A vibrant blur of lavender and red flew through the door of the kitchen, immediately rushing up to Van and sweeping the boy out of his chair and into a bear hug. The boy giggled happily as he was swept around the room, legs dangling in the air as Sonia circled the table towards Ellie, an exuberant smile on the young huntress' face.

While Van certainly seemed to be far and away from what people had expected of Ellie and Levin's children, Sonia most certainly was not, though she was far more excitable than either Ellie or Levin had ever been. The apprentice huntress had taken after her mother for the most part, being the same height and similar physique, with a limber, taut body and strong legs made for speed and mobility. She had an oval-shaped face which was always lit up by her vibrant green eyes and a cat-like smile which rarely left her expression, and her dark brown hair was cut short, lying messily across her head.

She was wearing a relatively new, but surprisingly battered set of Jaggi armor, with the cap hanging down over her fluffy hair and holding it down. It wasn't the highest quality armor, but she wore it proudly, as she did with nearly every weapon or armor that she'd had made since becoming an apprentice hunter. Sonia spent so much time moving around that it came as no surprise that her armor had been worn down and repaired by the local smith almost a dozen times.

Across her back was a pair of dual swords crafted from easily-distinguishable Royal Ludroth materials. Sonia had been rather enamored with dual blades in the last couple months or so, but she had been jumping between weapons ever since she'd begun her apprenticeship, trying to figure out what suited her best. First it had been sword and shield like Ellie had used back during her hunting years, then a stint with the long sword, before surprisingly playing around with a hunting horn for a full three months. Now she had the two swords on her back, but every once in a while Ellie would catch her looking ponderously at her other weapons, clearly trying to figure out whether one of them would serve her better.

"How was the hunt, Sonia?"

"It went great!" the young huntress responded, grinning victoriously as she spun Van around in her arms and lifted him up onto her shoulders. "The Machalite was easy to find, and that Royal that was going after travelers was a cakewalk! We caught it really far inland, so it wasn't able to keep in mane damp at all, and it only had a few Ludroth from its harem with it, so they weren't much trouble to deal with either."

"So things went well, then," Ellie said with a slight sigh. She did worry about Sonia, and was always relieved when she came back unharmed.

"Wait until she tells you about the exciting part," an amused voice said, as a tall young man strode into the kitchen.

"Ah, I was wondering where you were, Bram," Ellie smiled.

"Sonia took off ahead of us," the hunter replied with a grin, and the huntress chuckled sheepishly. "I imagine she was eager to get home to brag about the fight."

Bram was a tall young man, over half a foot taller than Sonia was. He was surprisingly thin for his profession, though his arms and chest were fairly toned. He was far stronger than his appearance let on though, and could probably match most great sword and hammer wielders at his skill level in pure physical strength. He had a narrow face, with soft features and very gentle grey eyes. His hair was a very dark red, and had grown long over the years, trailing down to his shoulder blades and tied back at the base of his skull.

He was wearing a very reminiscent armor to Ellie, the dull yellow sponge of the Royal Ludroth. The fashion of the armor design seemed to have changed in recent years, and Bram's armor design was more of a jacket and pants with a cap and mask, rather than the hooded longcoat that Ellie's husband had worn as a rookie hunter. On his back was a bright orange bow made of Wroggi materials with a revolver-like construct connected to the grip and a large quiver strapped to his belt, nearly empty of its arrows. Ellie didn't quite understand the reasoning behind the bow design, but Bram seemed to favor it.

"Bragging, huh?" Ellie asked, glancing curiously towards Sonia. "What's all this about an 'exciting part'?"

Sonia grinned enthusiastically. "On our way back to the village, we ran into a Gobul."

"A _Gobul_?"

"Don't worry, it was easy!" Sonia replied, waving a hand. "It wasn't like we'd run into Goliath or anything. We cleaned it up almost as quickly as we did the Royal! We made filets out of it!"

"Oh, really?" Ellie asked, giving Sonia a distrusting look. "So you weren't injured at all? You didn't rush in too quickly this time?"

"Well… heh…" Sonia chuckled sheepishly, reaching up and rubbed her shoulder. Ellie could hear the telltale shifting of bandages beneath the armor. "I, uh… I may have played it a little risky and gotten nicked by the Gobul's tail spikes. But my armor deflected the worst of it, so I didn't get paralyzed or anything. And one of the Royal's harem nipped at my leg… but other than that I barely got hit at all."

Ellie gaze Sonia a scrutinizing look, before turning her attention to Bram. "And should I be asking _you_ how the hunt went instead? I know how much she likes to exaggerate her stories… _and_ how much she likes to glaze over the injuries she's received. I know at least _you'll_ give it to me straight."

Sonia pouted at the accusations, but Bram grinned. "Actually, it really did go well. We _were_ caught off guard by the Gobul, but it seemed just as surprised by us as we were by it, and we managed to strike out at it first. I'll let Sonia tell you the tale herself. She always cuts me off in the middle when I tell them anyway."

"That's because your stories are always so _bland_ ," Sonia retorted. "You tell it like it's a Guild report, not a _story_."

Bram shrugged. "That's why I leave it to you. Besides, all I really did was stand back and shoot it with arrows like always. Nothing exciting on my end."

"Oh, come on!" Sonia laughed, jabbing at the archer's shoulder. "Learn to brag a little, string bean! Don't pretend like you don't want to boast about how you sniped that Gobul's lantern from sixty yards away."

That got Ellie's attention. "Sixty yards? To shoot a Gobul lantern? That's quite impressive! I know some G-Rank hunters that couldn't pull off that kind of shot."

The young man chuckled sheepishly at the praise. "It was just a… Well, it was a pretty good shot, though I don't think I'd be able to do it again."

Ellie couldn't help but smile at the red-haired hunter's humility. Bram was like Van: a child that was quite different compared to his parents. He was the youngest child of Ellie's best friends, Kerry and Harker Renfield, and yet he was almost nothing like them, personality-wise. Harker was… well, he was _Harker_ , manic and excitable, and while Kerry was more level-headed than her husband, she still went wild when it came to her experiments or whatever had caught her interest.

Unlike either Kerry or Harker however, or even compared to the rest of his siblings, Bram was calm, collected, modest, and almost always made sure to properly think through his actions. Ellie wasn't sure why he was that way; maybe he hadn't liked being compared to his family as a child, or maybe he had been so overwhelmed living with his brothers and sisters, all of whom resembled their parents in enthusiasm, that he had been left as a quiet and observant boy. Or maybe he was he was just the only one in his family that saw how often the others in his household ended up smoking and singed from their experiments, with holes blown into the walls of their labs and workshops, and actually decided to try to show a little more caution in his life.

In all honesty, Ellie wouldn't have pegged him for the type to become a hunter once he was old enough, considering his quiet nature. At the very least, she'd expected him to take up some academic role like the rest of his family. Yet, here he was, proving to be quite adept at the occupation, if a little more modest than your average hunter.

Ellie smiled encouragingly at him. "There's no harm in taking some pride in your accomplishments, Bram. You've worked hard to be as good as you've gotten, so you shouldn't feel bad about bragging a little bit. Besides, you know what they say about hunting stories: any hunter that's doesn't feel up to boasting about their achievements has a friend or two that's willing to do it for them."

"That's right!" Sonia grinned. "If you're not going to tell people about what you've done out on our hunts, than I'm perfectly willing to do it for you."

"Exactly, and do you really want Sonia telling _all_ your stories? The way she exaggerates things, in a couple weeks she'll be trying to convince people that you shot the Gobul's lantern blindfolded from the dark side of the moon."

"Yeah, he'd… Hey! I'm not _that_ bad!"

Bram laughed though. "Sorry, Sonia; I think she's right. Some of the stories you tell can get pretty outlandish. Need I remind you about the story you tell people around our first real large monster hunt?"

"What about it?" Sonia asked, scowling. Bram grinned at the expression though.

"My memory's never been great, but there was only one Great Jaggi in that clearing from what I remember, and it only had a half-dozen Jaggis around it. Last time I heard you tell it there were two pack leaders and a whole legion of ankle biters."

"And a gold-crown Arzuros," Ellie added, earning a glare from her daughter.

"And a rockslide!" Van shouted from Sonia's shoulders.

"Hey! Whose side are you on, you little devil?" Sonia snapped, swinging Van down from his perch and tickling him relentlessly, sending the child into fits of giggles as he tried to pry himself from her grip. "This is what you get for challenging a hunter, little man!"

"Vell, Hy vouldn't kall hyu a hunter qvite yet, hey? Shtill gotta pass de test before hyu kan say dat, gurlie." Ellie turned towards the door as a third hunter strode through the doorway, grinning in amusement at the conversation. He nodded politely to Ellie as he stepped into the kitchen. "Ho, dere. Sorry for intrudink. Hed to put my svord in hyu shed outside. Hyu door's too schmall to fit it trough, hey?"

"It's fine, it's fine…" Ellie sighed. "I've given up on the state of my door frames ever since Levin decided to make that jagged monstrosity of a switch axe he uses after we first moved in. Come on in, Logan."

Logan was the adoptive child of Lynn Sturmtrum, one of Ellie's oldest friends and mentors. He had grown up quite well since his childhood, shooting up until he was several inches taller than Ellie. He wasn't quite up to Bram's height, but made up for it by being much broader and much stronger than both of them put together. Logan's years as a great sword user had left him strong and durable, even as a Lost, with powerful muscles needed to wield his heavy weapon. His vibrant blue eyes glittered brightly on his strong and handsome face, and he'd been letting his black hair grow long, tying it back behind his head and letting it hang down to between his shoulder blades.

His armor was something Ellie didn't see too often, even in her occasional visits to hunting cities like Orage Dell or Port Tanzia: a heavy, aquamarine, plated mail made from Zinogre materials. Zinogre had been a rare, nearly unseen monster in Theron at the time of the Alatreon's death, but many of them had been migrating into the country for reasons unknown and carving themselves a place into the ecological niche. Even so, hunters with experience battling the electric fanged wyverns were rare, but Logan had still managed to take down enough of the beasts to gather the materials for his armor, as well as the aquamarine and tan great sword that he'd left out in the shed.

Logan had certainly changed a lot since Ellie had first met him as a young boy. The Logan she remembered from that time was quiet, nervous, and somewhat sullen. The Logan before her now… well, he'd long since turned into what normal civilians thought of your everyday hunters: confident and self-assured, quick to laugh and quicker to boast of his endeavors, and always carried himself with a bit of swagger, especially when he was fully decked out in his armor. He'd even become a shameless flirt, if rumors going around town were any at all accurate…

Which wasn't to say that he hadn't _earned_ the confidence and pride he had in himself. From what Ellie had heard, he'd taken the exam almost immediately upon turning eighteen years old and passed with flying colors, and in the ten years since then, he'd gone on to make quite a name for himself, standing out as an exceptional hunter. He'd proven to be competent enough that Ellie likely would've looked on his career with envy if he'd been a hunter at the same time she had. There were even rumors that the Guild was thinking of raising him to the coveted G-rank level, something usually reserved for only the finest of hunters. He might even have received it already, had his hunting career been half as _adventurous_ as Ellie and Levin's own had been. But it seemed that fate destined Logan for an average hunter's life, and he had to work his way up the ranks without an unexpected, fantastic exploit to boost him along.

"Do you have anything to add about the hunt?" Ellie asked, and Logan grinned enthusiastically.

"De both uf dem doink pretty goot. Tinkink it vas a sheme dey missed dey chance to take de eksem last veek. Tinkink dey kould hef passed vell und goot, flyink kolors und hall dat." He nodded in Sonia's direction. "Hyu gurl's a schlippery vun. Hall de svinks de Gobul took vith its tail, und hall de svipes from de Royal, und hyu liddle gurl vas dodgink everyddink. Hy know hyu don't like de vay hyu gurl puts herself in danger, but she got goot instincts. She be fine, hey?"

"Yeah, well… Doesn't make me feel much better about it," Ellie sighed, glancing at her daughter. Sonia chuckled sheepishly as she passed Van over to Bram, who put the boy on his own shoulders. With the archer's height, the boy's head nearly touched the ceiling.

Logan grinned in amusement though. "Ja, Hy tought so. Maybe it runs in de family den? Momma used to tell schtories about de schtuff hyu und hyu husbund got up to in hyu hyunger days. Hy remember a few schtories de two uf hyu told me hyuselves too, vay back ven, und dey veren't alvays tales uf beink hall kareful-like, hey?"

Ellie flushed a bit at the accusation. "Levin and I may have gotten ourselves into some sticky situations… but most of them were Levin's fault anyway."

"Ho! Konvenient he's not here to defend himself," Logan laughed.

"Very…"

"But Hy'm tinkink dey's zum times ven it vas hyu dat vas to blame, hey? Seem to recall vun tale 'bout a Raddian dat almost burned de Flooded Forest down, uf hall places…"

"Wait, really?" Sonia eyes lit up curiously. "I haven't heard that one before!"

Logan grinned at the girl's enthusiasm, even as Ellie glowered at him. "Und Hy remember anodder vun 'bout a Great Wroggi hunt dat vent especially sour…"

Ellie blanched at the words before giving Logan a venomous glare, though it only seemed to make the man's grin grow wider. Sonia, Bram, and Van all noticed, and their faces grew incredibly curious. Ellie crossed her arms and grumbled sourly. "I could've _sworn_ I'd never told anyone about that… and Levin _knows_ what I'd do to him if he ever told anybody. How the heck did _you_ hear about it?"

"A goot schtory's a tricky tink to keep hidden," Logan chuckled. "Hy heard de schtory from my modder, but who she heard it from… now _dat's_ a mystery."

Ellie could see the three others in the room staring excitedly between her and Logan, clearly interested in the full story, but Ellie quickly turned away and back towards the stovetop.

"I think that's enough of such talk for now," she stated, earning a couple groans of disappointment. "Oh, hush. Now, I've got dinner going, and it won't be much trouble to throw a bit more on there to feed the three of you two, unless you stopped by a restaurant before you came this way?"

"Nah, we're famished!" Sonia replied quickly, plucking Van from Bram's shoulders and plopping down into one of the seats, placing her brother in her lap as she rested her chin on the boy's head.

"Well, you can spare a few minutes to get out of your armors first, I think," Ellie replied quickly. "We have an armory in this house for a reason. Not you though, Logan. I don't need you stripping in my kitchen, unless you brought spare clothes from your apartment."

"Heh, ekshibitionism ain't zumddink Hy'm fond uf, hey?"

"Not if what I've heard from the tavern-keeper is true. You're apparently an interesting drunk, Logan." The great sword user flushed and chuckled in embarrassment. "Anyway, it'll take a few minutes to get everything ready, so you can regale me and Van with your latest escapade once you've changed. If you don't have another hunt planned for tomorrow, I can call for some of the Guild Felynes to come and clean your armors…"

"Eksually, before ve get gun on de huntink schtories… dey vas zumddink Hy vanted to ask hyu about, Mrs. Geisel," Logan said seriously. "Zumddink kuncernink Sonia und Brem's trainink."

Ellie raised an eyebrow at the great sword wielder, looking over to her daughter and Bram, but both the apprentices seemed just as surprised as she did, glancing inquisitively between each other. "And what's that?"

"Vell, like dey vas talkink about, dey missed dey chance to take de hunter's eksem in Orage, since dey vanted to take it togedder, und Brem's schtill got a few months before he's old enough. Dat means dey got to vait anodder six months ontil de nekst vun, hey? Dey both pretty much ready, so Hy vas tinkink, vat if ve schpent doze six months on a bit uf an adventure?"

Bram looked slightly concerned at the words, but Sonia's face had lit up excitedly. Ellie's eyes widened in surprise, but she gave Logan a cautious glare. "What kind of adventure are we talking about? I _am_ a retired hunter, Logan, so I do know that 'adventures' aren't exactly the safest things in our profession…"

"Noddink dat dangerous, Hy tell hyu dat right avay," Logan replied quickly, raising his hands defensively. "Hokay, lemme eksplain. So, Hy've done zum travelink since becomink a hunter; fought a lot uf monsters, seen a lot uf places, made a lot uf friends. Dat kind uf tink, hey? Hennyvay, kouple years back, Hy vas in de Tundra und end up chasink a Gigginox really far east, und me und my teem eksidentally krossed de Gahin border viddout even knowink it."

"Really? That's not good…" Ellie muttered worriedly. She'd heard of the rough border issues that Theron had with Gahiji, and they didn't always end well.

"Did you get sent to prison?" Sonia asked, earning an exasperated look from Logan. "Is this an informative on how to do a prison break? Because I could ask my mom or Bram's parents if I really wanted to learn about that kind of thing…"

"I'm pretty sure that's not it, Sonia…" Bram said.

"There were extraneous circumstances behind that and you know it!" Ellie huffed. "And Logan better _not_ be thinking of teaching you two something like that…"

"Ho, don't vorry 'bout dat," Logan laughed. "No prison time for me. De border issues been gettink a lot kleaner und nizer de last few years. Maybe Hy get in a bit uf trubbel vith de Gahin Guild if tinks vent anodder vay, but lemme finish my schtory.

"Hennyvay, de Gigginox goes over de border 'bout ten miles or so, ven it hits a karavan passink trough. Now de karavaners, dey ain't schtupeed, und dey got hunters dere ready to fight uff hennyddink big und nasty dat komes der vay. Problem iz, dey ain't never fought a Gigginox before. Dey seen doze odder ugly tinks, Khezu Hy tink dey kalled, but not our kountry's nasty vorms, und dey hevink a lot uf trubbel vith it. Dey vas ekspectink _electricity_ , like de Balefuls, but dey vasn't ready for hall de poison. Now, de Gigginox might hef made a real mess uf tinks, if me und my teem didn't finally katch up und leap in to safe de day. Made real schort vork uf de nasty tink, und de karavan vas real grateful-like, hey?

"Kourse, ve mighta been a bit nervous ven ve find out dat ve in Gahin territory on eksident. But de leader uf de karavan, he vas a real nize guy, hall tenkful, und he tells us he make sure dat de Gahin Guild don't kome down on us herd or noddink like dat. Guess he hed zum friends in high places or zumddink, hey? He tells us dat he owes us a big favor for savink his karavan, und lets us know dat if ve ever vant to kall it in, to let him know.

"Hy don't know if de odder guys Hy vas vith for dat hunt ever turned in der favors… Maybe dey don't even remember it? But Hy deed. Hy got dis idea a few months ago, after Sonia said she vanted to take de eksem vith Brem. Hy sent dat karavan guy a letter, und ask him if dey's a vay for us to go und train dere for a fev months, fightink monsters dat ve don't get to see here in Theron. Und he said yes! Guess de hunter in his karavan retired recently, und he vas lookink for hyung blood to fill de gaps, und vas be fine vith lettink us travel vith dem for a vile. Said he von't be gun trough real dangerous areas eidder, so hyu don't gotta vorry about us fightink hennydink too nasty, hey?"

"I see," Ellie muttered thoughtfully. "So your big adventure is to take them on a hunting trip through Gahiji?"

"Ja, pretty much. Tinkink ve schpend a fev months dere seeink de sights und fightink de low rank monsters dey got over dat vay, den ve kome back chust in time for de hunter's eksem in Orage, und dey become official hunters. Sounds like a fun time, hey?"

"Hell yeah it does!" Sonia shouted excitedly, leaping to her feet. "This is great! We'll see and fight monsters that nobody in town has even _heard_ of before!"

Ellie watched as Sonia began spinning Van around excitedly. Bram stayed at the table, smiling a little as he watched Sonia twirl around the kitchen, but Ellie could see the excitement in his eyes. Clearly he was just as thrilled about the idea as Sonia was, though he tried his best to keep a more subdued appearance. Logan grinned, clearly pleased that they liked the idea.

Ellie didn't know how to feel about this whole 'adventure' though. She didn't know too much about Gahiji herself, only that getting across the border was rather challenging, though the restrictions had been getting less stringent over the last few years. Levin's letters had been rather enlightening, if not exactly encouraging. This whole 'opposition to technology' thing was new information, though Ellie supposed it didn't really matter too much, since the three hunters in her kitchen didn't really rely on the more tech-heavy weapons… Well, Bram did, sort of. He actually owned a switch axe, though Ellie had only seen him use it a handful of times over the course of his three-year apprenticeship.

Ellie's uncertainty seemed to be caught by the hunters in the room, because Sonia's cheering grew a little quieter, and she began looking at her mother with hopeful, slightly pleading eyes. Logan cleared his throat a bit as well. "So, uh, vat hyu tink, Mrs. Geisel?"

"Just in time for the hunter's exam, you said?" Ellie asked. "So you'd be gone for a full six months?"

"Heh, ja," Logan admitted. "A real long journey. But hyu know how it iz vith hunters, hey? Vunce dey get dey journeyman licenses, dey both sure to travel to zum hunter's hub like Orage or Tanzia or Yukumo to take on de _real_ challenges. Figure dey might as vell get a taste uf de real hunters' life, gun out und travelink from town to town, takink missions for lotsa folk in lotsa places."

Ellie sighed, leaning against the cabinet behind her. She wanted to argue… but she couldn't think of any decent retorts against the great sword user's case. And she knew she wouldn't, either. Logan was right: Ellie _did_ know about the hunter's life. Logan's 'adventure' was something that would have excited Ellie in her hunting years, and was nothing that Sonia and Bram wouldn't get up to one day or another if they kept being hunters. Even if they were just apprentices, they still traveled around quite a bit, taking care of hunt requests from villages and towns in the nearby area. This trip to Gahiji would be no different, just… much farther away.

And really, that was the only issue: Ellie just didn't want her little girl to be so far away. Wanting her not to go for something as simple as that though… that was just her being selfish, and Ellie knew it.

"What about all the paperwork?" Ellie asked weakly. "Traveling to Gahiji isn't easy…"

"Taken kare uf," Logan replied quickly. "Vell… most uf it. My friend over dere took kare uf a lot uf de vork, gettink hall de papers to let us into de kountry. Hall ve gotta do iz fill in a few blanks und ve be ready to go, hey? Nize und easy."

Ellie was silent for a moment before smiling, impressed. "You've really put a lot of thought into this, haven't you Logan?"

The great sword user grinned sheepishly at the praise. "Vell… kan't say Hy didn't vant to go myself. Dis iz chust as much an adventure for me as it iz for dem, hey? Chust, uh, needed to make sure it vas goot vith hyu und Mrs. Renfield."

"Aha! And now your ulterior motives show."

"Ja, ja. Vas my evil plan hall along, to get hyu und Mrs. Renfield's permission so Hy kould go to Gahiji und not feel guilty about leavink my helpless liddle apprentices behind," Logan chuckled. But then his face grew serious, and a touch nervous. "So, uh, vat hyu say? Tink it'd be fine?"

Ellie sighed and smiled. "Well… I guess when it comes down to it, it's not really my decision to make, is it? Sonia's old enough to make her own decisions about these things now, so if she wants to go-"

"Yes! Yes I want to go!" Sonia shouted excitedly, and Ellie shrugged.

"I guess that's that, then."

"Yay! Thanks mom!" Sonia said, slipping around the table and pulling Ellie into a tight hug.

"No problem sweetheart," Ellie replied, returning the hug. "I just hope you'll be safe and have fun out there." As the huntress pulled away, Ellie returned her gaze to Logan. "So, when exactly do you plan on leaving for Gahiji? If you're going to talk to Kerry first…"

"Eh… ektually, vas tinkink uf headink out first tink tomorrow mornink," Logan replied, earning a surprised look from Ellie. "Is like hyu said, de eksem iz in six months. Dat's a long time to be avay, but for us dat's _only_ six month in Gahiji, hey? Hy vant to be dere as soon as possible. Vas tinkink dat ve fly out und talk to Mrs. Renfield tomorrow, den Hy go see _my_ modder, den ve head to Gahiji. Vith luck, ve be dere viddin a veek."

"That's rather abrupt."

"Ja, vell, chust got de letter from my friend right before ve left on de Gobul hunt. Everydink's ready, ve chust need to get dere."

"I guess that means we'll need to get packed tonight," Bram said thoughtfully. "Should I bring my switch axe? It's pretty big, and I don't really use it too often, but if I felt up for it, it'd be nice to have with me…"

"Ah! That's right!" Sonia gasped. "How the heck am I going to pack all my weapons? My dual swords and sword and shield shouldn't be a problem, but my longsword and hunting horn are kind of big…"

"This is why I said you should try and focus on one or two weapon types, Sonia. You can't exactly haul around a small armory for things like this. Your item chest doesn't have infinite space inside of it. Maybe you should try reading those books your Grandpa gave you, the… what are they called? The Pack Rat Guide and something else?"

"Nuts to that. It just means you've got to get creative with inventory space! I'm going to bring all my weapons with me somehow. Maybe if you-"

"I'm not letting you put anything in my item box, Sonia."

"Aw, pecker…"

Logan chuckled at the conversation. "Hy schould be gun now, den. Gotta get back to de inn und get my own schtuff ready, hey?"

"At least stick around for dinner, Logan," Ellie told the great sword user, returning to the stove. "If this is going to be the last time I have the three of you around for a while, at the least we can all eat together."

"Erm… maybe Hy go back to de inn, hey?" Logan said nervously. "Hyu know… gotta pack und hall dat…"

"I think he's just afraid of your cooking, Mrs. Geisel," Bram chuckled, making Logan shoot the archer a dirty look. "Pretty sure Lynn has been telling him about more than just your hunts."

"Hey! I am _not_ a bad cook! Not anymore at least. Just because I… _may not_ have been the greatest back when I was still a journeyman hunter doesn't mean that I haven't improved since then!" Ellie pointed intently at one of the chairs at the table. "Just for that, you sit your butt down and I'll prove it."

"Eh… hain't goot to hef food poisonink ven hyu on an airship, hey? Hyu puke over de side, hyu might hit zumone."

"Sit, Logan."

"Hoy, yez ma'am…"

* * *

There was a brisk chill in the air as Ellie made her way through the streets of Perir Town. The sun had yet to rise, though a fiery glow hung just over the silhouettes of the mountains, preparing to cover the land in bright light, but for now the earth was cool, and frost coated the grass around them.

Ellie had managed to borrow an Aptonoth-drawn wagon from one of their neighbors to transport the three hunters and their item boxes to the airship landing field on the north side of town. It was a slow, bumpy route, and the wagon smelled slightly of crops and herbs, but the four of them were in no hurry. The first airship didn't take off until the sun was fully over the horizon, and that wasn't for a while yet. Sonia spent the entire trip in the back of the wagon, prattling excitedly with Bram, wondering what they would see and do once they got to Gahiji, while Logan sat up front with Ellie, making idle chit-chat.

The airfield was quiet as the wagon pulled towards it, save for a single airship that was preparing for the sun to rise. The engines rumbled away, but their designs had been getting quieter over the years, and while they were still rather noisy, it was nothing compared to the roaring that first few airships had produced. A few travelers milled around, some hunters, most civilians, readying to board once they were allowed to.

As the wagon rolled to a halt near the airship, the three in the back hopped out to unload their boxes while Ellie went over to pay the travel fee. It wasn't the cheapest thing in the world, but fortunately airship travel was cheaper for hunters. It was pretty good business sense: if the country's arguably most important individuals were able to use such a fast mode of transport cheaply, then its popularity would continue to grow.

Once the fare was paid, the five of them made their way over to the gangplank leading up to the deck of the ship. A small line had gathered, and those that were leaving were either waiting to head onto the ship or saying their goodbyes to their friends and loved ones. Ellie paused before reaching the line, however, turning to face Sonia. Her daughter immediately dropped the handle of her item chest, opening her arms and wrapping them around her mother in a tight hug.

"I'm going to miss you, Sonia," Ellie said, squeezing her tightly. "Try and watch yourself, would you?"

"Don't worry, mom. I'll be fine," Sonia replied, hugging her just as fiercely. "I've got Bram with me after all. And Logan too, I guess."

"I know, I know… Keep an eye on the boys. I know I ask Bram to take care of you, but I expect you to watch out for him too. And maybe Logan as well; your hunting teacher can be a bit rambunctious from what I've heard, and I don't need you and Bram getting caught up in his tomfoolery."

"Hoy, Hy hain't dat bad…"

"Hehe. Don't worry mom, I'll keep an eye on them both." The two held on to each other for a few moments longer, before pulling apart. Sonia knelt down and swept up Van, giving her brother just as affectionate a hug as her mother, before lowering the boy to the ground again. "Want me to look for dad while I'm over there?"

"If you want, sweetheart, but your father's supposed to be quite a bit further north than you three, and in a more dangerous area. I'll send him a letter and let him know that you're going to be in Gahiji though. Maybe he'll come meet you somewhere." Ellie glanced over at Bram and waved him over. "Come here, Bram. I may not be your mother, but with as long as I've known you I might as well be. Give me a hug."

The tall young man chuckled sheepishly, flushing a bit in embarrassment as the retired huntress summoned him over, wrapping her arm around him in a hug. Bram had to slouch a bit to get his arms around her, but he gave her a hug just the same.

"Keep an eye out for Sonia, would you?"

"Of course, Mrs. Geisel," Bram replied.

"And keep an eye out for yourself too. I don't want either of you coming home with some terrible scar or worse, okay? Promise me that the both of you will watch out for each other. I know you'll be fine if you do that much."

"I promise."

"Good. Give Kerry my love, okay?" Ellie smiled as she released the young man, pulling away from him as he went to gather his item box again. The retired huntress raised an eyebrow towards Logan last of all and smirked. "You want a hug too?"

"Heh. Tink Hy'll pass, hey?"

"You sure? I've known you since you were knee-high you know, even if you haven't been around as much as Bram."

"Shtill, no tenks. Safe hyu vell-veeshes for de apprentices, hey?"

"Alright, if you're sure. Say hello to your mother for me. You _are_ going to visit your mother before you go traipsing off to Gahiji right?"

"Ho, yah, don't hyu vorry 'bout dat. Ve gonna head back dat vay vunce ve talk to Mrs. Renfield so Hy kan see her before ve go. She'd hunt me down und gimmee vun heck uf a schmack if Hy vent uff to anodder kountry for six months viddout seeink her first."

"Ha, I don't doubt it."

There was a call from the deck of the ship, and those at the base of the gangplank began scurrying a bit quicker to board. The three hunters hurried to grab their item chests, hauling them up to the deck of the ship along with the rest of the passengers, before vanishing from sight as they dragged their goods below deck. Ellie waited patiently with Van until Sonia reappeared, dragging Bram alongside her with Logan following behind.

"Bye, mom!" the hunting apprentice called down. "I'll be sure to write! I'll get some souvenirs too! I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too sweetheart!" Ellie called back. "Take care of yourself!"

"I will! See you in six months!"

Further down to ship's hull, the roar of the engines began to grow noisier. The crew of the shipyard began loosening the ropes tying the airship down, and the hull started to lift off the ground. Flames roared from the burners as the blimp filled with hot air, and the ship slowly began to rise. Once the airship was several dozen yards off the ground, the engines really kicked in, and the ship began pushing east, rising up towards the peaks of the nearby mountains.

Ellie and Van continued to wave as the airship rose into the sky. Soon enough though, the airship was too high and far for the retired huntress to make out her daughter anymore, and she and Van finally turned and made their way back to the wagon. The Aptonoth was grazing peacefully on a pile of hay as the two of them took a seat, but Ellie didn't pull the creature from its meal quite yet, instead turning to watch the airship fly away. It was still visible, a large dot in the orange sky, slowly making its way further east. In a few minutes, the airship would pass over the mountains and out of sight.

Ellie had to admit, it was a lonely feeling, watching Sonia fly away like that. She'd seen her daughter leave in much the same way before, on short hunts for some monster that Logan had found for her and Bram to fight, but she always knew her little girl would be back in a few days, maybe a couple weeks at most. But now she was heading off on a real adventure of her own, a six-month journey through Gahiji. She'd see places Ellie had never seen, fight monsters Ellie had never heard of, and experience things Ellie had never known…

It made Ellie a bit envious to be honest. Even after all these years of retirement, she still longed for the exciting life of the hunter, and wanted to go out and see the world with her own eyes…

But that wasn't her world anymore. She'd traded it away for something different. It wasn't as exciting as hunting, it didn't offer the same feeling of exploration, pride, and courage that hunting did, but she was happy here, and she was needed. She had a business to run, a role in the community, and most importantly she had Van to take care of. With her husband and eldest child running around the world on their little hunting soirees, someone needed to stay behind and make sure that their home was kept all in one piece.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Van asked curiously, looking up at her. Ellie smiled comfortingly at him and kissed him on the forehead; he'd always been a perceptive boy.

"I'm alright, dear. I'm just going to miss your sister while she's gone."

"Oh. Me too," Van replied simply, looking back up towards the mountains to the east.

"Come on, now. Let's get home," Ellie said, clicking the Aptonoth into motion and aiming the wagon back towards home.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about a retired huntress! Please Review!**

 **I think I've been watching a little too much GenerikB… Oh, well. My writing has always been full of strange references and pokes at gameplay mechanics. And I hope your eyes aren't bleeding too much from Logan's speaking... don't worry though, it'll get better.**

 **I'll warn my dear readers here before things really get going: the next few chapters are going to be a bit of exposition. A lot of time has passed since The Lost Civilization, and there are a few things that readers will be interested in. My long-time readers might be used to this kind of thing, since I try to focus on world and character development, using monster hunts as interesting filler and plot devices. However, in comparison to my last story, I actually know when the first large monster hunt will be, and it'll be one of the new ones!**

 **Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that a few of you might be bouncing around a bit at the thought that I might be accepting OCs to put into this tale. I'm going to tell you right off the bat that I'm still not certain whether I'll be doing that in this story. That's not to say it'll never happen, but I don't really have any open spots for them yet, and if it's going to happen, I want there to be enough openings that a fair number of readers have their chance at it. However! Even if I did have a spot open, I'd ask that you don't even prep a character until at least ten chapters in. This story will be following a much different plot line than TLC did, and the tone will be pretty different as well, so you'll want to wait until you see how things are developing before deciding what sort of character you might submit if the offer becomes available. The country of Gahiji is a very different place then Theron…**

 **Playing: MH3U, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Pokemon X, Hyrule Warriors, LoZ: Link Between Worlds, GTA5, Pokemon AS, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Shadow of Mordor, Bravely Default  
Listening: Tom Petty, Mumford and Sons, Animal Collective, Pet Shop Boys  
Reading: **_**Stand Still Stay Silent**_ **by Minna Sundberg**


	3. The Compound

The Compound

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

With a yelp and a grunt of pain, Bram was knocked flat onto his back. Sonia smirked in amusement from her seat next to the railing as he pushed himself upright with a grunt of pain.

"Aw, come on, Bram! You gotta do better than that!"

"I don't see you in the ring, Sonia," the archer muttered sourly, rubbing his back.

"Of course not. There has to be a pretty lady on the sidelines for the contender to try and impress during his fight."

"Oh, really? Then where is she now?" Bram asked, looking around the deck of the ship. "I guess she must be below deck preparing for landing."

"Jerk!" Sonia laughed, swinging her leg up and playfully kicking Bram in the shins. Her fellow apprentice yelped in pain and hopped back away from her.

"Oy, lad!" a deep voice boomed. Standing in the center of the deck was a broad, muscular man, rolling his shoulders as he smirked through a bushy black beard. A good dozen men and women were standing around him just outside a chalk-drawn circle, watching and cheering in expectation. "You ain't done yet, are you? Quit your flirting and get back to fighting! Time enough for the rest of that once I'm done cleaning the deck with you!"

"I was not-!" Bram groaned, shaking his head in embarrassment. Sonia laughed and shoved him forwards.

"Go get 'em, tough guy!" she called, earning a glower from him as he approached the burly man.

Sonia watched expectantly as Bram cautiously made his way towards the center of the deck again, holding his arms up defensively. The big man in the center of the ring hardly seemed to care, holding up a hand and beckoning Bram over. Bram was cautious in his approach, eyeing his opponent warily as he crossed his arms over his chest, twitching his mustache slightly in amusement. As the hunter neared, Sonia could really see the difference in their physiques: Bram had always been a tall young man, and had several inches on his opponent, but he was quite slim, and the sailor was easily two or three times bulkier.

Bram was the first to strike, swinging low towards the sailor's side. That was a new tactic, Sonia noted; Bram usually aimed for the face first. The man reacted quickly, uncrossing his arms in a flash and knocking the hunter's fist aside before retaliating with a swift punch towards Bram's gut, but the hunter pulled back swiftly enough to dodge. After a few rounds with the man, Sonia had seen that Bram's opponent was much faster than his size would lead one to believe, and Bram had learned to be careful.

The man didn't immediately follow up, smirking as and crossing his arms again Bram pulled away. The hunter hesitated for a moment before pushing forward again. The man stood his ground confidently, allowing the hunter to approach, and when Bram swept a boot up to try and kick the man in the shins, he instantly stepped back from the kick before swinging his arm out in a wide clothesline swing. Bram cursed, bringing up both hands to catch the man's arm, but his opponent's strength was still enough to slide him sideways a foot or two.

Bram rushed his opponent now that he was within arm's length, but the bearded man surprised him by grabbing Bram's shoulder with the hand he'd swung with and dragging the hunter towards him. Bram yelped in surprise as the man snapped a foot forward, kicking the hunter's feet out from under him. Bram would have toppled to the ground, but the burly man swept down before Bram could fall, grabbing the hunter's leg.

With one hand on Bram's shoulder and another gripping his leg, the man hoisted Bram into the air over his head, laughing a bit at the hunter's shocked gasp and futile struggling before tossing him across the makeshift ring. Bram landed with a smack onto his back, sliding a couple feet across the deck before coming to a halt. Though he tried to push himself up for a moment, he eventually groaned and slumped onto his back, smacking the deck with his palm a couple times to signal his surrender. A raucous cheer went up among the crew, the burly man raising his fists victoriously.

"And that, ladies and gentleman, is one of the many reasons I'm the captain of this ship! I can beat the snot out of _anyone_ that causes trouble aboard _my_ vessel!"

There was some light applause from the circle surrounding the man, and Sonia could see money exchanging hands between the crew and a few of the passengers. It seemed like it was mostly the crew that was winning the money though. Sonia supposed a fair number of people would have thought Bram would win, being the hunter rather than a civilian. She quickly pushed her way through the ring of people towards Bram as the young man pushed himself into a sitting position, but the captain of the ship beat her there and extended a hand to him.

"Come on, I expected better from you, lad!" the captain chuckled, helping Bram to his feet. "Aren't you a hunter? Thought you boys and girls were supposed to be the toughest of the tough?"

"Yeah, well… I'm more accustomed to using a bow rather than my fists," Bram replied with a grimace. "There's also a difference between fighting something twenty times your size as opposed to another human being: the first is an easier target. You can train to fight monsters, and you can train to fight people, and I'm clearly more skilled in the former than the latter."

"Well, that's a bit obvious, kid. Though, to be fair, while I may be the best fighter aboard this airship, I'd be worthless fighting any creature nastier than a Bullfango. I just ain't got it in me."

"You certainly didn't hesitate to pummel someone half your size though."

"Heh, sorry kid! I can't afford to pull any punches today!" the captain laughed. "I've got a bout scheduled with the champ in a couple weeks, and I gotta get in all the training I can manage between now and then!"

"You're scheduling those now?" Bram asked, rolling his shoulder and wincing.

"'Fraid so. The champ's busy these days with all sorts of stuff. There only a few nights a month for anyone in the fleet to throw down a challenge, and nobody's passing it up if they can help it! It's been a couple months since I got my last shot, and I'm gonna come out on top this time!"

"Well, do your best," Sonia encouraged. The man nodded appreciatively, turning and striding over to the remainder of the crew as he boasted a challenge to any man or woman aboard. Sonia chuckled before turning her attention back to Bram. "So how you feeling, string bean?"

"Like I was assaulted by the most skilled fighter on this airship, thanks to my _best friend_ throwing down the gauntlet for me without my consent," the archer muttered sourly. "What a strange coincidence, right?"

"Sounds like it to me. Can't imagine _why_ you'd ever feel like that. Reminds me of all that complaining I was hearing from you last week."

"You mean when I felt as though my best friend had challenged the most egotistical rookie archer in Perir to a shooting contest on my behalf, _once again_ without my consent, and then nearly got us into a bar fight with him after I won by a single point?"

"Yeah, it really is. I don't know _where_ all these crazy feelings you get come from."

"I suppose they're just a part of my overactive imagination."

"Sounds about right."

" _Certainly_ not my best friend actively attempting to get me into trouble for the sake of spinning the resulting altercation into a decent story."

"Oh, certainly not."

Bram scoffed at the words, groaning again as he rubbed his back. "Well, the next time our airship crew decides to get into some friendly fistfights on the deck, I'll volunteer _you_ instead."

"That's not very polite! Isn't the handsome young gentleman supposed to fight for the affection of the pretty lady? That's what happens in all the stories."

The archer laughed. "I suppose all the handsome young gentlemen are below deck with all the pretty girls. Just us homely, brutish gentlemen admiring the view and getting their butts handed to them by the ship's captain. And I thought you hated those types of stories?"

"Oh, I do. I always figured the damsel in distress should get her act together and fight her own fights. It's just my excuse to get you into fun situations."

"Ah! So you admit it!"

"There's your overactive imagination going off again. You should get that checked."

Bram scowled at her for a moment, before chuckling and leaning back against the wooden railing, sighing as he rested his aching body. Sonia grinned down at him before staring out at the horizon.

Sonia and Bram had known each other for… well, pretty much their whole lives. Sonia had been too young to remember it, but her mom and dad had brought her with them to Nastre when Bram had been born nearly eighteen years ago. A lot of Sonia's early memories had Bram in them. With their families so close, it wasn't surprising that they'd spent a lot of time together, even though Sonia and her family lived in Perir Town while the entire Renfield family made their home up in the Compound. Bram certainly had a lot of siblings that she got along with just as well, but something between the two of them had just clicked. They'd even vowed to become hunters together once they were old enough, and he'd lived in their house during their apprenticeship since Sonia's mom had insisted on letting him stay in their spare bedroom.

Sonia may have been far more eager about becoming a hunter than Bram ever had, but he'd proven his ability time and time again. She knew she'd probably have two or three times as many scars and injuries as she did now if not for Bram, who did his best to keep her safe and grounded during even the most dangerous hunts. He had always been a more cautious individual than her, and despite his modest nature, he was a really good shot with a bow. They'd gone on so many hunts together that there were few apprentices or even rookies in Perir that had the same sort of coordination and teamwork that they did. Sonia supposed that was one of the boons for having been friends since before they were old enough to walk or talk. As long as the two of them were together, Sonia was sure that they'd be unstoppable as a team!

Well, for the most part. Sonia knew neither she nor Bram were quite up to snuff to fight anything tougher than a Gobul, not yet anyway. Until they got more professional experience, they wouldn't stand a chance against something like a Rathian or Lagiacrus or Diablos…

 _Or an exceptionally burly airship captain_ , she thought as she looked down at Bram. The archer seemed to sense her thoughts and glanced up at her with a flat scowl, making her giggle before turning away.

Sonia gazed down at the landscape below as it passed them by. She really loved riding airships; there was just nothing like it. The smell of the fresh air as it raced past them, the beautiful view below, and the way the entire world seemed to just open up in front of them. The freedom of it all! She envied the creatures that could claim the skies as their own: the Rathian and Rathalos, Qurupecos, Barioths, and even Gigginox. Sonia loved flying so much that she had seriously considered becoming an airship pilot herself when she'd been younger.

But she'd become a huntress instead. Despite how much she loved flying, she loved being a hunter even more. She was able to prove her strength and skill against the biggest, strongest, most dangerous creatures in the world! Well… she would one day. These days she spent most of her time hunting Great Jaggis, Qurupecos, Royal Ludroth, and the occasional Gobul. Sonia figured that she and Bram could probably beat a Barroth by now, but Logan was doing this whole thing by the book, and he wasn't going to send them against anything too nasty before they properly got their licenses.

"Hoy, we touching down soon?"

Speak of the devil…

"Yeah, we're getting close," Sonia replied as the great sword user approached, glancing to the north. Just beyond the next peak, a large, pristine white tower could be seen rising up from the earth. "I think it's another twenty minutes before landing. Where have you been all day, oh great hunting master?"

Logan gave the pair of them a wicked grin. "Was just staying down belowb introducing myself to all the pretty little researchers and assistants that was making they way to the Compound. Keeping them company."

"Really?" Bram sighed, pushing back to his feet. "Even on a four hour flight?"

"And why not? They's some ladies down there that are quite lovely, hey? Would be a shame if they didn't get the attention they deserved." The great sword wielder smirked, swinging an arm around Bram's shoulders. "Maybe you is jealous? Don't worry, Bram. I can teach how to get the women's attention."

"No thanks…" Bram grumbled, shaking the older hunters arm off of him as Logan continued to snicker. "I'm perfectly capable of talking to women by myself."

"Ho, really? Then why haven't I seen you on a date or nothing, hey?"

Bram flushed slightly as he stared at the deck. "I just… haven't found the right girl yet."

"Oh, leave him alone," Sonia said, planting herself next to Bram. "If you're so great at 'getting the women's attention', how come you're up here with us? _Alone_?"

Logan blinked before scratching his head sheepishly. "Well, they… lots of those girlies were a bit, eh… Well, they all heading to the Compound, and they the type that _belongs_ in the Compound, hey? Besides, a lot of them already had boyfriends or husbands, so…"

"And that stopped you?" Bram asked.

"Hoy, I got standards, hey?" Logan huffed, crossing his arms. "If a girlie's with someone already, I is not gonna press it. That's just _impolite_."

"And you can't enjoy the company of Compound people either?"

"Ugh… not really, no. They just so… You poppa and momma really bring in a certain type of folk to that place, hey? Not really interested in a girl that… ah… _eccentric_."

"Bad memories from hitting on Mina that one time?" Sonia teased, and she laughed as Logan visibly shivered.

"Hoy… What you guys got against me today?"

"You're the one who started this whole thing," Sonia grinned, wrapping her arm around Bram's shoulder. "Besides, you're the _big, tough_ hunting teacher, after all. Isn't it best that we work together against you?"

"Pah, I should have gotten apprentices that weren't as sharp-tongued as you brats," Logan growled, and Sonia and Bram both laughed at the man's frustration.

For being their 'hunting master', Sonia had never really viewed Logan as such. Sure he'd been the one to show her and Bram the ropes of hunting, and had helped toughen them up, but she'd known Logan almost as long as she'd known Bram. His mother was a friend of Sonia's parents, and whenever her work as Loc Lac councilmember brought her near the western forests, she always stopped by to visit, giving Sonia a chance to make friends with Logan, despite the boy being ten years older. As the years passed, Logan eventually became a hunter, and whenever he passed through Perir, he'd always come visit and share any new stories of his adventures with a young and very eager Sonia. He'd even moved to Perir himself after his mother had finally retired as Loc Lac councilwoman.

It was a year and a half ago when Sonia, who was _almost_ seventeen years old at the time, and the _much_ younger Bram, a full six months her junior, had sought him out and asked him to take them on as his hunting apprentices. He'd laughed and agreed immediately. Since then, they'd averaged at least one hunt a week for nearly two years, racking up an impressive amount of hunts for a pair of apprentices. They weren't always successful, and they didn't always come back from hunts without injury, but they'd definitely been building up experience and skill.

They'd been hunting together for so long that Sonia hardly even heard the accent in Logan's voice anymore. She was just used to it by now.

Sonia had gotten a lot of questions about her and Bram's decision to make Logan their hunting master, however. Why not her parents, or Bram's parents? They were famous hunters, weren't they? Why didn't she have her dad teach her? He wasn't retired like her mom was, and would've been willing to train her as a hunter, wouldn't he?

All of those were true. Sonia could easily have learned from her mom or dad, or even Bram's mother. Her dad was certainly the best choice, since he was neither retired nor too crippled to hunt properly. And yet Sonia and Bram had chosen Logan to teach them instead.

It was a decision that she and Bram had both agreed on: if they were going to become hunters, they were going to do so without their parents' names behind them. Sonia loved her mom and dad, and had endless respect for both of them as hunters, but she wanted to stake her own claim to fame. She didn't want people to think she was a great hunter because she was 'the daughter of legendary hunters' or 'trained by legendary hunters', she wanted people to expect greatness because she _was_ a great hunter, one that had _earned_ that title in her own right. She'd always have the Geisel name adding expectations of her, but she didn't want to make things worse by saying she'd been trained by her parents as well.

Besides, her dad had always been a bit soft towards her, and she suspected that if she had asked him to train her to hunt, he wouldn't have been as stern as he should've been. If the letters her mom had been getting recently were any indication, that seemed to be the case.

But this Gahiji trip… This was perfect! There were monsters that were practically _unheard_ of in Theron, numerous hunting grounds filled with creatures she'd never seen before, cities filled with new and unique weapons and armors! And most importantly, there would be less a chance of someone recognizing her and Bram by their surnames! Sure, the death of the Alatreon would've been made known across the countries' borders, but it would be far less likely for anyone to hear her last name and immediately associate her with her parents. She and Bram would be able to prove their worth as _individuals_ , and not just because it was expected of them due to their lineage.

Sonia smiled to herself as she returned her gaze to the tower in front of them. She could already picture it, coming home in six months to ace the hunter's exam and finally begin her career proper as a true hunter after spending several months making a name for herself in a completely different country. Maybe once she officially got her license, she'd go back to Gahiji one day too, to hunt some of the other monsters she'd wouldn't get a chance to during this trip.

Only a couple more stops, and she and Bram would be on their way to Gahiji, where they would start becoming the great hunters they'd always dreamed of being.

* * *

"Ugh… it's too heavy," Sonia moaned as her item chest clattered down the gangplank behind her.

"Perhaps you would be better off ridding yourself of needless weight," Bram replied from in front of her, dragging his own chest with relative ease.

"Easy for you to say… You're both at _least_ twice as strong as me. And I _did_ leave some stuff behind, string bean. I left my long sword and hunting horn back in Perir, didn't I?"

"I meant that small trove of monster materials you keep packed away in your box."

"Hey, waste not, want not, right? Isn't it better to be safe than sorry? You never know when you're going to need that spare carve!"

"They's a difference between having spare scales and that horde you keep in you box, hey?" Logan smirked. "Read one of you Grandpapa's books 'bout dragons that keep piles of valuable stuff they don't need lyin' around, but you could give 'em a run for they money. They gonna call you 'Sonia the Terrible', guarding her treasure horde."

"Aw, shut up…"

Sonia huffed as Bram and Logan got a chuckle at her expense. She'd tried to pack light, but she had picked up her dad's tendency to collect materials, giving her probably about twice as much weight in carves as she really needed…

The three of them made their way over to a wide stone building nearby, where they checked in their chests to be picked up once they boarded their next airship. Sonia was glad to lose the heavy box, and she paused to look around as she caught her breath. The top of the tower was wide and expansive, but bland. A few airship hangars and a landing strip had been constructed near the edge of the platform, where half a dozen airships waited to take off. A few shacks and warehouses had been built as well, spread out and mostly built at the bases of the surviving aqueduct waterways that sprouted up from the platform. A lot were built close to the mysterious, dark blue pools of fluid that dotted the tower as well, a mystery that had still to be solved nearly twenty-five years after the tower's discovery.

The three hunters made their way to the edge of the platform to a large ramp which had been built along the side of the tower. At the bottom of the ramp, a wide, gaping hole into the side of the tower opened up. The hunters didn't hesitate, however, and strode quickly inside. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, but as Sonia grew accustomed to the dim torchlight, she looked around in excitement, eager to see what had changed since she was last here.

The Meridian tower, which was opened up and explored for the first time only twenty years ago, had been turned into an underground city. The brainchild of Bram's father, Harker Renfield, after the first research expedition had scoured its way through the tower, the man had set forth to the turn the entire structure into the country's largest research facility.

The Compound, as the structure was now referred to, was possibly the largest man-made structure ever built. It was an architectural marvel left behind by the Meridians, a civilization that had risen and fallen between when the Lost had been overrun by the Alatreon and now. Like the tip of an iceberg, the top of the tower where the airship had landed was only a glimpse of what lay within, and the tower itself was buried in the mountain, delving deep into the earth for over a mile straight down. At the core of the structure was a wide central chamber with two spiraling ramps which curved along the walls in a wide helix, from the upper platform to the very bottom far below. Branching out along the sides of the helix were hundreds upon hundreds of rooms and hallways, turning the entire structure into a massive underground complex.

It had been Harker's plan to make the entire structure livable and, more importantly, functional. It was to be a haven for researchers and scientists like himself, where the finest minds would gather to conduct their experiments in a structure which could survive the most volatile reactions. And this tower was certainly made for that; the Meridian stone was nigh-invincible, immune to all but the most devastating blasts. For any man or woman whose studies were considered too strange or dangerous for normal labs, the Compound was the place to be.

In a mad effort that few could believe, he'd turned the entire structure into a habitable, self-sufficient facility in just over five years, suggesting years of planning before the structure had even been explored. With the aid of the Guild and several generous contributors, within five years of construction the Compound was ready for habitation. After that, Harker had begun inviting scientists and researchers from all over the country to make themselves a place here within the walls of the Compound. It had started off small, with a dozen or so of the most volatile and manic researchers bringing their experiments to the tower , but word spread quickly. Between Harker's own fame and a few brilliant minds among the first few researchers who showed up, many more began migrating to the tower in order to see if there was room enough for them. And there always was; the Compound was positively massive, and most researchers were perfectly able to find a lab of their own in which to test their mad experiments.

These days, the Compound was akin to a city. The population had grown larger in the last eighteen years, and as more researchers and their families had come, room had been made for them to continue their lives as normal. The top few floors were complete with shops, homes, businesses, a school, and even several smithies and workshops. Machine-powered elevators had been built along the edges of the helix ramp to quicken travel between floors. Brightly-colored banners and signs livened up the ramps, making the place feel homely, despite being underground. Most of the structure was lit by torches, braziers, and glowstones, so that even without the sun the interior was comfortable for those within, though those that lived there were still encouraged to seek the light of the sun at least a couple times a week.

Sonia loved it here. It all seemed so mystical, an entire city hidden away underground, yet no different from any other save for the design of the structure. She'd been here so many times, yet it never ceased to amaze her. Logan's eyes were darting around as well, taking in the sights as much as she was. Bram was the only one of them who didn't seem in awe, but then again he'd been raised here, and his gaze only wavered from their path when he noticed something new that hadn't been there since the last time he'd come home.

They followed the curve of the ramp until they reached a cluster of elevators, where dozens of people stood waiting for their turn. The machines were positively vital to the work conducted in the Compound, since getting from the top of the Compound down to the lowest floors by just walking the ramps could take upwards of a full day, and even using the elevators took at least fifteen minutes from top to bottom. It took a couple passes before the three hunters found the chance to board the elevator, making their way down towards the bottom of the Compound.

Far fewer people dwelled near the bottom, but the ones down there always seemed to have the most interesting ideas and conversations. As they neared their floor, Sonia stepped back politely as a pair of researchers stepped onto the lift, one tall and one short.

"Have you heard about Milo's new experiment?" the taller researcher asked. The shorter one looked up from his notes curiously.

"Hmm? Oh, right, the… that new flying machine design. The, uh, the aeroplane. Yes, I've heard. What about it?"

"What about it? How about the fact that its design is utterly preposterous! Not a single gas bag on it!"

"Ah, yes… He's hoping it should fly by speed and wing design alone. No monster materials either, just metal and leather. A strange idea… but not the strangest I've heard."

"You call it strange. I call it suicidal! How's he supposed to stay airborne if he doesn't have a hot air blimp keeping him aloft?"

"Maybe he knows something we don't know… He is a member of the Lost after all. They've presented a fair number of projects that have proven successful in the end, no matter how much the naysayers hemmed and hawed about it."

"Being a Lost does not guarantee success. I still don't believe half the things they've claimed they accomplished back where they came from, and flying without a blimp is one of them. A heavier-than-air construct will not fly. We're not birds, after all. If it doesn't have a gas bag to keep him floating, he'll plummet, no matter how fast he gets that machine moving! At best it'll be an expensive glider, hardly on par with a proper airship."

"Harker seems to have given the project his approval. Didn't even question the man too hard about it."

"Harker gives _everyone_ his approval, if they've got a clear enough explanation of what they're attempting to accomplish."

"You're awfully opposed to this whole thing," the shorter researcher noted, shooting the taller one a cursory glance. "What do you care whether or not Milo is successful in his endeavors?"

"Because if he crashes that machine of his, we have to reset the 'No Crippling Injuries in X Days' board! Every time we have to do that, the Guild cuts our funding until we re-prove our worth to them!"

"So?"

"So if they cut our funding, it might be _my_ research that's on the chopping block! They've been dropping my funding for years now, and if there's a big cut from the Guild, I might have to… ugh, I might have to become an _assistant_ just to stay here!"

"The horror…" the shorter scientist said flatly.

"I know, right? My work's too important to be shoved to the side like it is!"

"I thought you were trying to figure out how to turn Gigginox venom into cheese?"

"Precisely! As I said, my work is important! Positively _vital_ , I say!"

"If you say so," the shorter scientist sighed wearily. "Ah, here's my floor. If you'll excuse me…"

"Ah, this is my floor too! Hold on now, my friend. Have you any Dash Extract I can use? I think that may be the catalyst I need to-"

The two voices faded away as the men entered one of the labs, and the three hunters looked at each other in confusion. Sonia giggled a bit in amusement as Bram shook his head, but Logan looked completely dumbfounded as the lift began to drop again.

"He wants to turn Giggi venom into… cheese? Why he want to-"

"I wouldn't recommend questioning it," Bram sighed. "Trust me, when you've lived here as long as I have, you learn to just smile and nod when the researchers get going."

"Erm… ja, probably better that way, hey?"

The three of them stayed on the elevator for a couple more floors, before getting off a couple hundred yards from the very bottom. Down here were the larger and stronger labs, reserved for the most volatile experiments, or for the researchers that had proven themselves to be more brilliant and successful than their peers. Mostly for the volatile experiments though; a lot of the doorways into the labs had dire warnings, forbidding entrance on risk of death, dismemberment, or involuntary inclusion as a test subject.

There were still a fair number of people down here though, making their way towards a large archway nearby. The three hunters made their way towards the archway, but Bram suddenly slowed to a halt and glanced down one of the side hallways with an uncomfortable look on his face. Sonia and Logan both noticed, though Logan's face soured a bit in realization.

"Hoy. What you stopping for, hey? Don't need to go that way. You momma should be down through the arch, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Bram shook his head. "Mom's gonna want me to talk to her sooner or later. Might as well get it out of the way now."

Logan groaned a bit, staring back and forth between the archway below and the hall to the side. "Eh… can't you wait? Maybe me and Sonia go on ahead?"

Sonia grinned at the great sword user. "Aw, come on, Logan. Don't tell me you're scared."

"I is not scared! Just… don't like talking to that girl, hey?" Logan grunted, crossing his arms.

"Well, you can go on ahead to the house if you want," Bram replied with a shrug. But then he smirked at the older hunter. "You know… if you're too scared."

"Oh, that does it!" Logan growled, pushing his way past the younger hunters and striding towards the hallway. "We go and see the crazy girl, hey?"

Sonia grinned at Bram as they followed the great sword user down the hall, listening to him muttering sourly about 'upstart apprentices', 'disrespectful brats', and a few thickly accented phrases that Sonia didn't even understand.

Most of the doors lining the sides of the hallway were closed and had warnings forbidding entry, but the trio's goal was at the end of the hall: a pair of wide wooden doors that led to the farthest room. Logan reached the door first, but paused uncertainly at the entrance, waiting nervously for his two apprentices to arrive. Bram pushed past him upon catching up and knocked on the door a couple times before pushing through, not waiting for a response from within.

Inside was a veritable scientific haven, for those that favored that type of thing. Dozens of desks covered with research paperwork and equipment lined the walls, and numerous machines and contraptions littered the center of the room. None of the machines looked complete, all of them a mass of wires and disconnected parts. Sonia looked around curiously, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to anything. The term 'organized chaos' came to mind, and Sonia was certain the occupant of the room knew exactly where everything was. The three of them walked further into the room, but it appeared empty.

"Guess she not here," Logan noted, a tone of relief in his voice.

"I guess," Bram replied, though his own voice was slightly relieved as well. "Well, we made an attempt. Let's get down to the dome; my mother should be-"

" _Well, well, what do we have here_?"

A jolt of terror shot up Sonia's spine at the raspy words, spoken not a couple feet behind her. She quickly spun about, bringing up her fists defensively, and was met by a humanoid, ashen creature with red, glowing eyes and a line of shining, metallic fangs. The creature snapped its metal fangs together and Sonia yelped in shock, instinctively pulling away as the thing swept towards Logan. The great sword user gasped frightfully, swinging a right hook at the creature, but a palm swept up from below, swatting his fist away.

" _Heheheh… You're never going to stop falling for that, are you, Logan_?"

The hunter pulled away from the ashen creature, before narrowing his eyes and cursing. "Damn it all! Why you do that to me every time I come here, Mina?"

The creature laughed, and a pair of hands reached up, brushing across its face. There was a wave of ash and dust that fell to the floor, and skin began to appear out from underneath, revealing the face of a young woman wearing a long but very messy lab coat. Her hands went to her eyes next, where a thick pair of goggles was pushed up, aiming the two red glowstones strapped to the frames away from the three hunters.

Bram sighed wearily. "How did you do that to yourself, Mina? Did one of your experiments go awry again? Or did you do that to yourself with the intent of scaring Logan?"

"Wasn't scared…" Logan muttered sourly.

" _Sure you weren't_ ," Mina chuckled, her voice a deep rattle as she grinned viciously at him. Logan grimaced uncomfortably at the row of jagged metal fangs shining inside her mouth.

"You gotta keep those things in, hey?"

" _Eh? Oh, right. Gimme a sec_."

Mina reached up to her mouth and quickly pulled out a gleaming chunk of metal, slick with saliva. It was a mass of iron shaped into a curved mouthpiece, with numerous points and moldings that gave the impression of sharp teeth. Looking close, you could tell that they weren't nearly as sharp as they first appeared, but they certainly retained a frightful appearance. Mina reached down to wipe the metal object off on her lab coat, before realizing how filthy she really was and setting the 'fangs' down on a nearby table.

"I'm not above making a mess of myself for the sake of a good laugh," she told the three of them as she fluffed her hair and caused another cascade of ash to fall from her head. "But it really was a lab accident. My current experiment has some resonance issues that I'm trying to work out, and the most recent test resulted in… well, this. I would've washed off, but I got distracted by another one of my projects. Then the three of you tried to slink in, and I decided to give you and your friend a _proper_ welcome, baby brother."

Bram grimaced at the words. "I'm hardly a baby anymore, Mina."

"Pah, that doesn't matter," the woman replied with a wide grin. "You'll always be the baby of the family. And how are you, Sonia?"

"I'm doing good," the huntress replied with a grin. "You look like you've been having fun."

"Hmm, that's one way to put it. I've been having issues with this damn experiment for months now, and the fun's fading away to annoyance." The researcher turned on Logan, giving the great sword user a sly smile and making him frown nervously. "You seem to be doing well, Logan. You planning on asking me for another date?"

"Peh, no thanks," the hunter muttered. "Don't want to have to grow my hair back again, hey?"

The researcher laughed with a wicked cackle that made the hunter shiver involuntarily. "You did look rather silly like that, I'll admit. Now, if you'll excuse me a moment, I really should clean up. I think the ash got into some places that don't usually see the light of day…"

"Too much information, Mina," Bram groaned. "And as much time as you spend in this lab, I'm surprised _any_ part of you ever sees the light of day."

"Sunlight's overrated anyway. But I leave the Compound when my research requires it, and I do make regular trips down to Nastre to help Art with his work. But I was serious about needing to clean up. Give me a moment and I'll be right back."

With that the researcher vanished into a back room, where the hunters could hear the sound of running water a few moments later. Sonia saw Logan flush slightly as dirty clothes were tossed nonchalantly out the door and into a nearby basket, ranging from the ash-covered lab coat to pants to even Mina's underwear, but the huntress decided not to poke fun at him; she'd teased him enough today.

Mina reemerged from the back room several minutes later, appearing much more professional than before. She was tall and slender, though her physique was mostly hidden by the numerous tools and materials she kept strapped to her belt and vest, making her appear much bulkier than she actually was. Her fingers were long and precise as she twiddled with the goggles in her hands, before bringing them back up and strapping them around her head once more. Her face was round and soft, with glittering grey eyes over a small nose and a wide excitable smile. Her hair was kept short, shining a vibrant blonde with the ends tipped black. Sonia hadn't quite figured out if Mina just dyed her hair like that or if the length and the color were an unintentional result of her frequently explosive experiments; the former would actually surprise her more, to be honest. Those weren't the only signs of her experiments having gone wrong either, as there were several light scars along her jaw and nose, as well as a small bit of her right ear missing.

Mina Renfield was the fourth oldest child of Harker and Kerrigan Renfield, and the oldest daughter of the bunch. To say she fit in well with her family was an understatement, as her immense love of research and experimentation, as well as her excitable, manic nature, made her a perfect representation of the family. She was immensely fascinated by the sciences, though she seemed to focus on engineering and mechanics above all else and tended to have about a hundred different experiments bouncing around in her head at once. It seemed she'd taken after her father in terms of over-eagerness as well, because there were few labs in the Compound that had suffered quite as many explosions as hers, and the black soot marks that covered the walls had long since stained the otherwise pristine Meridian stone.

Reaching over to the lab table, Mina plucked up the metal 'fangs' she'd been wearing earlier and slid them into her pocket. They were an unsightly thing, as she'd proven earlier, but they did have a function. Early in her life, Mina had quite crooked teeth, and her father had done his best to create something called 'braces' for her. Though his attempts had succeeded, the resulting dental equipment was a frightening-looking thing that made Mina look like she had jagged, terrible fangs.

Mina had loved them.

These days, her teeth were straight and smooth, showing that Harker's attempt had proven fruitful, but Mina had kept the braces and still to this day made a game of frightening people with them. She had asked her father to repurpose them though, and wore them not for any dental reasons, but as a mouth guard. Her work in the labs could be volatile, and she claimed that wearing them had saved her the loss of her straightened teeth on numerous occasions when things had gone sour. There were other times she used them of course, but mostly they were for her experiments.

"So, what are you doing back home, Bram?" Mina asked.

"I'm here to ask Mom a question," he replied vaguely.

"Something important? I'd guess as much, since Sonia and Logan are here with you," she said, smiling at the two of them. "Do you need them around to help you make an argument?"

"I can defend my own arguments. Besides, maybe they're just visiting."

"Doubtful. If this was a social call, Mrs. Geisel would have come, and little Van too. Mr. Geisel too if he wasn't off with Dad." Mina leaned forward, tapping her chin thoughtfully as a curious smile crossed her face. "You obviously want to get Mom's permission for something to do with hunting, considering your entourage, and it's clearly something big since you came all this way rather than writing a letter. Though calling it 'permission' might be wrong. You may be the baby of the family but you're old enough to make your own decisions in life… you've been living in Perir for the last year and a half after all. You clearly aren't looking to ask a question, so much as you're trying to get her blessing on a decision that you've already made.

"But what is it I wonder? It's got something to do with hunting, but there's only so much an apprentice can do without breaking Guild regulations. You're not an egotistical or bold person, so you're not about to ask whether you can hunt some monster that's way past your skill level. Considering what sort of personalities Sonia and the scaredy-Felyne have, it's probably something exciting… to a hunter. Something new or rare or opportunistic… A new hunting ground perhaps? Maybe some city on the other side of the country is getting popular as a hunting destination? Tanzia's had the last couple decades as its time in the spotlight after all…"

Sonia was grinning in glee as Mina prattled on. Mina was one of the smartest people she knew, and Sonia always enjoyed hearing her figure things out. Logan looked completely confounded at the woman's logic, though. He'd looked like he was going to retort when Mina had called him a 'scaredy-Felyne', but his jaw had dropped when he realized how close she was getting to the truth.

Bram sighed though, shaking his head. "Sometimes you're too smart for your own good, you know that, Mina?"

"Pah. Blasphemy. There's no such thing as being too intelligent. So how close am I?"

"Fine… I'm going to ask permission to go on an… 'adventure' to Gahiji."

Mina's eyes widened in interest. "Oh ho. That _is_ quite an adventure, isn't it? I can see why you'd want to come talk to Mom first… You heading that way as soon as possible?"

"That's our intent," Bram replied. "Assuming she doesn't raise any true counterarguments, we're going to try and be there within the week."

"That's certainly a rush. You trying to get back in time for the hunter's exam?"

"That's correct," Bram sighed, and Mina grinned.

"It only makes sense. Maybe I'll write up a list of materials you can pick up for me while you're over there. Maybe some elder dragon blood? I hear that country is rife with them."

"Elder dragons are a little beyond our current capabilities as hunters, Mina."

"Shame. I've been trying to get some Kirin horns for _years_ , but they're such a challenge to import. Hunters are just so stingy about giving them away." Mina sighed ruefully to herself, before smiling at Bram. "Well, I suppose you'd better get going then, if you're here to talk to Mom. She probably won't say no to your little adventure."

"I'm sure she won't, but it better to at least ask."

"It is the polite thing to do… though mercy knows Senya and Lucy have both gone off on research expeditions to the farthest corners of the country without telling Mom or Dad until they get a letter a month later." Mina shook her head, before walking over to Bram and ruffling his hair. "Well, if I don't see you again before you leave, take care of yourself, baby brother. Try not to get yourself killed. I know Dad used to joke about stories of raising the dead with science, but I don't think we need to give him a reason to try, do we?"

"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Bram muttered, but he grinned at his sister. "Don't incinerate yourself in a lab accident while I'm away, either. I'd estimate our mortality rates are about the same, all things considered."

Mina shrugged. "You may be right. But it keeps me on my toes. Watch out for him, Sonia."

"I will, don't worry."

"You too, Logan," Mina said sharply, glaring at the older hunter. "You take care of my baby brother, got it?"

"Ja, ja, you don't gotta threaten me," Logan grumbled. "Not like I haven't been watching over him since he became my apprentice, hey?"

"Eh, nonetheless, expect the wrath of the Renfield siblings if anything goes wrong," Mina replied. "If something happens, I'll make you one of my test subjects, capisce?"

Logan paled slightly at the words, before turning and stalking towards the door while grumbling under his breath. "Can't deal with that woman…"

Mina grinned as the great sword user pushed through the door, before turning back to the two apprentices. "You better get after him. Go ahead and find Mom; she should be down at the house right now."

"Thank you, Mina," Bram nodded.

"And have fun on your little adventure."

"We will!" Sonia replied.

The two hunters left the Mina's lab and found Logan back on the ramp outside, sulking and muttering sourly to himself. Sonia and Bram were kind enough not to tease him as they continued down the ramp towards their final destination.

Soon enough, the trio reached the tall archway, leading into a wide tunnel which stretched out from the center of the structure and deep into the earth. It was at least thirty yards wide and large enough for four Royal Ludroths to stride through side by side with ease, and there were several grooves lining the floor. The tunnel was fairly dark as the hunters passed through it, dimly lit with only sporadic glowstones, but a bright yellow light glowed brilliantly over half a mile away at the far end. Approaching the end of the tunnel, the artificial ceiling above them tapered off into a natural cavern ceiling above. The road tilted upwards, leading to the mouth of the cavern, and stepping through the wide opening, Sonia's eyes widened in awe. She always loved this place.

Before them was wide, luscious grassland, sprouting up inside a massive underground chamber. The cavern was nearly two miles long and a hundred yards tall, filled with thick green grass and tall trees. Flowers and bushes grew up from the dirt as well, adding color to the greenery. At the center of the chamber was a wide lake with pristine water swelling up from a natural spring, providing the plant life with all the moisture they needed. Across the whole of the cavern, Sonia could see several herds of Kelbi and Popo grazing as well. Some of the younger herbivores darted around playfully, nipping at each other and leaping across the grass.

Above it all was the most magnificent sight of all, a massive crystal cluster embedded in the ceiling which radiated a warm yellow light, filling the chamber with its radiant hue. The glow of the great crystal was more than enough to light the entire room, acting as a sun even this deep below the crust. The stone even managed to radiate heat and energy to give life to the plants which grew down here, keeping the cavern at a constant temperature that made it always feel like a warm spring day.

Children were often brought down here to enjoy playing in the grass and trees, joys which were not so easily enjoyed without taking an airship down to Nastre in the valley. Even now a trio of children, sisters by the looks of them with their matching black hair and dark skin, were darting around playing in the grass. This place had become a location to relax, to help people remember what it was like outside the walls of the Compound. That kind of comfort was often needed, considering that many of the researchers that lived here tended to get so enveloped in their work that they'd stay within the Compound for months and years at a time without leaving.

The road the three hunters had walked in on quickly petered to a halt, breaking down into a worn out gravel road which followed the wall of the cavern and led over towards another tunnel. Chest-height iron fences followed the path, separating the road from the grasses. Several small homes had been built at the edges of the grasslands as well, dug into the wall and built into the earth itself. Bram led the trio around to the fifth house in the line, where warm glowstone light filtered through small, round windows. The young man didn't hesitate at all, leading Sonia and Logan right up to the door and pushing his way in, allowing the two of them to follow him in before shutting the door behind them.

"Hey Mom! Are you here?" Bram called out, striding towards the kitchen of the house.

"Bram? Is that you?" a gentle voice replied. A moment later, a tall, beautiful woman appeared from the next room. Her face lit up in a welcoming smile at the sight of the three hunters. Bram flushed slightly as his mother pulled him into a tight hug. "Welcome home, dear! Goodness, it's only been a few weeks since I last saw you! Getting homesick already?"

Despite her age, nearly fifty years old, Kerrigan Renfield hardly seemed to show her age. There was no greying in her long red hair, braided elaborately all the way down to her lower back. Her tall, voluptuous form was still that of a much younger woman as well, and she seemed to have done well keeping herself in shape, despite having long since retired from the life of a hunter to settle into the role as her family's matron, as well as her (relatively) safe life as a researcher. The only real signs of her age seemed to be her eyes, which had a clear touch of weariness behind them.

"Are you well? Are you keeping safe?" she asked worriedly, pulling away from Bram and glancing him over. "No new scars or wounds?"

"I'm alright, Mom," Bram sighed, and his mother smiled at him.

"You can't blame a mother for worrying about her children. _Especially_ her youngest child."

"I am a triplet, remember? So, technically, I'm not the _youngest-_ "

"Senya and Lucy both came out before you, dear," Kerrigan replied quickly, clearly having had this argument before. "You took your precious time being born, so _technically_ , even if it's only by a few minutes, you are indeed the youngest child in this family. And the one who I worry about the most, thanks to your chosen profession."

"You were a hunter as well, Mom."

"Mmhmm. And that's why I know _exactly_ how dangerous it is," the woman replied before she shook her head and laughed. "But I can't count the number of times we've had this 'argument', dear. It's nice to see all of you. I was just starting dinner. How are you, Sonia? How is your family? How's Perir Town doing?"

"Fine on all accounts," Sonia replied, smiling at the woman. "Mom sends her love by the way."

"Thank you dear. And you, Logan?"

"Mother was fine, last I saw her," the great sword user replied with a grin. "Still the same ol' hellraiser she always been."

"Still throwing drunks out of her bar?"

"Ho, yes. Broke her old record last month! Thirty-two feet out the front doors! She gonna hit the wall of the smithy 'cross the road if she do much better, hey?"

"Goodness, that woman… But it's wonderful to see you all! What brings you here? There aren't any birthdays anytime soon…"

"What, we can't just come and visit?" Bram asked with a smile, but the expression faltered as his mother gave him a calculating look. "Wait. Stop. We'll tell you. I don't need a repeat of Mina."

"Aw, I wanted to see it," Sonia whined.

Letting themselves to be led into the home's living room and served tea by Kerrigan, Logan once again explained his plan. The researcher's eyes were wide in interest as she listened to the tale, waiting patiently for the story to end. As the hunting master finished explained his idea, only then did Kerrigan speak up again.

"Gahiji? Goodness, that _is_ quite an adventure," Kerrigan sighed as Logan finished, leaning back in her chair. "And so far away…"

"You don't gotta worry, Mrs. Renfield," Logan said confidently. "I keep an eye on both of them."

"Both eyes, I hope."

"Of course. We won't be fighting nothing above they skill level or nothing like that, hey? Just whatever beasties the folks over there send they own apprentices off to fight. Things like the… the… what they called, Velocidromes? Kut-Ku too, or Gypceros. I is not too sure 'bout what's a good foe for them, but I ask around when we get there, see what folks is saying, hey?"

"Hmm… and when would you leave?"

"Tomorrow?" Bram replied, earning a surprised look from his mother. "Uh… we actually have our chests all packed and ready. They're up on the platform, at the item check."

"You even brought your hunting box along with you?" Kerrigan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Planning on going, even if I said no?"

"No! No, nothing like that, Mom," Bram replied quickly. "We just… if you _did_ say yes, we wanted to leave as soon as we could. We'll want to come back in six months to take the hunter's exam in Orage, so we want to leave immediately to spend as much time there as we can."

Kerrigan sighed again, leaning her head back and closing her eyes in thought. Sonia saw Bram fidgeting nervously, waiting for her response. Finally, the woman opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Very well. You can go if you like, Bram," she said, and Bram grinned in relief. "Just make sure that you catch up with your siblings before you go, dear. I know how you all get around each other, especially with you being the youngest, but they do love you, and they'll want to see you before you go."

The grin vanished in an instant, and Bram groaned. "Oh… _all_ of them? I've already seen Mina, and I spoke to Art when the airship made a stop in Nastre. Isn't that enough?"

"No, it's not," Kerrigan replied sternly. " _All of them_ , Bram. The rest are all here, so you don't have an excuse not to."

"Even-"

"Yes, even Seward and Quincy. I know they can be a handful to deal with, but at least Arthur's in Hearth and won't be around to exacerbate things, right? Just don't go into their lab and you'll be perfectly fine.

"And you, Logan," Kerrigan said, turning on the great sword user, "don't you forget to visit your mother, either. Lynn may be very proud of you and show a lot of confidence in you, but she'll still want to see her boy before he heads off on some grand adventure in another country."

"Ja, ja, I know," Logan assured her. "Was planning on swinging that way before we headed east."

"Very good," Kerrigan nodded. "Now, since you'll be seeing all your siblings before you leave, Bram, why don't you go gather them up and send them here while I catch up with Sonia and Logan? We'll have a nice little going-away party for you three!"

"But their labs are scattered all over the place!"

"Mmhmm. Which should give me plenty of time to cook dinner. I'll even make your favorite for you; I know how much you like Heaven Bread, and I actually just made some yesterday. If you hurry, by the time you get back I'll have cooked up some Queen Shrimp as well…"

Sonia glanced over at Bram, seeing that though the archer was trying to remain stoic, his eyes had lit up excitedly, and she suppressed a giggle at the sight. With a nonchalant shrug, he smiled at his mother. "Well, I wouldn't mind having some of your cooking before I leave."

"Best be quick then," Kerrigan replied. Bram nodded abruptly, before turning and darting out the front door. Logan didn't even wait for him to get out the door before laughing to himself.

"You really know how to get you children to jump when you want them to, hey, Mrs. K? Thinking you is the only one alive that can get you boys and girls to behave sometimes."

"Oh, they're all easy when you know how to deal with them," Kerrigan laughed. "You just need to be stern with them, and know when and how to reward them. And though none of them are really too picky, using their favorite food as leverage makes it much easier to get them to do what you want."

"Sounds like you is conditioning them," Logan chuckled. Kerrigan paused for a moment, before a sly smile crawled across her face.

"Well, a long time ago, Harker did mention an old Lost experiment about some researcher named Pavlov, and some domesticated creature he did tests on, though I can't remember the name of the beast. It always seemed like an interesting experiment. Children… and _husbands_ for that matter, are much easier to discipline when you have guaranteed methods of steering in the direction you want them to go, wouldn't you agree?"

Logan frowned and muttered nervously, but Sonia laughed. "You're a devious woman, Mrs. Renfield."

"Nonsense, dear," the red-headed woman smiled, adjusting her glasses. "I'm a _scientist_. There's a difference. Now come on, both of you; you can help me in the kitchen while we wait for Bram to collect everyone. You three are going to get a proper send off, I promise. Or at least it'll be memorable. With all but one of my children in the same room at the same time, I can guarantee you that much."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about an underground laboratory! Please Review!**

 **Some of you may have noticed the vanishing of Logan's accent in this chapter… for the most part. Those of you that have read my previous story, the DLC one-shots, or even the previous chapter, will remember how thick that particular accent was in Lynn. But in TLC, Lynn was a side character, and Logan's going to be center stage for a fair bit of this story. I didn't think it'd be fair or even good storytelling to make my readers have to struggle to understand him for however long this story goes on, so while I'll keep a few of his vocal tics, for the most part, Logan's not going to have the phonetics added, at least as long as the character whose perspective I'm narrating is familiar with him or unless the situation requires it.**

 **Oh, yes… Remember that thing I mentioned about a radio play a couple chapters ago? How many of you want a sneak peek? First link is the Youtube channel things will be posted on, and the second link is…** _ **the first video**_ **. Or at least a work in progress. Let me know what you think! (You're gonna need to remove the spaces and add the dots, BTW. If you're having trouble, PM me and I'll help you.)**

 **youtube(dotcom) /channel/UC6ja8xhRl_O3Z4W6RZ6POGw**

 **drive . google(dotcom) /file/d/0B6M0TnI0yHB4OVhwRmlNNHRQMmc/view**

 **Our intended release date for the final version should be Thursday, August 20! Look forward to it!**

 **Playing: Hyrule Warriors, Pokemon X, Pokemon AS, GTA5, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Bravely Default, MH4U  
Listening: The Notwist, Weezer, Yellowcard, Stereolab  
Reading: **_**Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **How Edea Got Her Groove Back**_ **by TheStockholmEffect**


	4. Border Town

Border Town

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"Oy, wake up kiddies. Don't want to miss Gahiji coming over the horizon, do you?"

Bram sniffed and yawned as someone kicked his boot, shaking him awake. Blinking to clear his eyes, he looked up to see the captain of the airship looking down on him, an amused expression on her face.

"Odd place to fall asleep, lad."

Captain Dupree was a taller woman, nearly Bram's height and just as broad. She had dark amber skin, with long brown hair tied down at the base of her neck. Her sharp brown eyes were filled with experience, and though she had a no-nonsense attitude towards work and making sure everything was in top condition aboard her airship, Bram found that she still had a sly sense of humor. He and Sonia had enjoyed talking to her yesterday evening.

As Bram's mind slowly worked out of its sleepy haze, he realized he was on the deck of the airship, leaning against the railing near the helm. The sun was peeking over the horizon, and members of the crew were making their way around the ship, checking the riggings and keeping everything in shape.

"Sorry," Bram muttered, rolling his neck. Several other early risers among the passengers were up top as well, talking amongst each other. A few people looked his way, grinning to themselves and shaking their heads. "Didn't mean to fall asleep on deck."

"It's fine, lad," the captain replied. "Wouldn't be the first time a passenger's fallen asleep admiring the stars. Even happens to me every now and then. Always nice to have company with you when it happens though, isn't it?"

Bram blinked in confusion at the words, before looking to his side and realizing he hadn't slept there alone. Sonia was snoring softly next to him, with her head leaning against his arm. Now he remembered; they had stayed up late into the night talking, their anticipation at arriving in Gahiji overwhelming their weariness. He supposed they must have dozed off where they sat sometime in the night…

"Oh, jeez…" Bram muttered. Captain Dupree chuckled a bit as he reached over and shook his partner a little. "Come on, Sonia, up and at 'em."

The young woman groaned as a ray of morning light struck against her face, and she abruptly turned her head and buried her face into Bram's shoulder.

"No…" she mumbled sourly, her voice muffled by the fabric. "Too early."

Bram sighed in dismay, looking up hopelessly at the captain, who laughed. Shaking his head a bit in embarrassment, he gently rapped his knuckles against her noggin.

"Hey! Time to greet the day, Sonia! We're supposed to be making landfall soon." Sonia continued to grumble incoherently into Bram's shirt, muttering muffled profanities. Bram groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sorry again. We've been traveling a lot the last couple days, and jet lag's catching up with us I suppose."

"I'll take your word for it," the captain replied. "Still not sure exactly what 'jet lag' is, but I can guess well enough. Boss man's used the line once or twice."

Bram nodded, leaning his head against the railing and letting his eyes droop a little while Sonia shifted into a more comfortable position. As much time as he'd spent on airships when he was younger, he'd gotten too used to regular sleep schedules during his apprenticeship and just wasn't used to air travel anymore. It didn't help that their journey had been incredibly roundabout so Logan could visit his mother. Lynn had set up a bar in Orage Dell, which meant they had to fly west to the ocean before heading back east towards the Gahin border on the far other side of the country.

If there was a living example on why Bram didn't want to get involved with politics or the Guild bureaucracy, Lynn was it. Her daily life now consisted of breaking up brawls, dealing with plastered hunters, and physically throwing out troublemakers, but she claimed that sort of lifestyle was less stressful than her time as a councilmember had been. If a life like that was more relaxing than politics, then Bram was happy keeping out of it. Though, it could just have been due to the woman's aggressive personality; Lynn seemed to revel in all the fistfights and throw-downs she got into.

Their visit had been fun, though. Apparently Logan had discussed his 'adventure in Gahiji' plan with her beforehand, because the woman seemed to know the whole idea already, congratulating the two apprentices on having the chance to take such a fun journey. She'd treated them to a meal in the bar, which quickly turned into a bout of storytelling with the rest of the hunters there. The talking and laughing had gone on long into the night, before the bar closed and Lynn had chased the crowd out.

Lynn seemed somewhat worried about their trip, as the other mothers had, taking Logan aside after the bar had closed to talk in private. Logan had brushed it off later though, telling them it was just motherly worry. Lynn had apparently traveled into Gahiji a couple times as a younger woman and had given him some advice about what to look out for while he was there.

They left Orage Dell the next afternoon, after missing the first ship out of town; the trio's night of storytelling with other hunters had left them knackered, and they'd slept in late. The airship carried them halfway across the Great Desert before landing in Loc Lac to stop and refuel, giving them a few hours to explore the country's former hunting hub.

But Bram had to admit that Loc Lac was just… _boring_ , to be honest. It wasn't the city's fault. Bram had always heard stories from his and Sonia's parents about the exciting adventures they had and good friends they'd met during their time there. However, after the Alatreon had devastated Loc Lac, the desert hub had never been able to recover. It was still the core of Theron's Guild bureaucracy and a primary stopping point when crossing the Great Desert, but most hunters found their livelihoods in other hubs these days. Coastal towns like Orage Dell or Port Tanzia were popular, and mountain villages like Yukumo. Even the Compound drew more fresh hunters than the desert city did, paying hunters well to gather the materials researchers needed for their work. Loc Lac had been Logan's hometown, but even he had moved away after only a couple years as a professional hunter. These days it was mostly only occupied by older hunters talking about the golden days of the city, and bureaucrats maintaining the documentation of the Guild.

The only real time hunters flocked to the desert hub was when there were Jhen Mohran problems, and hunters looking to take on an elder dragon appeared to collect the valuable materials from the beast's spine. There had been rumors about ten years ago of a nocturnal Jhen Mohran with brilliant violet ores glowing along its frill, but such stories had been brushed off as a bogus claim created to try and draw hunters to the city. They still had the skull of the Alatreon on display in the center of town, which was an impressive sight, but other than that there just wasn't much to see. So Bram, Sonia, and Logan had landed in the desert city, looked around for a couple hours, then boarded their airship to continue the flight east toward more exciting locales.

It had been a couple more days since then, but Gahiji was nearly here. Bram opened his eyes again and leaned over to Sonia. She'd never forgive him if he didn't wake her up and get her moving before the country came over the horizon. The hunter lifted his hand, flicking her on the nose.

"Come on, Sonia. We're going to land soon."

The huntress grumbled again, rubbing her face against his arm. However, soon the mumbling cut away to silence, and Bram could practically see the cogs turning in his partner's head.

"We're landing soon?" she asked unevenly.

"Aye, lass," the captain replied behind her. "We're to be crossing into Gahiji within a couple hours, I'd say, and landing in the border town Val Habar before you know it. Thought the pair of you might want to be awake for that, the way you've been prattling on."

It took another couple moments for the words to really register in Sonia's mind. Finally, she looked up, and her eyes opened wide, glittering in excitement.

"We're almost there!" she squealed, leaping to her feet. Bram chuckled as he pushed himself up as well, stretching to work the kinks out of his back. Already, Sonia was at the railing, leaning over the side and staring intently off into the distance, as though Gahiji would come over the horizon any second.

"Calm yourself, lass," the captain told her. "I did say it would be a couple hours yet. Our ship may be quick, but there's still time 'fore we can see anything but sand."

"Aw, pecker…"

"Cheer up, Sonia," Bram said, patting her shoulder. "I'm sure there's _something_ you can do to amuse yourself for a couple hours."

Sonia pouted for a moment, before her eyes lit up with a devious gleam. "You know, captain, I can't help but notice that there hasn't been a single fist-fight on the deck of this ship the whole trip. My friend Bram here was just _dying_ to take on your toughest crew member, and I'd _hate_ to see him disappointed."

" _What_? Now hold on, Sonia," Bram snapped, glowering at his smug-looking partner. "You are _not_ suckering me into another fight. I have _not_ been-"

"Looks like your boy here ain't too fond of that idea as you seem to think he is, lass," Captain Dupree chuckled. She focused back on Sonia, and a predatory gleam lit up in her eyes. "Besides, you want the toughest sailor aboard this ship? That'd be me. Instead of trying to shove your boy here into the ring, why not step up yourself? 'Less you think I'll mop the deck with you."

Sonia blanched a little at the captain's challenge, but proceeding to puff out her chest confidently. "Alright, I'll take you on! We can show string bean here what a _real_ fight looks like!"

"Sonia, you couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag," Bram sighed. The captain laughed as Sonia turned and scowled at him.

"I beat _you_ in the last fight we had."

"We had our last fight when we were _nine_ , and I hadn't hit my growth spurt yet," Bram noted, pointedly straightening his back to look down on her. Sonia continued to scowl, but the archer grinned a little as the huntress tried to subtly lift herself up onto her toes.

"Probably for the best that we call this bout off then," Captain Dupree cut in, earning an insulted look from Sonia.

"What, not feeling up for a fight?" the huntress taunted, playfully jabbing the woman's shoulder a couple times. Dupree laughed, but shook her head.

"Oh, you know us airmen, always up for a tussle. However… thinking now's not exactly a great time for a fight, anyway."

Dupree glanced nervously to the far side of the ship. Over near the bow were two people gazing towards the east, a man and woman standing next to each other. Both were wearing finery, dark blue undershirts with black vests embroidered with silver wings.

The woman was closest, and appeared to be a good half-foot shorter than Bram. Her hair was surprisingly bright though, a strawberry blonde which stood out in stark contrast against her dark clothing, tied up into a small bun on the back of her head. The man was quite a bit taller than the woman, the same height as Bram, with a square jaw and jet black hair which hung down to his shoulder blades in an unruly mane. Both of them were standing tall and firm however, as though under military stance, with the woman holding her arms crossed in front of her and the man's locked behind his back. Both had very off-putting expressions on their faces as well: the woman's amber eyes stared out into the distance with a judgmental, aloof sort of face, and though Bram couldn't see the man's eyes, he could tell he was scowling.

"Who're they?" Sonia asked.

"Fox and Julia Lockhart," Bram replied, earning a surprised look from Sonia. The airwoman nodded at the words, and Bram shrugged uncomfortably. "They live in Nastre, so… we've met."

"They're Silas' kids," Dupree explained.

Sonia blinked in surprise. "Didn't know that old guy _had_ kids…"

"Adopted, far as folks can tell. People aren't really sure where they came from. But they're a lot like him: Lost supremacists, I mean. They help their father with his company. He… has them do a lot of the work that he couldn't just do himself, so…"

"They're his flunkies," Bram said bluntly, getting another surprised look from both Sonia. "Sorry, but it's pretty much true. My mom and dad told me about them. One day he came back to Nastre with the both of them, and he's been raising them as Supremacists ever since. He has them doing a lot of work around the country to make Rising Dawn Airship Company more powerful… Word has it he's even trained them to act as his bodyguards, and they report everything they see and hear to him."

Dupree looked uncomfortable about the words, but nodded. "Pretty much. You don't want to say anything bad about Silas, or get into fights while they're around. You'd lose your job in a heartbeat. So no fighting on this trip, lass, or any trip where those two are aboard."

"No, that's fine," Sonia replied. "So… why are they going to Gahiji?"

"Who knows? They never tell us, and _I'm_ not going to ask. Whatever they're doing is their business, and I'm fine with keeping it that way." As the captain finished speaking, Julia suddenly turned to stare in their direction, her amber eyes boring into them. Dupree cleared her throat nervously. "Eh, sorry, kids, but I better get back to work. Can't spend too long chatting with passengers with them around."

"That's understandable. Thanks for talking with us," Bram said, and the captain nodded before striding back towards the helm and barking a few orders to crewmen as she passed. Sonia's eyes were still on the dark-clothed individuals, and Bram shook his head. "Just forget about them for now, Sonia. There are other things we can do to pass the time besides you roping me into another fight."

"Like what?" Sonia sighed. "I don't feel like another game of chess or checkers. You keep beating me."

"Wanna see if we the crew will let us climb the rigging?" Bram suggested, and Sonia's eyes sparkled in interest. "Maybe they'll let us head up to the crow's nest for a better view when Gahiji comes over the horizon."

Unfortunately, in the end the crew _hadn't_ let them climb up onto the blimp. Turns out the rest of the sailors were just as fidgety having Silas' children aboard, and letting a couple passengers climb the rigging wasn't about to happen. Sonia still managed to find someone to talk to when the hunters met one of the shipwrights aboard and got to asking about how they built the ships. Logan came up on deck not long after, still drowsy but apparently just as eager to see Gahiji come into view as Bram and Sonia were.

Just over an hour and a half later, there was a call from up the crow's nest. "Landfall!"

Bram was nearly pulled off his feet as Sonia squealed in excitement, grabbing him and Logan by the arms and yanking them towards the bow of the ship. She wasn't the only one, though; most of the others aboard seemed just as eager to see their final destination come over the horizon.

It took a few moments, but soon there was a vibrant flash of green, standing out in stark contrast to the bland golden-white of the sandy desert. Lush green grass seemed to erupt from over the horizon as they reached the end of the desert. It really was as though as line had been cut in the earth, a sharp contrast between shifting sands and ripe green grass.

For a couple miles past the sand there was nothing but grasslands, wide open space full of rolling hills, sporadic trees, and small creeks which weaved through the terrain. Beyond that, however, the slopes of the terrain grew tall and uneven, creating countless plateaus and high ridges which stretched as far as the eye could see. The vibrant green was broken up by the bright red and dark orange soil, and there were even tall pillars of reddish stone protruding from the earth. It seemed Gahiji really was a different country; where Theron was relatively flat and level save for the mountainous regions, Gahiji was a realm of geological chaos.

As the grasslands grew closer, Bram began to scan the coastline uncertainly. They were supposed to be landing at the border town called Val Habar, but Bram didn't see any towns at the edge of sandsea.

There was some shouting though, and several crewmen began motioning towards the shoreline. A few moments later the ship turned southward, curving low to follow the coast. Bram glanced down towards the grasslands, and realized that there was something out of place: right near the edge of the sandsea was a wide semicircle of flattened and dried grass at least a mile and a half wide. A few free-standing lumber structures were near the edge, and seemed to be well-maintained, but there was nobody near them. Near the top of one of the structures, a bright red wooden arrow had been constructed, pointing towards the south.

The airship continued flying for another half an hour or so along the coastline. Most of the passengers kept to the port side, eyeing the lush, hilly land beyond with fascination. Soon enough though, there were more calls from crew, and the airship began to descend. Looking forward, Bram finally caught sight of their intended destination: Val Habar.

"Well that's a relief." Bram turned as Captain Dupree strode up next to him and Sonia. "It's lucky we found the city as quickly as we did."

"What do you mean, 'lucky'?" Bram asked. "It's a _town_. How can you be _lucky_ to find a town?"

"Considering the town moves to a different location every other month or so, I'd say we were pretty damn lucky to have found it as quick as we did."

"It _moves_?" Sonia gasped. "The _entire town_ moves?"

"That's right, lass," Dupree chuckled. "Ain't every desert town so lucky as Loc Lac to have those nice tall walls defending it from Jhen Mohran, or the Dah'ren Mohran they have in these sands. Big walls like that ain't so easy to build, so Val Habar just moves about instead, relocating to a new place when those big beasties start getting a little too close for comfort."

"That's… insane," Bram muttered.

"Better than being wiped out by a moving mountain some call an elder dragon, lad. They've gotten right good at moving though. Whole town's on wheels, and can up and move in a couple hours if they need to. Even the Guild Hall can haul out."

"How they do that?" Logan asked, before glancing at Sonia. "Didn't you papa say something 'bout the hall being shaped funny?"

Dupree grinned at him. "Well, I could tell ya how they do it, lad… but it's better if you see it yourself. It's quite the sight."

Bram tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Is that what those arrows were for? To point us in the right direction?"

"Just so. Used to be they didn't do even that. Finding Val Habar was a game of chance for airships and sandships alike. You got to the edge of the sandsea, and picked north or south, and if you picked wrong, you'd go a long way a'fore you'd figure you'd done wrong and had to head back."

"That's kind of poor thinking…"

"Ha! Folks in these parts treat it like an adventure! Finding Val Habar's just half the fun! The rest is blowing all your hard-earned Zenni on the shops you find once you get there."

Sonia grinned. "I'm liking this country more and more!"

"And I hope you'll have fun there, all of ya," Dupree laughed. "If you'll excuse me, I need to land this tub. Enjoy your stay, hunters."

With that, Captain Dupree returned to the helm, and the airship slowly began to descend towards the town. Though Sonia wanted to stay up top, Bram and Logan both encouraged her to head below deck with them to collect their hunting boxes. She pouted a bit, but eventually agreed, and the three of them dragged their boxes onto deck just as the airship was settling onto the landing pad outside the city. Several workers rushed out, throwing out ropes and tying the ship down as the engines slowly rumbled to a halt. A gangplank was raised, and the passengers began to work their way off the ship.

Logan was double checking that his great sword was properly strapped to his box as the deck began to empty, and soon enough Sonia began to fidget eagerly. "Come on, come on, come on! Hurry up, you slowpokes! We're finally here!"

"Calm down, Sonia," Bram called back. "Gahiji is still gonna be there when we get off the ship."

"It won't be at the rate you two are crawling along!" Sonia shouted back. "Forget this, I'll meet you weenies on land."

Bram chuckled as Sonia disappeared down the gangplank, her item box clattering behind her. But as Bram grabbed hold of his own item box, there was a loud crash below and Bram glanced over the railing with a curse. Sonia had lost control of her item chest and had ended up slamming into Fox, knocking both of them to the ground. Julia was scowling at the huntress nearby. Bram pushed fearfully through the remainder of the passengers, muttering apologies to those he bumped. He knew what type of man Silas was, and if his children were anything like him…

But he was surprised upon reaching the bottom of the gangplank to find Fox helping Sonia back to her feet, waving off her apologies. As Bram approached, Fox looked his way, and the archer flinched slightly at the sight; the black-garbed man had different-colored eyes. The left eye was a very dark brown, nearly black, but the right was a pale white. There was a moment of recognition in the man's eyes, and he nodded his head slightly.

"Our apologies for the disruption," he said simply in a low baritone. He didn't say anything more, grabbing his bags and striding away towards where Julia waited. As he caught up with her, the woman turned, matching his stride as the pair made their way into the town, not sparing a glance back.

"You okay?" Bram asked Sonia. Behind him, Logan had caught up with them, his item chest clattering along and giving the pair of them a worried look.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonia replied, grinning sheepishly. "Guess I was a little too eager to get off the ship after all."

"Just a bit," Bram sighed, though he noted that Sonia had a concerned expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"His eyes were different colors…" she muttered in confusion, shooting another look at the backs of the two black-garbed people.

"Yeah, it's something strange about him," Bram nodded. "Don't worry about it."

"They's some strange folks, hey?" Logan muttered, before waving his hand. "Hoy, but let's forget about that for now, hey? You forget where we are? We in Gahiji! Don't tell me you already forget about our adventure?"

"Right… right!" Sonia agreed, nodded and smiling. "Let's go find the Guild hall and get this show on the road."

With that the hunters slowly headed south towards the tall structure near the center of town, right at the edge of the sandsea. Bram had to admit, he was stunned by Val Habar. For all his life, he'd had a pretty solid idea of what to expect when he entered a town or village, and this border town seemed to go against so much of that.

Dupree had been right: the entire town was almost literally on wheels. None of the structures in Val Habar were permanent, and it felt more like walking through a fairground or bazaar than an actual city, with only worn-down grass instead of roads under their feet. Every structure in the town was a wagon or tent, with men and women living out of them as happily as they would a solid house or hut. There were a few semi-permanent structures near the edge of the sandsea, sturdy platforms which had been built to dock the sandships and airships, but clearly all of Val Habar was capable of packing up and leaving town at the drop of a hat. And in fact, many were doing just that. Between the docks and the Guild hall, several Popo-drawn caravans clattered past them, either making their way out of town or traversing the roads in search of a spot to set up shop for themselves.

The caravans themselves were all interesting in their own unique ways, with bright banners and signs dictating what they sold or had to offer to passerby. The wagons came in countless shapes and sizes too, from only a few feet wide to a few that were as large as a sandship, needing several Popo to haul it. Each caravan had their own names and specialties as well: some sold armor and weapons, others sold jewelry and gemstones, others alchemy and herbalism, and a large number sold sundries and day-to-day goods. There were even those that seemed to sell 'entertainment', the wagons unfolding into stages to present shows for passersby to watch. Many of the larger caravans had even constructed wooden walkways for their customers to walk along, rather than the grass and dirt that lay everywhere else.

Some establishments even tried their best to create something of a 'brand name'. Some appeared more popular with the locals, filled to the brim with shoppers: Rosen Queen, Rin's Goods, and Malo Mart were some of the busier ones, just to name a few. Bram wondered if he'd seen the caravan he, Sonia, and Logan were supposed to be joining.

Bram gave an impressed whistle as they approached the Guild hall. Sonia had read him her father's letter describing the place, but Bram had to admit that the hall really did look like a beached sandship. He'd thought the shape was just a design aesthetic, but with Dupree's explanation, Bram supposed that the Guild hall must actually be a true sandship, and when the city up and moved, it was simply shoved back into the sandsea to sail to the town's next destination.

The way it had been described made it sound rather ridiculous, but looking upon it now, Bram had to admit it was rather impressive. To call it just a sandship wasn't fair: the Guild hall had to be a veritable battleship on the sandsea. It was over one hundred yards long, at least three times bigger than any ship Bram had ever seen. The hull was made of sturdy wood with solid metal plating, and a tall bronze dragon's head had been molded at the bow, massive in its own right. Bram could see the covered holes in the hull where cannons and ballistae could be fired from, and another in the bow which no doubt held a dragonator. Finally, at the very top of the building was a massive hunter's gong, so large that a single strike of the metal plate could probably be heard miles from Val Habar. The whole ship had been given a vibrant paintjob, colored a forest green with bright yellows and oranges along the dragon head, but despite this structure's welcoming design, Bram could tell this ship was a force to be reckoned with on the sandsea.

There was a massive rectangular hatch which opened up on the side of the ship, providing a long ramp leading into the Guild Hall. The three hunters looked around in fascination as they marched up the slope; all around them were hundreds of hunters, wearing countless different armor sets and weapons made from materials that he'd never seen before. Bram couldn't help but wonder how many of those armor sets or weapons he'd be able to make with only six months here.

As they entered the Guild hall itself, it was much more spacious inside than Bram had imagined. The entry area was even included a grill, an item shop, and a long booth with several dozen Guild workers signing hunters onto quests. And there were a lot of hunters around too, talking and laughing as they scoured the boards for hunts to take part in. It was just like any hunter's inn in Theron, but this one could slide into the sandsea and sail away if it needed to.

"So… what do we do now?" Sonia asked, looking around.

"Guess we gotta find the immigration folks… get the last of our papers filled out, hey?" Logan muttered, looking around uncertainly. "Steward said he got a lot of the stuff cleaned up already, but I is not sure what to do now exactly…"

"Oh, ho. So y'all are the hunters ol' Steward went and called in, are ya?"

The three hunters turned at the voice, but Bram frowned in confusion. He didn't see anybody behind them…

"Down here, pardner. We ain't all so vertically gifted as you are."

Looking down, the trio were collectively surprised to find an elder Wyverian standing before them. He had leathery skin, worn from perhaps more than a century of age considering how long-lived Wyverians could be. His ears were drooping low, and he'd grown a thick white beard covering his chin and cheeks.

He was dressed… oddly. The first thing that came to Bram's mind upon looking at him was 'cowboy'. The Wyverian looked like he'd come straight out of one of the 'western' stage shows they put on in Perir. Or it looked like he'd tried, at least. He wore a tall ten-gallon hat, a bright red bandana, a pair of brown leather boots complete with spurs, and carried a long corn-cob pipe between his teeth. Everything in the middle was a bit off though. He wore loose white robes over everything, held in place with a brown sash around his waist, topped off with an ornately-decorated blue cloak.

"Welcome, y'all!" the Wyverian said with a wide smile. "The name's Treno, Guildmaster of this fine town, and it's a pleasure to meetcha."

As hard as the Wyverian seemed to be trying to emulate a western drawl, he still had the Gahin accent in his voice. Bram had caught some of the local tongue as he'd made his way through Val Habar, and it was a far smoother, more musical-sounding accent. The locals tended to slur their S's a bit, and seemed to catch on hard consonants.

"Ho, there. Is nice to be here, hey?" Logan replied, reaching down to shake the man's hand. The Wyverian's eyebrows rose curiously for a moment, but he grinned quickly and shook the great sword user's hand before moving on the apprentices.

"And these young'ns are the apprentices, eh?" he asked, looking the two over.

"That's right," Bram nodded.

"Mmhmm… yep, Steward said y'all were coming for pre-exam training. He always was a kind feller to the younger folk."

"You friends with Steward, then?" Logan asked. "Always thought he must've had friends in high places, but I didn't think that included a Guildmaster."

"Yup, the ol' dog certainly has his connections, don't he?" Treno chuckled. "I owe him a few favors, though I reckoned I'd find myself in the grave 'fore he tried callin' them in. 'Magine my surprise when the ol' dog actually turns 'em in. Pretty ironic if you ask me, though: first he's askin' me to get some hunters _out_ of the country without trouble, next he's asking me get some _in_ easy as you please."

"Err… yeah…" Logan muttered, scratching his head. "Sorry 'bout that…"

"Aw, don't worry, pardner. Weren't your fault you passed the border like you did, and you pulled ol' Steward's hide out of the fire… well, ice, I reckon, when you saved him from that thing… Whatcha call that nasty thing?"

"Gigginox."

"Ugh. Fittin' name, considerin' the way Steward described it," Treno sighed, shaking his head. "Well, y'all came back at a good time anyway. Ol' Steward's been stuck in town for near a month now, and I can see that he's itchin' to travel again. Ain't no point of a caravan if it ain't movin'."

"He just been sitting around?" Logan asked guiltily. "He wasn't waiting for us, was he? Didn't mean to keep him waiting…"

"Don't worry, pardner. Fellers like him ain't the like to just stick around and wait. Ol' Steward coulda visited a half-dozen villages in a month and been back in town a'fore y'all stepped foot on Gahin soil. Reason he ain't movin' is 'cause his caravan's hunter had to retire, and there ain't no caravan out there can survive on the road without a hunter guarding it."

"Didn't hear 'bout that."

"Eh, happened not long ago. Good woman, fine hunter, but got crippled during a hunt, poor lass. Happens to the best of us, I reckon."

"Hmm… Sounds like we gonna be trying to fill some big boots, hey?"

"Aw, don't worry yourself, pardner. Ain't nobody expectin' you and your apprentices to try and fill the space that old girl left behind," Treno assured him. "You and your little buckaroos here just try and have fun while you're here. Ain't no need for worries like that for a couple apprentices. Now, I reckon that we've kept that ol' dog waitin' long enough. Let's getcher papers cleared, and y'all can-"

"Sir?" Treno paused, glancing over as a Guild worker approached with a large folder, handing it to the aged Wyverian. "We've got more reports of possible subspecies coming in."

"Again?" the Wyverian grumbled, glancing into the files. "Hold on now, 'reports' you said? As in more than one?"

"So it would seem sir," the woman replied. "A Kecha Wacha in the eastern forests and a Tetsucabra by the western volcano. Both are displaying strange appearances and behaviors for their species, and all descriptions seem to label them as such."

"Damn, that's four this month… The hell are they coming from, out of the woodwork?"

"Shall we send more researchers to look into it?"

"Reckon we'd better…" The Guild worker nodded as Treno signed the papers, and scurried away as the Wyverian sighed in frustration. "Y'all came at a very hectic time for the Guild, I can tell ya that…"

"Sounds like you've got a lot of problems to deal with," Bram noted.

"Oh, pardner, there's always problems," Treno harrumphed. "I've got problems left and right. I've got these daggum factions bickering between each other, I've gotta send a buncha materials to Dondruma to repair damage from a Kushala Daora that attacked… Hell, I've got issues with elder dragons in _general_ making a fuss over by Dondruma. I can't remember the last time that city went longer than a _year_ without getting attacked by one!"

"Wow… you really _do_ have problems," Sonia muttered.

"Ain't nothin' Gahiji ain't dealt with before," Treno replied. "It's a mite worse than usual these last few years, but we'll get by. We always have before. But that ain't the kinda thing y'all need to worry 'bout. Doubt a couple rookies'll find themselves wranglin' with an elder dragon anytime soon. But that's enough serious talk; let's get y'all going so you apprentices can have your trip through Gahiji."

With a short bark, Treno called over one of the Felynes working behind the desks, sending it off to gather the hunters' paperwork. The Felyne returned a minute later with a small stack of papers, passing them out to the hunters and letting them fill in the blanks. Bram noted that a lot of it was already filled out in someone else's handwriting, likely the work of Logan's friend Steward. The hunters filled out the rest of the papers as quickly as they could before sending off the Felyne with the completed documents.

"Just need to make sure everything's spick 'n' span," Treno told them. "One of them'll check that everything's well and good. Ah, speak of the devil… or, speak of the Felyne, rather."

From the sea of desks and paperwork, the Felyne scurried out from the mayhem again and quickly made its way towards them, carrying the collection of paperwork in its arms. Bram could see a bright red stamp of approval on the top paper.

"That was lickety-split. Everything lookin' dandy?" Treno asked, and the Felyne nodded.

"Yes, of course, nya. All their pawsports and papers are in purrfect order and they're good to go."

"Well, ain't that fine news," Treno said with a smile. "Looks like everything's in order, pardners. Reckon you're free to hit the trail. Y'all just promise me you'll keep that caravan safe. Steward's a good friend, y'hear? Don't want to hear that y'all met with disaster."

"Don't worry," Logan replied confidently. "We keep the caravan safe, hey?"

"I certainly hope so. Good luck to y'all either way."

"Thank you for your help," Bram said, before the three of them began making their way towards the exit of the Guild hall.

"Good luck!" the Felyne next to Treno called out. "Stay safe, little apprentices!"

"Thanks! We will!" Sonia called back as the three hunters stepped back out into the sunlight.

Once the trio were down the ramp and back among the caravans, Bram turned towards Logan. "So, now we just need to find this caravan, right? Where is it?"

"I is… not too sure where exactly we supposed to go, hey? They's a lot more caravans here than I thought there'd be. Guess we just gotta keep looking until we find the one we looking for, hey? Give us time to see the sights."

"Didn't that Steward guy tell you where to find him?" Bram asked.

"You looking at the same bazaar I am?" Logan asked. "Seems like you be in one spot one day and on the other side of the town the next, hey? He did tell me the name of his caravan though."

"Alright, what is it?" Logan chuckled sheepishly at the question though, and Bram groaned. "You don't remember?"

"Hoy, is a weird name. I remember when I see it."

With that, the trio began walking around the bazaar in search of their caravan. Every once in a while Logan would stare at one of the caravan signs, before shaking his head and pressing on. After about an hour of wandering and poking through the stalls, Logan finally spotted one and his eyes lit up.

"Aha! That's the one!"

The apprentices followed his gaze to a wide circle of wagons. A tall wooden sign hung as an entry into the circle, painted a curious aquamarine hue and decorated with thirteen silvery circles inscribed with strange symbols. In the center, written in a light purple, were the words 'Caravan Stellazzio'.

"Stellazzio?" Sonia asked. "You were right. Weird name…"

"Told you so, hey?" Logan chuckled as they made their way towards the entry. "All we gotta do now is find Steward and we be good, I think."

The caravan had a fair number of customers within as the hunters passed through the entryway. From what Bram could see, Caravan Stellazzio had a wide variety of displays. Just to the side as they entered was a wide food stand, where a heavyset woman wearing a bright pink apron shuffled about, passing food over the counter to a pair of twins who darted between a dozen wooden tables passing out meals. Beyond that, a man with dark red hair was selling items and materials, while another vendor nearby had a collection of mass-produced metal weapons and armor for sale. There were several other small wagons selling things such as clothing and foodstuffs and knick-knacks and toys. Off in the back there was even a large steel wagon which looked like a forge.

Sonia and Logan were still looking around in wonder when Bram's gaze landed on a small wagon off to the side. It was small and painted a dark aquamarine but otherwise undecorated. The side of the wagon unfolded into a small desk, revealing a tall collection of books and notepads behind it. A tackboard had been latched to the side of the wagon as well, covered with dozens of papers which Bram immediately recognized as hunt requests. Sitting behind the desk was a young woman scribbling into a large notebook and flipping through some official-looking documents, a Guild receptionist Bram realized. Getting Sonia and Logan's attention, the three of them began walking over to the wagon.

As they got close, Bram could see that the girl was a few inches shorter than he was, with well-tanned skin and a curvy body. She wore the standard Guild uniform that Bram had seen on numerous Guild reps as they'd passed through the town. A long-sleeved white shirt with a frilled collar lay under a form-fitting tan vest with shining metal buttons, and around her neck was a crimson ascot embroidered with the symbol of the Guild. A loose cloak hung over it all, accompanied by a high-brimmed sailor's cap, though while green seemed to be the most common Guildie color in Val Habar, this woman's was dyed a deep shade of royal blue. It was well-hidden behind her, but Bram could also see a small knife latched onto her belt.

Her face was gentle and smooth, with a small nose and soft hazel eyes behind a pair of oval glasses. Her hair was dirty blonde, and looked as though it would have hung down to her middle back if she had not pinned it into a bun at the base of her skull. It was then that Bram realized that the woman was actually Wyverian; her ears stuck out from her blonde hair, stretching straight outwards and ending in a point about three inches out from her skull. Sure enough, as Bram looked down he saw that her legs hooked back and ended in taloned feet, with leather boots that covered everything except the clawed tips of her toes.

"Oh, hello!" the woman said, smiling brightly at the three of them as they approached. Her voice had the telltale lilt that pegged her as Gahin, catching slightly on hard consonants and slightly slurring the S's. "May I be of any assistance?"

Bram opened his mouth to respond for them, but before he could, Logan grabbed the archer's shoulder and pulled him back, dropping his item box and stepping to the front. The girl blinked in surprise at the motion as the great sword user gave her a wide, wolfish grin.

"I think so, yes, little missy. Couldn't help but notice that you was all by youself, and thought you might want a little company…"

"No, stop," Bram sighed, grabbing Logan's collar and pulling him back. The Guild rep looked confused, giving Logan an odd look as the great sword user cursed sourly, turning to glare at Bram, but the archer ignored him and smiled at the woman. "Sorry about that. We're looking for someone named Steward? We just arrived from Theron, and we-"

"Aha! So you are the hunters that master Steward told me about? It is a pleasure to meet you all!" The Guild rep stood up and curtseyed slightly, beaming at them with a welcoming smile. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Selene tar'Thyone, humble member and Guild representative of Caravan Stellazzio. I look forward to working with you all over the next several months."

The three hunters quickly introduced themselves, Logan looking a little sheepish as he did so, before Selene insisted that she help them find Steward. Leaving their hunting boxes near the Guild wagon, the four of them branched off, heading towards the center of the caravan. As they walked, Bram gave Selene an inquisitive smile. "I didn't know that individual caravans had their own Guild representatives in this country."

"Oh, yes!" Selene replied enthusiastically. "Caravans are much more common and valuable here in Gahiji, where travel across the country is difficult. Many villages and towns are often hidden away between mountains, or deep within the forests, and merchant caravans provide goods and services to those that cannot provide for themselves. Materials, goods, food… some caravans, including our own, even include a smith who can craft with uncommon materials for those that request it. In short, many caravans are essentially traveling shopping districts for secluded villages. It is not uncommon for hunters to sign on for long stints of work as escorts and guardians to caravans as you three have; some hunters even prefer the traveler's life, and have wagons of their own built to live their professions out of.

"As such, it is quite common for Guild reps like myself to be tied to a caravan, rather than a single town or village. It builds a stronger bond between the hunters and representative, rather than forcing the hunter to try and work with individual Guild reps in each town. It's my responsibility to communicate with the local Guild authority in each area and ascertain what hunt requests are available. It's also my responsibility to keep track of monster movements and ecological reports so that the caravan doesn't travel into a dangerous situation."

"Sounds like a tough job," Bram noted.

"Not as much as you'd think," Selene replied with a smile. "Most towns are used to this kind of thing, and have prepared to offer hunts to the caravan hunters and send reports to the representatives. I just try to organize everything."

"That's still pretty impressive, compared to what most Guild reps in Theron do."

"Well, you have to be at the top of your game to be a caravan Guildie!" Selene replied, puffing out her chest proudly, before laughing a little. "But I do enjoy the work, and it's the least I can do for Master Steward… Ah, speaking of which, you were looking for him, weren't you? Hold on, let me see… Ah, there he is! Master Steward! Your guests are here!"

From one of the chairs near the cantina, a man looked up at the call and pushed himself to his feet before striding their way. He was just as tall as Bram, wearing rugged traveling clothes under a long, black leather duster coat. He had a square jaw with a scraggly beard and short grey hair which looked as though it had lost its original color long ago. Despite his age, he appeared to be a strong man, his body toned by a lifetime of hard work and his skin tanned by the sun. There was also a short sword hanging from his belt, and a shield hitched over his back. They weren't made of regular metal either, but some type of metallic-looking monster materials. Bram didn't think the man really carried himself like a hunter though…

Upon recognizing Logan, he gave the three hunters a broad, welcoming smile. Logan returned with a grin of his own as he reached forward to shake the man's hand, but the older man grabbed pulled the hunter into a tight hug, laughing despite Logan's surprised face.

"Aha! Logan, my friend, it has been far too long!" Steward said excitedly. Like Selene, the man's accent was thick, though his voice was a deep baritone. "I have not seen you since… well, not since we first met, I think! How are you, my friend?"

"Urk… I is doing fine, hey? Don't remember you being this… affectionate when we met, though."

The man laughed again, pulling away from Logan. "Ah, you must forgive me. I suppose I am known for being quite friendly among my contemporaries. I suppose I would act the same to _any_ I consider a friend.

"But, ah, I see you are not alone!" Steward noted, turning to glance curiously at Sonia and Bram. "I had long wondered if you would ever ask for me to return that favor, and almost believed you had forgotten about it, but it would seem you were merely biding your time."

"Heh, well… actually I kind of forgot about the favor, hey?" Logan replied sheepishly. "But they both was looking for the chance to have an adventure, and I thought Gahiji might be the place for it. Wasn't sure you be willing to put up with us, hey, but I'm glad you did. But let me introduce them-"

"We can do that for ourselves, thank you very much," Sonia cut in quickly, and Steward grinned at her. "I'm Sonia Geisel, and this tall guy here my friend Bram."

"Bram Renfield," the archer added. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Steward."

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," the man replied, nodding his head respectfully. "You certainly seem like a lively pair, but that is to be expected of eager young hunters-to-be. And to you both, young apprentices, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Steward ka'Jacob, master of Caravan Stellazzio. I hope your journey here was a pleasant one."

"It went smoothly enough," Bram replied. "However, admittedly it felt a bit longer with all the anticipation of getting here."

"I'm certain it did, young Bram. And have you three already visited the Guild hall? I had informed Treno that you would be arriving…"

"Ja, we done that already," Logan nodded. "Got all the papers and stuff filled out, so we good to go."

"Excellent! It seems that you are well on top of things then." The man glanced down at Selene. "Thank you for bringing them to me, my dear, but I'll finish showing them around. Now that they're here, I believe things are going to be picking up once more."

The Guild rep nodded quickly. "Yes, master Steward, of course. Should I notify the others?"

"That would be best, I think," Steward replied. "Best to put up the signs now, so as not to disappoint too many customers."

Selene nodded again, politely excusing herself before walking quickly over towards the nearest of the stalls, and speaking with the salesperson outside. Bram watched her curiously for a moment before his attention was called back to Steward.

"Now then, I suppose that I must show you around! Or at least, point out those things which will most concern young men and women of your profession. Over there is the wagon of our caravan's smith, Cleyra tar'Oeilvert," Steward noted, pointing to the large steel wagon at the rear of the group. The metal walls were absolutely riddled with smithing tools, and a wide, circular brick forge sat within the core of the wagon, with a tall chimney poking out of the top. The fire inside seemed to be running on cinders at the moment, and the black smoke pouring from the top was a thin trail compared to other caravans around them.

"I'm afraid Cleyra herself is not here at the moment to be properly introduced. She is off gathering supplies for our journey overland, and she often takes her time with such things, as she is quite the picky individual. She will be the one to speak to, should any of you desire a weapon or armor to be made with what you gather during your time with us. She mostly makes pots and pans, shovels, picks, axles, and whatever else the caravan requires, but make no mistake, she is skilled enough to work with a many of the carves and materials you will gather during your time here.

"Now then, over there you'll find our trader, Daguerreo ka'Dali, who will be the one from whom you purchase potions and the like…"

"Um… I'm sorry, Mr. Steward, but… can I ask a question?" Sonia asked.

"Of course," the caravan master replied. "But please, you hunters can simply call me Steward. You are my guests while you are in Gahiji, and you need not refer to me so politely."

"Oh, okay," Sonia giggled. "I was just wondering, what's with people's last names in Gahiji? I, uh, I don't want to be rude, but…"

"Ah, of course," Steward nodded. "I suppose naming conventions are rather different here in Gahiji than they are in your home country. Please allow me to explain as best I can. Here in Gahiji, rather than passing on a surname, a child will rather take on the names of their parent. It is a symbol of our pride in those that made us the men and women we become. If you would allow me to use myself as an example, my name is Steward, and my father's name was Jacob. As such, I refer to myself as Steward ka'Jacob, or Steward, son of Jacob."

"Oh, neat!" Sonia replied, her eyes lighting up in interest.

"So… I would be Bram… ka'Harker?" Bram asked.

"Precisely," Steward replied with a smile. "Normal custom dictates that a man will take on the name of his father, and a woman will take on the name of their mother."

"Them I'd be Sonia ka'Eleanor, right?"

Steward quickly shook his head at the question. "Ah, not exactly, young apprentice. The word 'ka' in Gahin translates to 'son of'. For you, young Sonia, you would use 'tar' instead, as it translates to 'daughter of'. You met our lovely Guild worker earlier, yes? No doubt she introduced herself as Selene tar'Thyone, 'daughter of Thyone'."

"Then… Sonia tar'Eleanor?"

"Yes, exactly!"

Logan, however, was shifting uncomfortably where he stood. "Hoy, Steward… When people take they parents' names… do they gotta… Do a man gotta take they father's name?"

The caravan leader hardly hesitated before replying. "Ah, a good question, my friend. While it is certainly most common for men to take the names of their fathers, and women that of their mothers, what matters the most to the Gahin people is the honor and weight of the name they take. It is up to the child to determine the value of their own parents' names, and if a man should hold his mother's name in high regard, then they are perfectly welcome to carry that name as their badge of honor."

Logan nodded, grinning in relief. "Right then… Logan ka'Lynn, hey?"

"A fine name, my friend," Steward nodded encouragingly. "Of course, there are many other rules that accompany what I've mentioned so far. For example, while most people in the country are content giving their own name and that of their honorable parent, there are those that feel that more is required to… _adequately_ display their importance. As we take the names of our parents who we show pride in, so did they show pride in their own father or mother. For those with great pride in their lineage, they may follow the line of their parentage back many generations. As my own name is Steward ka'Jacob, my father called himself Jacob ka'Nero; if I found my grandfather in great esteem, I might refer to myself as Steward ka'Jacob ka'Nero, or 'Steward, son of Jacob, son of Nero'. However, its use only reserved for those who are proud of their family line or for the most formal occasions. For example, were such a humble caravan master such as myself to find myself amidst the company of the upper echelons, I would introduce myself as _Steward ka'Jacob ka'Nero ka'Barton ka'Deryn tar'Sarah_ , all the way back to great-great-great-grandmother Sarah, who was a noteworthy hunter.

"As I said, it is mostly a novelty, used only by those who find great value in the names of their ancestors. To those with whom lineage is of great value, their name is merely another to be added to the front of a great long list. I have met some men and women whom, if prompted, could proclaim their full name and not finish speaking until the sun had fallen and risen again."

Sonia scratched her head thoughtfully. "So… I'd be Sonia tar'Eleanor tar'Mary?"

Steward nodded. "And so on and so forth, as far through the branches of your family tree as you are willing to climb. But please, worry yourselves not with thoughts of altering your names to fit in! As we Gahin find strength in the names of our fathers and mothers, so do the Therians find theirs in their surnames. Take pride in your names as they are! They have power within them, and histories of their own. Sturmtrum is a fine and powerful name, Logan."

Then the man turned and gave the two apprentices a knowing look. "And if my knowledge of news and events does not fail me - which I certainly hope it does not considering my occupation - then the names of 'Geisel' and 'Renfield' have their own weight to them as well, do they not?"

Bram and Sonia both glanced at each other uncomfortably, but Logan stepped between the two of them, giving Steward a small smile. "I think that surnames don't need to be considered too hard, hey?"

"Of course not," Steward replied, nodding in understanding. "The weight of surnames may be great, but I suppose every man and woman wishes to give their own names a weight they feel they are worthy of, do they not?"

"That's right," Logan grinned. "Glad you understand."

Bram cleared his throat for a moment, then tried to change the subject. "Out of curiosity, where will we be staying? Are we going to need a tent, or…"

"Nonsense. We have a couple spare wagons which you can claim as your own," Steward replied with a nod. "We have one old residential wagon in living condition, though it hasn't got much in the way of homeliness at the moment. The two gentlemen hunters can bunk within it, though it will be cozy with two of you. As for our young huntress… I am sure she would prefer a wagon of her own, if only to maintain decorum. We have made space within an old storage wagon we've kept clattering around for you to use, though it may be somewhat cramped…"

"Oh, that's fine," Sonia replied.

"Excellent. If you were not staying on for only a short time, I would suggest finding a carpenter in town to construct you a wagon of your own. Such is usually the way of hunters that seek to travel with caravans, to ease the burden in this rugged terrain and to make something more suitable towards their personal tastes. Perhaps if you wish to stay longer, it would be something to consider.

"But such plans can wait for now… Both traveling and paperwork are tiring trials, and I have little doubt you would like time to settle in, yes? Especially since, now that you three are here, we can begin moving again! We leave on the morrow for the southeast, to a small village called Lintukoto Gully. I am friends with the chief there, and his village is always generous in their purchases. Though the terrain is rugged, the monsters we are likely to meet are no great hassle and should be excellent training for your young apprentices, my friend."

"Ha! Looking forward to it!" Logan laughed.

As the three hunters followed Steward over to the wagons he was offering them, Bram turned and grinned at Sonia. "So, is it everything you hoped it would be so far?"

"Even better," Sonia nodded with a wide smile. "It's so colorful and fun… and just hearing about the monsters we're going to get a chance to fight has got me itching for a chance to hunt them myself. I'm going to need to send Mom and Van a letter before we head out, and tell them about everything we've seen." The huntress turned, glancing up at him. "What about you? Having fun yet?"

"Clearly not as much as you, but I'm enjoying myself. There are a few things that have caught my interest…"

"Bleh, there you go again with your clinical talk. 'A few things that have caught my interest'," Sonia intoned, replicating Bram's voice. "Come on, show a little excitement, Bram."

Bram laughed at the impression, though, reaching up to ruffle Sonia's hair and getting his hand swatted away. "You're getting better at those impressions. But you seem to show more than enough enthusiasm for the both of us, so why don't I just…"

Sonia continued to stare intently at him, however, and finally he shook his head and chuckled. "Fine! We're actually traveling through a place that's relatively unknown to almost everyone we know! It's something new and interesting… and I'm eager to see what's in store for us. Happy?"

"Eh, you're getting there," Sonia shrugged. "But you could still afford some pep in your step, string bean."

"You can give me enthusiasm lessons after supper, then. But that can wait until after we've settled in. Speaking of which… last one unpacked has to buy the other dinner!"

"Wha- Hey!" Sonia shouted. "Cheater! This is _not_ the kind of enthusiasm I was talking about! And I have like a hundred more things to unpack than you!"

"Guess I'm getting a free meal then."

"Not if I can help it!" Sonia snapped, darting forward and rushing past Logan and Steward towards her hunting chest. Bram laughed to himself before tailing after her.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about travelling abroad and meeting new people!**

 **We're going to actually have the main characters hunt something soon! I swear!**

 **I swear this whole story is going to be me playing a game of 'spot the reference' with my readers. I just recently found someone that caught my Freeman's Mind reference during the Malefica arc back in TLC! Anyway, I've decided to use a particular naming convention for the Wyvernians in this story, just like I did with TLC. For those that don't know (and I can't remember if I ever revealed this or not), the Wyvernians in TLC were all named after… video game businesses! Stergo is Abstergo from Assassin's Creed, Silph is from the Pokemon series, Shinra is from Final Fantasy VII, Umbre was Umbrella Corp. from Resident Evil… etc. Who'll be the first to figure out where the Wyvernians here in Gahiji got their names? Don't use Google now! That's cheating.**

 **Selene will probably undergo some… interesting character development as time goes on. The more I play 4U, the more I really like the Guildmarm in the game and her odd quirks. Of course, Selene has her own personality (and a name, which apparently is unheard of in the MH universe), but some of the Guildmarm's more interesting aspects might show up here and there (not the monsterphilia though, 'cause that's a little much). How does Capcom keep making games where the Guildies are much more interesting than you'd initially think? Also, I won't lie, the Guildmarm's character design in 4U is fantastic and I love it.**

 **Playing: MH3U, Pokemon X, GTA5, Pokemon AS, MH4U  
Listening: Sabaton, Widespread Panic, Ben Folds Five, Gratitude, Slipknot, Titus Andronicus  
Reading: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi, How Edea Got Her Groove Back by TheStockholmEffect  
Watching: MH4U livestreams**


	5. First Foreign Hunt

First Foreign Hunt

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

Sonia yawned drowsily as she pushed the door to her wagon open. The sun had just passed over the horizon, and yet she'd been unceremoniously jolted awake when her wagon had begun moving. Unable to lull herself back to sleep with all the bumping and rocking, Sonia had forced herself out of bed and into her armor. Her dual swords were equipped last, cinched to waist sheathes that were strapped around her stomach; she'd gotten used to drawing the blades from her lower back rather than over her shoulders after spending so long as a sword and shield user. Fully armed and ready, she headed out to greet the day, if not that enthusiastically.

Hers was small wagon, certainly, only seven feet wide by twelve feet long inside. The bed took up the most space, sitting on top of a cluster of shelves and lying just below even more, meaning Sonia would bump her head if she sat up too quickly. Any knickknacks and photos she had couldn't be hung on the walls or set onto shelves, or they'd clatter around and fall to the floor. She barely had enough room to stuff her clothes in the drawers and hang her armor on a stand, and her item chest had just barely fit through the door. She was glad now that she'd only brought her sword and shield and dual swords with her. Her hunting horn and long sword would have likely been hung onto hooks that were bolted to the outside of the wagon.

But Sonia liked the little wagon, truth be told. It was cozy and private, and though it had a habit of jolting her awake on the days she was supposed to sleep in, it was still a very snug little home away from home. The outside was nicely decorated, painted a lush green with decorative golden trim. The wood paneling had elaborate shapes carved into it, as did most of the wagons, made to entice customers when they were in a village or town. If she did come back to Gahiji after passing the Therian hunter's exam, she might do as Steward had suggested and get a custom-built wagon of her own… but that was far into the future yet.

In her dreary state, she nearly stepped right off the wagon's steps after latching her door shut behind her, but quickly caught herself and grabbed a handlebar to keep from dropping off. Steward kept the draft Popos moving at a fairly brisk pace, and jumping off a wagon without caution could end with you getting a mouthful of dirt. She'd made that mistake once before when half-asleep, and had slid down a ditch into a creek bed. She'd learned her lesson after that.

There was a call of greeting, and Sonia turned to find Daguerreo wishing her good morning. His own home and shop wagon was coupled behind her own. The man started to strike up a conversation, but turned his attention back to the interior of his shop at the sound of glass clinking together; Sonia had learned that such sounds meant that his potions and other elixirs weren't properly fastened down. With a grin, she hopped over to help out, and ten minutes later, all the potions had been secured properly, and there was hardly a clink to be heard. Daguerreo thanked her for her help, and the huntress finally hopped down to the ground, walking alongside her wagon as the caravan made its way through the forest and hills.

They'd been traveling through the countryside for a few days now, heading southeast through the flatlands before entering the thick forests between the desert and the mountains looming far in the east. The landscape was just as rugged as Sonia had been told: once they'd gotten a few miles away from the sandsea, the gentle grasslands vanished as the ground grew jagged, tall upheavals sprouting up and making the earth jolted and uneven.

Since the sun had risen, the caravan had made its way into a shallow gorge. The sides of the gorge weren't sloped, but jumped up two to five yards at a time in short ledges. Sonia felt like she was walking between two very large staircases leading up towards the thick forests at the tops of each side, their branches and leaves stretching over the wagons and covering them in shifting shadows. The caravan was rolling through the base of the gorge, inside a defined path a dozen yards wide which left them very little room to maneuver. A small stream trickled on the left side of the wagons at the base of the first incline, flowing back the way they'd come towards the desert. Steward had told them that this very stream passed through their destination, Lintukoto, though further on it was not a small creek but a rushing river.

All three of the hunters had wanted to explore the country a little bit, but Steward seemed intent on making up the lost time the caravan had gathered staying in Val Habar for more than a month, and he kept the wagons moving to get back onto their regular trade route. As such, the hunters were unable to venture very far, keeping themselves close to the caravan as its guards.

That meant, unfortunately, that the hunters hardly got to do what they'd most wanted to do here in Gahiji: _hunt_. They'd seen a few creatures that didn't exist in Theron, including some hard-shelled Neopterons called Konchu, and a few new raptors called Velociprey. However, the only large monster they'd had a chance to encounter was a Great Jaggi they'd come across before entering the forests, but that was nothing new, and the creature had fallen before them without hassle.

Steward had apologized for the disappointing first few days, but he guaranteed the hunters that things would pick up once they reached their first stop. They planned on staying in Lintukoto Gully for a few days, depending on business, and then continue on their trade route to the next destination. Selene would act as an intermediary between them and the local Guild post, and they'd be able to pick and choose some low-level hunts. Sonia was looking forward to seeing what Gahiji _really_ had to offer.

Sonia began pressing toward the front of the caravan at a brisk jog, passing by the metal smithy wagon and pausing long enough at Burmecia's diner wagon to get some fruit for breakfast before scurrying on. She spotted Bram ahead, striding next to the aquamarine Guild wagon while chatting with Selene. Smiling slyly to herself, Sonia picked up the pace, slinking quickly towards the archer from behind.

"Morning, string bean! Catch me!" Sonia laughed, leaping up and jumping onto Bram's back and swinging her arms around his neck. Selene squeaked in surprise at Sonia's sudden appearance, though Bram reacted quickly enough to catch her legs, hoisting her up and carrying her without even breaking pace. The huntress giggled in amusement as he twisted his head around and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Good morning, Sonia. I thought you were supposed to be sleeping in. It's my day to wake up early."

"I was, but the road was just too bumpy," Sonia replied grumpily. "I need a softer mattress or something."

"Maybe you do. So, what are you up to?"

"Just going around talking to people," she replied, wiggling around to get herself into a better position on his back. "I met with Daguerreo and Burmecia. Figured if we were going to spend six months as hunters for this caravan, I might as well get to know the item seller and cook. They're important people in our line of work! I was gonna talk to Cleyra too, but Logan was chatting her up. I think he made a pass at her too, because she was laughing and saying that she wasn't a cradle-robber. How old was she supposed to be again?"

"I couldn't guess. Wyverians are always somewhat challenging for me to determine their age," Bram admitted. He turned to look at Selene, who was giving the two hunting apprentices a confused look, and her ears had drooped slightly as she stared at them. "I don't suppose you know, Selene?"

The Guild rep blinked in surprise, before shaking her head. "Oh, um… I fear I could not say. Every time someone questions her about it, she always tells them that 'it's impolite to ask a lady her age', and shoos them away. I imagine she is quite old though. Master Steward told me she has not changed for as long as they've known each other, and he's told stories about them drinking together in his youth. So if she hasn't changed in that many years…"

"Can't you guess?" Sonia asked. "You're Wyverian yourself, after all."

"Well, yes," Selene replied, brushing a hand against one of her ears. "But even among Wyverians, it's impossible to be certain. Our species may be known for living long lives, but our lifespans can vary dramatically. Some of us may only live as long as humans do, while others can live double or triple that, or even more." The woman placed a hand against her chest. "As for myself, I will likely live for one hundred thirty years at most. Cleyra likely comes from a more long-living bloodline than me. There are stories of Wyverians out there that can even live for millennia."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Sonia muttered. "I met that Wyverian that repairs dad's armor and weapon once, and he was positively _ancient_. But I guess that's neither here nor there. So, what are you up to, string bean?"

Bram nodded towards Selene. "Same as you, I suppose. If we're going to be hunters for this caravan, I might as well get acquainted with our Guild rep."

"Ah, smart." Sonia glanced up towards Selene. "So what were you talking about?"

"Oh, ah, Bram was just asking me how long I have been a part of Stellazzio," Selene replied. "I have only been working as the caravan's official Guild rep for two years, but I've actually been a part of Stellazzio for nearly eleven years now."

"Eleven… wow, really? But you can't be that much older than us… Or are you, Miss Wyverian? Are you secretly forty years old or something?"

"No! I'm only twenty!" Selene yelped. Her eyes widened in surprise at her own outburst, and she flushed in embarrassment, her face tinting red all the way to the points of her ears. She quickly composed herself, calming down and clearing her throat.

"I joined when I was nine," she said when she'd recovered. She paused for a moment, then smiled uncomfortably. "My parents were part of the caravan, and friends with Steward."

"Oh, okay. What did-"

"You know, you're getting kind of heavy, Sonia," Bram commented, shaking her a little on his back. "I think you've been enjoying Burmecia's cooking a little too much…"

"Oh, quit complaining, string bean," Sonia replied. "Maybe I'll just stay here for the rest of the day…"

"Um, not to be rude, but is this-" Selene motioned to the two of them, Sonia still being carried on Bram's back, "-is this common?"

"Common enough I guess," Bram chuckled lightly. "Maybe it seems a little odd, but I suppose I'm simply used to it. In all seriousness, down with you, Sonia."

"Aw, pecker," the huntress grumbled, sliding loose and getting back onto her feet. She quickly straightened her armor, before smiling at Bram and Selene. "So, Miss Guildie, what kind of place is this Lint village? And what can we expect to hunt there?"

"Lintukoto Gully," Selene corrected her, enunciating the name. "It is a lovely village, in my opinion, built of wood and timber and hidden away… The people there have always been very friendly, and Steward is a close friend of the chief. You should try to refer to it by its proper name, however; the people are a proud sort."

"Ah… okay, I'll remember that. Lin-tu-ko-to…"

"As for the monsters, for the most part you will find Seltas, Great Jaggis, and Velocidrome; nothing too terrible. Some less common creatures include Kecha Wacha, Congalalas, and Rathians. There is also a _small_ chance of meeting with a Rathalos, Seltas Queen, or Tigrex… but those are very rare circumstances. You wouldn't be hunting those at your skill level anyway."

"Too bad. I'd like a chance to take one of them on," Sonia replied confidently, but she earned a concerned look from both Bram and Selene. "Or, you know, maybe not right now or anything… One day though."

"It would be best to start with a Seltas, I think," Selene replied. "You don't have those in Theron, correct? Yes, then perhaps those and some Velocidrome. I will try and keep an eye out for Kecha Wacha hunts as well, and reserve one for you three if the chance arises."

"Great!"

"We'd appreciate that," Bram agreed with a grin. "You're remarkably on top of all this…"

"I take my job very seriously," Selene said. "I would not want you to go out in search of a Seltas and find its Queen instead. That would be a nasty surprise for a pair of apprentices."

"What's the difference between a Seltas and a Queen?" Sonia asked. "Is it like the difference between a Rathian and Rathalos? Different paint job?"

Selene pursed her lips for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "Not… exactly. There's some… sexual dimorphism in the species."

"Sexual what?"

"I mean that there's a… notable size and shape difference as well."

"Oh, like Ludroth. Well, hopefully we'll get a chance to fight both of them sooner or later."

"The Queen might be a little beyond your abilities to reach in only six months, I fear. I do not think that unlicensed hunters can even fight them. I doubt Master Steward will be taking Stellazzio towards the areas where they are common, either, since they tend to stay in more treacherous terrain than our caravan can confidently traverse."

"Aw, pecker… Well, I guess we knew coming here that we wouldn't be able to fight everything."

"I'm sure there will be enough to keep you excited," Selene assured her with a smile.

Sonia nodded enthusiastically before looking towards the front of the wagon train. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. I'm going to go ask Steward when we're supposed to reach Lintukoto."

"It shouldn't be much later than early evening," Selene replied.

"Still, I want to know for sure!" Sonia called back, before darting towards the front of the caravan.

There weren't that many wagons between Selene's and the head of the train, mostly the more brightly-colored ones that would draw attention since they'd be the first ones seen when they arrived in a settlement. Sonia passed them by, waving to their riders as she made her way to the wagon in the front. Steward was sitting at the driver's seat of the lead wagon, his eyes carefully scanning a broad map in his lap as he only half paid attention to the Popos pulling the wagon.

The man turned as she approached, smiling and nodding at the huntress as she walked next to the wagon. "Good morning, young Sonia. Did the rocking of your wagon wake you early?"

"Yeah… how'd you know?"

"That old wagon was built for storage, not comfort. I feared it might be too rickety for someone to sleep in properly… I'll be sure to ask Cleyra to look at the wagon once we stop in Lintukoto, and see if she can't make the ride smoother for you. If there's anything that harms a hunter more than not eating a fine meal before a hunt, it's not getting enough rest."

"I appreciate it," Sonia replied gratefully, then looked down at the map in Steward's lap. "What are you doing? I thought you'd said there weren't any other roads between here and Lintukoto?"

"There is not. I am planning our route for the next few months," Steward replied. "Lintukoto Gully is merely our first stop, and I need to make certain that I know where and when we will be traveling over the next few months, and how long we will need to get there. Our next stop is a mining town further east called Harth, and I will need to speak with Selene about the Guild's migration reports before long… There are two paths between Lintukoto and Harth, but the northern path, though shorter, becomes essentially inaccessible depending on whether the Kut-Ku breeding season was particularly… ah, _prosperous_."

"Uh… do I want to know why?"

"Selene can explain it better than I… But on that topic, if we _do_ take the northern path, I would advise you not to eat any pink-colored fruit you find."

"Okay, I _definitely_ don't want to know the reason behind that."

"It is not as bad as you might think. It is actually rather humorous… for anyone that _hasn't_ eaten the fruit." Steward looked up from his map with a wistful expression, chuckling in amusement. "I recall the first time we traveled through the area with our former hunter. We'd hardly gotten a mile in when she'd eaten through a dozen of them. By the time we stopped for lunch, she was completely and utterly…"

However, the caravan master paused, an uncertain expression on his face. "Ah, forgive me. Perhaps you don't wish to hear the story. I suppose it is just second nature for me to speak of her."

"No, please, go ahead," Sonia urged him. "Can you tell me about her? She seems like she was a pretty great hunter."

"Ha! She most certainly was!" Steward laughed. "The tales I could tell about that woman, and the adventures we had together! Or rather, the adventures _she_ had, and then told me about later. She always seemed so serious when she went away to slay the beasts she needed to, with fierce eyes and the most determined expression a woman could muster. But when she returned she was all laughter and fun stories… Please, do remind me to tell you the tale of her battle against two gold-crown-large Congalalas one day. That tale is always good for a laugh… a good _many_ laughs, for that matter. Not that she didn't have her own tales of great bravery and valor, of course. If but half her tale about an encounter with a Kushala Daora was true, I would still consider her one of the finest hunters in the country!"

"Kushala… isn't that an elder dragon?" Sonia gasped, and Steward nodded. "Wow… and we would have been hunting with her?"

"Perhaps…" Steward shrugged. "She had her own duties to attend, but it was my hope for her to aid young Logan in training you and your partner Bram while you three were with us. It was actually rather amusing when I first told her you would be coming… She was a fine hunter, but never a teacher. She was so nervous! She had traveled out to hunt down Tigrex with a calmer expression on her face than when I told her she would be keeping an eye on a trio of young Therian hunters."

Sonia giggled as Steward chuckled at the memory. But as their laughter died, Sonia lowered her eyes for a moment before looking at Steward nervously. "So… what exactly happened to her?"

Steward sighed mournfully. "The same that happens to many hunters in this occupation, I fear: injury beyond recovery. When we stopped in Dundorma two months ago, she was approached by some comrades who wished her to join them on a hunt for some beast that was causing trouble. Stellazzio sent her off without another thought; she'd proven herself countless times before, so why should this hunt be any different? But… it _was_ different. They were overwhelmed, all four of them. One escaped with only minor injuries, but two were forced to end their careers as hunters, and the last… met his end at the talons of the monster."

"That's terrible…" Sonia replied, looking down at the ground.

"It was… but I fear therein lies the risk of being a hunter. All of Caravan Stellazzio was shocked at the news, and mourned our friend's sudden retirement. But she encouraged us to carry on as before. There would be other hunters to join our caravan, she told us, perhaps some greater than her, and we would need to be ready to welcome them. She wished us all well, and returned to her home in Dundorma. It has been… a trying time since then, but things are picking up again. Perhaps traveling around with you three hunters will help cheer this caravan back-"

The man paused mid-sentence, however, his eyes darting upwards intently. Sonia looked up sharply, following his gaze; there was a flicker of motion between the trees above them, a dark green blur that whizzed through the foliage, sending a rain of torn leaves and brittle sticks onto the wagons. A low droning sound echoed through the gorge. There was a flash of motion and a loud clanging as the shape flew from the trees and smashed headlong into the hard metal roof of Cleyra's smithy wagon, deflecting off the structure and sailing to the side. There was a string of agitated squealing followed by a loud thump and some loud cursing from Cleyra which could be heard across the whole caravan.

Sonia dashed around the wagon in search of the assailant, spotting it in a moment. On the ground near the smithy wagon was a large mantis-like Neopteron. Its shell was forest-green, though the long sickles that stretched out as its front legs were a bright orange. The creature had a wide canopy that arced over its back and head, jutting out to form a trident-like horn. It had wide translucent wings which were slowly folding up and pulling into the creature's shell. The massive bug's impact against the smithy wagon had sent the creature dropping into the grass below the first ledge of the gorge, and though the insect was standing upright, it was currently teetering unevenly on its legs, skittering back and forth while its head lulled side to side.

"Oh, wow! What is…?"

"Aha! A Seltas!" Sonia looked up as Steward leaned around the side of the wagon, gazing at the creature with interest. "I was wondering if one of them would show up before we reached Lintukoto. They are rather abundant in this area. A rather small one for its species…"

"Small?" Sonia asked. The creature was at least fifteen feet long from the tip of its abdomen to the point of its horn! Then again, Great Jaggi were usually at least thirty feet long and more experienced hunters hardly considered them worth the effort of fighting…

"Oh, don't worry," Steward laughed. "Seltas are hardly a creature to worry over, apprentice Sonia."

"Ha! I'm not worried, I just… Uh, wait, you need to get moving! It attacked your smithy!"

"Ah, no worries," Steward replied. "Cleyra's smithy wagon is made of rather sturdy materials. The Seltas likely got more than it bargained for by choosing that particular wagon to attack first…"

As he was speaking, however, the Seltas appeared to shake off its stupor, turning back towards the caravan and squealing angrily. The caravaneer leaned down and patted Sonia's back urgently. "However, I fear that will not be a mistake it makes a second time. Now would be an excellent time to live up to your titles as the Caravan Stellazzio's guards, temporary though they may be."

"Right! Okay then, you get going! We'll take care of this!" Sonia said, before rushing towards the insect.

The wagons began to pick up the pace to get away as the apprentice moved to intercept the creature; those that had been outside their wagons were quickly rushed into the relative safety of the wooden structures, leaving only the drivers out in the open. Bram appeared from the other side of the Guild wagon, nodding intently to Sonia as the pair of them dashed towards the Seltas. As they approached, however, the Seltas began to skitter across the ground towards the next closest wagon: the food stall, where a collection of melons and other fruits hung from the awning, meant for the caravan members but unfortunately left there when the Seltas had appeared.

However, as the creature got close, there was a rush of aquamarine as Logan leapt from the smithy wagon. The Seltas turned to face the approaching hunter, but when he was within range, Logan unsheathed his great sword and swung it sideways towards the Seltas. Rather than striking with the edge of his blade, however, the hunter caught the insect flatfooted as the side of the great sword smacked into its face, sending it sliding backwards and dazing it a second time. The hunter pointed his weapon toward the Seltas, but when Logan saw the apprentices rush towards it, he quickly stepped back.

"You sure you don't want a piece of this thing, too?" Sonia asked with a smirk, and Logan laughed.

"Of course I do! But that can wait, hey? This thing on you two's level, they say; one real hit with my great sword and that thing's toast. But I get a piece of the next one, hey?"

"Deal!" Sonia shouted before dashing towards the Seltas.

Behind her, she could hear the Bram's bowstring stretching as he prepared an arrow, and a moment later one shot past her. The arrow sailed straight and true, before sinking itself solidly into the Seltas' side just under the wide canopy. The Neopteron squealed in shock, twisting around in surprise just as Sonia rushed into its face, lashing out with her dual blades and cutting shallow lines into the beast's thick canopy.

Sonia swung her right sword in a low arc, aiming to thrust it into the Seltas' face, but the insect raised its sickles defensively, deflecting the sword. As the yellow Ludroth blades clashed off the orange claws, the Seltas pushed them out, striking the huntress in the chest, winding her and forcing her away from it. Before it could do anything else, however, another arrow ricocheted off the beast's canopy, making it squeal in fright and stagger back even further while raising its sickles defensively. Sonia pulled back a ways until she was closer to Bram, watching the Seltas carefully.

"So, what do you think, string bean?"

"Its shell seems pretty hard," Bram replied, studying the creature. The Neopteron was staying still, keeping its sickles raised in fear of attack while occasionally glancing around them at the hunters. "It hit the top of the smithy wagon at a pretty fast speed, but its shell isn't cracked or broken. My arrows and you sword didn't seem to do much damage to it either… Its underbelly appears soft, and it seems to use those sickles for defense just as easy and offence. Not sure about the rest of its legs, yet. Its abdomen seems relatively unprotected… that might be the best place to attack."

"And the 'abdomen' is…"

"The back part."

"Right! Shell and sickles too hard, aim for the butt. Got it. Any other weaknesses?"

"It seems to crawl rather awkwardly, and its turning speed isn't great from what I've seen…"

"I can outpace it by circling, then. Anything else?"

"Not yet. Watch out though; larger insects like this are sure to have a trick or two up their sleeves."

"Okay. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Bram replied calmly, drawing an arrow. By now the Seltas had recovered from the earlier attacks and squealed angrily at the hunters. "Go ahead and take the lead… and be careful."

"Got it!" Sonia shouted, darting towards the Seltas. The Neopteron jolted slightly at the sight of the rushing huntress, but gathered itself and skittered towards her with its sickles raised defensively.

The Seltas lashed its sickles out at her as soon as she was within range, but Sonia leapt to the left, darting around the side of the Neopteron and trying to rush around the creature. The Seltas spun around and follow her, and Sonia swept her right blade up, aiming for the bug's face. The insect reacted quickly, raising its sickles and deflecting the Ludroth blade, but the motion made it stand still for a moment, allowing Sonia to finish circling around the Seltas. Looking down, she could see what Bram had been talking about: behind the two shell slats which covered the Seltas' wings, the creature's abdomen appeared much softer than its torso. Without hesitation, Sonia swung her blades down and plunged them into the tender flesh of the Seltas' lower body.

The Seltas squealed in pain, and Sonia grinned eagerly; Bram had been right! She managed to cut into the creature's a couple more times before the Neopteron retaliated, twisting around and swinging its sickles at the huntress, forcing her to leap backwards. She expected to have given herself at least a couple feet of clearance from the creature's scythes, but she winced fearfully as the tip of the forelegs missed by only a few inches, nearly hitting her chest. As she landed, she staggered back cautiously; the creature's blades had nearly hit her! But how-

The Neopteron snapped its sickles before she could think about it, forcing her to dodge to the side, and this time Sonia saw it. The Seltas' forelegs were segmented, and the segments had slightly protracted when the insect attacked, extending the Seltas' reach by over a foot. The Neopteron turned to swing at her again, but it jolted in pain as an arrow pierced into its abdomen just below its wings. The creature snapped around, hissing at Bram angrily, but another arrow cracked against its horn just over its face, and the Seltas squealed, ducking its head and raising its sickles to defend itself.

"Thanks!" Sonia shouted.

"Did it get you?" Bram called back, keeping another arrow level on the Seltas, but not being able to fire with the creature defending itself.

"I'm fine! Watch out though, its claws can extend!"

"Understood," Bram replied, loosing the arrow towards the Seltas' rear legs. Though the arrows broke shards of shell off the insect's body, the plating on the appendages seemed thick enough to avoid being punctured.

The Seltas pushed itself up before the archer could draw another shot, however, lifting its body into the air and stretching its legs. The creature clicked its mandibles irately, then swung its abdomen forward and unleashed a trio of wet green blobs at Bram. The archer cursed and leapt back to avoid the splattering goop, but the Seltas continued to launch the blobs, forcing him to dart back and forth to avoid them.

Sonia dashed forward to attack while the insect's back was turned, but the Neopteron spun around and launched another volley of the slime in her direction as well. Sonia yelped in surprise, dodging out of the way as one of the blobs splattered to the ground next to her, splashing slightly and releasing a wispy green haze. Sonia winced, recognizing the fluid and the foul smell it let off; she'd seen Altaroth and Bnahabra spray similar bile. It was probably a mild acid, and if she got hit, it'd eat away her armor and force her to get it repaired. She was sure to have enough Jaggi and Great Jaggi materials to do so, but she didn't want to if she didn't have to.

Another arrow pegged the Seltas in the abdomen from behind, and the insect turned on the archer once more, giving Sonia an opportunity to dash towards it. However, the Seltas abruptly ducked its head and flattened out its body parallel with the ground, with its horn pointed straight towards Bram. The slats on the creature's back split open, and its wide translucent wings unfolded and buzzed into motion. One last arrow clashed against the Seltas' shell before the Seltas rocketed forward, nearly clipping him as the archer dove out of the way. The insect pulled up after passing him and soared over the hunters' heads, shooting through the overhanging branches and into the leaves.

"You okay?" Sonia shouted.

"I'm fine!" Bram replied, turning about and scouring the canopy for the Seltas. Flickers of motion shot through the branches for a moment or two, before the Neopteron descended through the leaves, waving its sickles menacingly at the two hunters as it hovered in the air. Bram fired several more arrows, but while the first couple managed to strike the Seltas in soft spots, after that the Neopteron got wise to it and began dodging the projectiles or making them strike harmlessly against its harder canopy.

Sonia grumbled in frustration; the Seltas was hovering far out of her reach. She didn't even have any flash bombs to use either. She'd meant to buy some, but they'd been moving around so much in the last couple days that she hadn't had a chance to. She glanced quickly towards Daguerreo's wagon; he might have some, but she didn't really want to leave Bram here fighting the Seltas on his own… She'd just have to hope it would fly low enough, or Bram would drop it out of the sky for her.

Bram drew another arrow, but the Seltas abruptly darted low to the ground and raced towards the archer with its horn pointing forwards like a spear. The hunter cursed and leapt to the side as the Neopteron raced past him, but as he rolled to his feet the insect looped in the air and rushed him again. Bram just barely avoided the second rush from the creature and prepared to dodge again in case of another rush.

As the Seltas looped around again for another run, however, it paused and suddenly looked to the side, focusing on the caravan. With a hiss the creature abruptly dipped in the air and raced towards the food wagon once more. The apprentices' eyes widened in horror, and with a shout, the pair took off after the creature.

Before it could get too close to the wagons though, there was a flash of aquamarine as Logan appeared in the creature's path, holding his sword out in front of him defensively. The Seltas squealed and tried to slow itself, but slammed headlong into the Zinogre-material slab. Logan grunted from the force of the impact as the creature's horn slid over the top of the blade and above his shoulder, but managed to hold his ground. With a roar of effort, Logan twisted the blade around, the hooks along the length of the great sword catching the Neopteron's canopy and flipping the creature over in the air, slamming it to the ground.

"Hoy! Keep it from heading towards the caravan!" Logan shouted at the apprentices, stepping back to keep himself between the creature and the wagons. The caravan was still clattering along, but the Popos could only move so quickly, and the Seltas was far faster than they were when it was flying.

"Sorry!" Sonia shouted back, chasing after the toppled creature.

Sonia reached the Neopteron while it was still lying flat on its back. She sliced into its exposed underside a couple times before the Seltas' abdomen swung forward, spraying green goop up at her and forcing her to leap back. She wasn't quick enough though, and there was a hiss as some of the gunk splattered across her right forearm. She cursed and scrambled to scrape the stuff off with the reverse side of her sword, but she wasn't fast enough to prevent damage. She groaned in irritation to see that the bits of the Jaggi hide and scales had been eaten away, and a couple holes had been eaten away. She hadn't gotten any on her skin, luckily.

The Seltas managed to right itself a moment later, charging angrily towards Sonia. The huntress cursed as the Neopteron began slashing wildly at her, extending its sickles in wide sweeps to keep her from getting close.

"Sonia, left!"

The huntress immediately sidestepped to the left at Bram's shout, and an arrow shot right past where she'd just been and embedded itself into the Seltas' soft underbelly. The Neopteron squealed, staggering back and waving its forelegs at the shaft in an attempt to dislodge the projectile. Sonia took the chance to dive in for the creature's exposed center, but the Seltas managed to raise its sickles to block. The pain was making the Neopteron stagger though, and Sonia swung her dual blades against the creature's forelegs in hopes of creating an opening.

The Seltas' wings unfurled before a chance could arise though, and the creature quickly buzzed straight into the air. Sonia rushed under it and swung her dual blades into the Seltas' lower legs and abdomen, but the creature was already too high to do much serious damage and only pulled itself further higher out of the huntress' reach.

"Damn it! Get back down here so I can fight you!" Sonia shouted, but the creature clearly wasn't in the mood for taking such a suggestion.

Bram fired several more arrows at the Seltas, but the Neopteron was able to dip through the air and dodge them. The archer was quickly getting accustomed to the Seltas' movements, however, and his shots were only narrowly missing. The insect's attention kept darting to the caravan though, and the fruits that were hanging from the food wagon. Every time it did so, its focus on the apprentices would waver long enough for Bram to pierce its body with another arrow, forcing it to keep its gaze on them.

The Seltas suddenly dived low to the ground, its horn pointed towards Sonia as it rushed towards her. The huntress yelped and dove out of the way before the beast could impale her, but rather than using its momentum to loop around for another run, the Seltas instead rolled in the air before launching itself towards the caravan.

Logan cursed loudly and swung his great sword through the air to strike the insect, but the Neopteron was simply too high for him to reach and sailed over his head. He spun around as the insect landed on the roof of the food wagon with a loud thump, and several cries of shock and fear could be heard from within. The creature's size made it stretch across nearly the whole width of the wagon, and its bulk made the wagon lean slightly as leaned over the side to claw at the hanging fruits eagerly.

An arrow struck against the creature's body before it could do so, however, burying itself just under its wings. The Neopteron squealed and staggered back, nearly falling off the roof of the wagon as it twisted its head around to get a look at the shaft now imbedded in its body.

"Nice shot, string bean!" Sonia called, chasing after the creature.

"Thanks…" Bram replied automatically, focusing on his next shot.

Bram kept the Seltas pinned down as Sonia approached the wagon, shooting arrow after arrow in its direction. The Seltas was forced to keep its sickles raised defensively to protect itself, but Bram would wait until the creature lowered its forelegs before firing, forcing it to hide once more. The Seltas was intent on getting at the fruits and refused to fly off the wagon though. Logan had planted himself under the awning and was trying to attack the creature, but wouldn't have a chance unless it leaned over the side.

Sonia wasn't perturbed though, and darted around the side of the wagon before leaping towards a ladder up to the top. She scrambled up as quickly as she could, pulling herself onto the roof and drawing her dual swords. She quickly glanced in Bram's direction, and the archer nodded at her, holding back with his next shot as she charged. The Seltas didn't hear her coming until the moment before she swept her blades forward, aiming between its arms where she assumed its heart would be… assuming Seltas' had hearts.

The Neopteron was still on edge though, and as soon as her swords came into view it squealed in shock, twisting its sickles around to deflect Sonia's attack slightly to cut into the Neopteron's chest, slicing a long gash under the creature's foreleg. It was enough to scare the Seltas though, and the creature unfurled its wings in a panic and flew backwards, squirting several green blobs out from its abdomen. Sonia cursed as she danced around the gunk, dodging them as they splattered against the roof of the wagon. She winced at the sight of the goop's acid burning through the paint and digging into the wood a little before washing off the slanted; she'd need to apologize to Burmecia about the mess later…

The Seltas continued to sail backwards several dozen yards through the air before its panic overwhelmed it and dropped to the ground and flopped onto its back.

"Nice work!" Logan called. "Now go finish it off! And make sure you keep it away from the wagons!"

"Right, right," Sonia called back. "Keep it pinned, Bram! I'm gonna try to-"

But Sonia realized a problem as looked back towards the archer: the Seltas had been thrown off the wagons, but had landed on the _other_ side of the gorge, leaving the caravan between Bram and any shot he might've had. The archer had realized this too, and rushed to get around the wagons while Logan was forced to go around towards the next group of Popos to pass in front of them. Not only that, but she realized that the Seltas had not landed at the base level of the gorge where they'd been fighting it earlier, but _two_ tiers above the path the caravan was following, and each tier was at least three yards tall, nearly twice as tall as Sonia herself…

For that matter, she still needed to get off the wagon she was on. There was the ladder, sure, but Sonia couldn't afford to take her time with this, not with the Seltas doing its best to attack Stellazzio's wagons. She leaned over the awning; it was just over twelve feet, not exactly a small drop… but sheathing her blades and bracing herself, Sonia leapt off the roof to the ground below. It was a quick fall, but still she hissed in pain as she hit the ground, crumpling to a crouch and catching herself with one hand. With a grunt, she pushed herself back to her feet and rushed towards the first rocky cliff to scale it. However, finding the handholds and pulling herself up was a slow and arduous task, and though she couldn't see the insect, Sonia could practically _feel_ the Seltas managing to right itself and continue going after the caravan.

Her gaze immediately went to the Seltas as she hoisted herself over the first ledge, and as she feared, the Neopteron had managed to flip itself back onto its feet. Glancing back, Sonia saw that Bram had managed to climb between two of the connected wagons and had begun climbing the ledge, while Logan had made his way through one of the gaps as well, but remained back to protect the caravan.

Sonia couldn't afford to focus on that though, and dashed towards the second ledge. The Seltas was already honing its attention on the food wagon again and skittering across the grass towards the ledge. Sonia leapt onto the wall, trying to pull herself up the next rise as fast as she could, but before she'd gotten halfway up the shadow of the Seltas' canopy stretched out over her. Sonia froze uncertainly as the creature unfolded its wings in preparation to fly, but it suddenly looked down and caught sight of her. After a moment's contemplation, the creature retracted its wings and began to crawl down the wall towards her instead.

Sonia nearly panicked, her mind flying for a way to get out of this. She was in no position to try and outmaneuver the Seltas on a vertical incline. Leaping off the wall or just letting go was a poor idea: if she didn't stick her landing, that would only leave her lying on her back at the mercy of the Seltas, which wasn't a much better position than the one she was in now. She could try and draw one of her blades, but the weapon would be very unwieldy in this position… As the Seltas leaned down towards her, Sonia did the only other thing she could think of, letting go of the wall with one hand, and reaching down to unsheath her hunting knife. It wouldn't have nearly the cutting power of her blades, but it was easier to swing and might be enough to delay the Seltas.

Sonia swung her knife at the Neopteron, and the insect squealed in surprise as the small blade clashed against its sickles, but it wasn't enough. The Seltas lashed out at the huntress, its forelegs striking her in the shoulders. Though the thick Jaggi hide she wore managed to keep the points of the sickles from puncturing into her, Sonia still cried out in pain as she lost her grip on the wall, falling and landing flat on her back.

The impact winded her, and the Seltas squealed victoriously as she tried to catch her breath, crawling down the wall towards her. An arrow shot directly under it before it could get to her though, burying itself into the rock wall. The Neopteron jolted to a halt, looking up in surprise only to have another arrow glance off its horn. The Seltas squealed in shock, raising its sickles to protect itself and swinging its abdomen forward to spray more green goop. With the creature clinging to the wall, however, the acidic slime had nowhere to go but straight down, and Sonia shrieked before rolling to the side, barely avoiding the slime before it could splash onto her.

"Watch out, Bram!" she shouted.

"Sorry!" the archer replied quickly, firing another arrow which sunk into the Seltas' abdomen.

The Neopteron had suffered enough now and quickly raised its wings, buzzing into the air to avoid the barrage of arrows. Bram tried to shoot it out of the sky, but the creature's aerial maneuverability kept any arrows from hitting, and the Seltas once more shot in the direction of the food wagon.

"Damn it! Logan, it's coming your way again!" Sonia shouted. However, she was shocked to discover that the great sword user wasn't there! She'd been expecting him to be standing between the Seltas and the food wagon, but he'd vanished, leaving the Seltas free to settle on the top of the wagon once more. The creature began clawing intently at the hanging foods, but a large shape pulled itself over the lip of the wagon's roof before it could reach them.

"Hoy, don't expect that to work again!" Logan roared, rushing the Seltas and swinging his great sword in a sideways sweep. This time the hunter was willing to use the edged side of his blade, but the awkward footing and his effort to keep from damaging the wagon made the attack much less powerful than it should've been. The blade cracked against the insect's canopy and glanced off the hard material. With its precarious footing on the roof of the wagon though, the blow was more than enough to throw it off and send it tumbling to the ground once more.

Sonia rushed forward to attack the toppled creature, but was met once more by a drop as she reached the ledge she'd climbed before. She was quickly getting sick of all this up-and-down; her legs were going to be sore for a couple days after this. She quickly leapt off, however, grunting as she struck the ground and picking herself up to dash towards the Seltas. Several arrows rained down on the insect as Bram reached the edge and began firing at the creature. The Seltas' soft spots were slowly turning into a pincushion, but they weren't penetrating deep enough to truly debilitate the creature.

Logan prepared to leap off the side of the wagon, but paused as he nervously looked over the edge. He was the closest hunter among the three of them, however, and the Seltas had nearly righted itself, so with a look of agitation the great sword user leaped over the side. He hit the ground, cursing and groaning and dropping to a knee as his legs nearly gave out underneath him. Sonia winced; he'd taken the fall worse than she had… but he was wearing full plate armor and had a large great sword slung across his back. Sonia would have ended up flat on her face if she'd jumped from that height while carrying that sort of load. Logan was pushing himself upright now, but the Neopteron was already back on its feet, and he wasn't fast enough to rush forward and keep the insect from taking to the air yet again.

"Damn this thing is annoying!" the huntress snapped. "We could finish it if it'd stay out of the sky for five seconds or if it didn't keep going up and down these ledges!"

"Better get used to it," Logan grumbled. "They say all of Gahiji is like this. If we ain't used to it quick, this whole trip gonna be rough. But first we gotta get this thing away from the wagons!"

"How do we do that? This thing makes a beeline for the food stall the second it's off the ground, and Bram's arrows can't break through its shell! Can we just toss a couple fruits at it to get it away from the wagons?"

"Can't. Sets a bad precedent, feeding anything that tried to steal the caravan's food, hey?" Logan frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "Guess we gotta ruin its appetite, then."

"How? We don't-"

"Sonia, Logan!" Bram called from the ledge. "Can we finish this somehow? I'm almost out of arrows!"

"Huh, right," Logan nodded. "Come on, Sonia. I got something that might work."

The huntress tagged behind the great sword user as they darted towards the base of the food wagon. Sure enough, the Seltas once more settled down on top of it, eager to devour the food it could smell. Bram's bow fire cut to a halt, and she turned to spot Bram leaping off the ledge, landing just as roughly as she had. As he picked himself up and darted towards her, he was reaching down to gather any arrows scattered across the ground he could.

"Okay, get ready you two. This gonna be you best chance, hey? Hope the cooking lady don't get too mad 'bout this…" Logan muttered, reaching into his pouch and removing a small grey orb.

Pulling back, the hunter lobbed the orb at the Seltas and struck the creature in the face. The bomb casing burst, and the Seltas was immediately coated with a sticky brown goop. A foul odor caught Sonia's nose, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell of it.

"Oh, pecker! What _is_ that?"

"Dung bomb," Logan grumbled, holding up a glove to block out the smell through his own faceplate. "They… pretty much what they sound like. They smelly, but useful. Oughta make that thing lose its appetite, hey?"

Sure enough, the Seltas was trying to use its long forelegs to wipe its face off and failing miserably. The creature toppled backwards with a squeal, falling off the wagon and onto the ground on the opposite side of the wagon. The hunters followed quickly, hoisting themselves through one of the gaps between wagons, though Logan struggled a bit pulling himself up and over the couplings. As they approached, they found that the Seltas had landed in the small creek trickling along the side of the path and was still trying to wipe away the foulness on his face.

Logan was grinning though, and quickly patted the two apprentices on their shoulders. "Okay! Now is you chance! Finish it off 'fore it gets flying again!"

Sonia nodded enthusiastically and dashed forward while Bram drew an arrow, both of them eager to end this irritating creature. However, Sonia paused uncertainly as the Seltas' eyes snapped in her direction as she approached. For a moment, she thought she'd seen the creature's eyes glowing yellow… It wasn't like that now, but-

The huntress jumped slightly as the Seltas suddenly screeched in rage. In a flash, the Seltas charged towards her, its sickles protracting to nearly twice their original length and swinging with such speed and fury that the huntress barely had time to dodge before the points came down and punctured the ground where she'd just been standing. As it ripped its sickles from the earth, an arrow shot past her and punched into its thorax, but the insect hardly seemed to notice and slashed at the huntress again, followed swiftly by swinging its abdomen out and lobbing several blobs of goop at her.

Sonia was left staggering back, trying to avoid getting any of the acidic slime on her. As she looked up, the Neopteron had already lowered its canopy with its wings out and buzzing furiously. She barely had time to dodge before the creature rocketed across the ground. Sonia cried out in pain as the Seltas' side horn grazed her side, tearing through the Jaggi materials and cutting into her skin as it raced past her and soared into the air. The huntress dropped to a knee, clutching her side in pain, and a moment later, Bram was next to her, helping her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah… I think so," she replied, moving her hand away gingerly. She could tell with a glance that the wound was superficial, thankfully… but damn it, it still hurt like hell! "Those horns are sharper than they look..."

"Take this," Bram said quickly, passing her a potion, which she accepted gratefully. The archer winced as the Seltas shot through the air several yards over their heads, hissing angrily. It seemed to be flying all over the place, spiraling above the caravan at breakneck speeds but without rhyme or reason. "What happened to it? What did you put in that dung bomb, Logan?"

"I didn't make it!" the great sword user snapped back. "I bought it in Val Habar!"

"Did you read the ingredients on the package?" Bram asked.

"It's a _dung bomb_! What you really need to know about the ingredients?"

"Well it did _something_ to the Seltas!" Sonia exclaimed, as she pulled out a sticky bandage and slapped it over the cut on her side. "It wasn't acting like this before you hit it with the bomb!"

"We figure that out later!" Logan replied. "First we gotta get rid of this bug! Bram, try to-"

The great sword user's words sputtered away, however, when the Seltas suddenly snapped to a dead halt in the air. For a moment, it simply flew there, the remaining nastiness from the dung bomb still clinging to its shell. Bram took the opportunity to draw his bow, firing a clean shot which punched into the Neopteron's flesh just below its canopy, but the Seltas hardly reacted at all to the wound. Bram drew another arrow, but before he could fire, the Seltas' eyes flashed a bright yellow; this time Sonia was _sure_ she saw it. The Seltas suddenly screeched, dropping in the air and rocketing towards the food wagon.

"Damn, not this again!" Logan snapped, running towards the ladder on the side of the wagon.

However, rather than settling on top of the wagon, the Seltas snapped its abdomen forward as it flew past, launching a spray of its hissing green goop down onto the roofs of the caravan. Logan cursed as the acidic substance splashed against his greaves as well as the wheels of the wagon. Bram darted over to the nearest of the wagons, climbing up the ladder to the roof as quickly as he could to try and take a shot at the creature as it passed overhead, but the opportunity never came. As the Seltas circled around, all it did was rocket over the tops of the wagons while spraying volleys of goop, coating the wooden roofs in the steaming substance before circling around for another run. Bram raised his bow, but Sonia saw him hesitate. The Seltas was racing around like a rocket, and Bram couldn't get a solid shot.

"What do we do?" she shouted, nervousness and worry finally starting to get the best of her.

"We gotta stop it!" Logan shouted, but the tone of his voice showed that he had no idea how to accomplish that.

In its rage though, the Neopteron simply couldn't be stopped. The Seltas raced around, launching blob after blob of the disgusting green slime down onto the caravan, dissolving the brightly-colored paint off the wagons and eating away at the wood. Bram fired at the Neopteron when he could, but any arrows that hit only glanced off the Seltas' hard shell. Sonia could do nothing; she simply didn't have the reach to attack the creature. Logan was the worst off of all; with its speed and aerial mobility, he just couldn't keep up, and just trying to haul himself over the connectors attaching the wagons to each other was slowing him down terribly.

As the Seltas prepared for another run, it suddenly paused for a moment, its eyes focusing on one wagon in particular. Sonia realized that the creature's gaze had landed on one of the wagon drivers, who was trying to urge the Popos to move faster. The man looked up, realizing that the creature's attention was entirely on him, and his face paled.

"Hoy! Watch out!" Logan bellowed, rushing to get between the Neopteron and the driver, but the man was frozen in fear. The Seltas rubbed its sickles in front of it for a moment, before dipping its head down in preparation to charge. Sonia dashed towards the creature, but there was no way she was going to make it in time.

There was a flash of motion and a strange jingling sound before the creature could snap forward, however. A green blur plummeted down from the canopy above, which Sonia realized was human. In a wide sweep, the person swept a long staff from their back and brought it down onto the Seltas' shell with a powerful _crack_. There was a screech of pain as the insect plummeted out of the air, smacking against the rocks below and flipping over onto its back. The creature's assailant, landed next to the creature a moment later. It wasn't a hard impact, however, and though they jolted to a crouch upon hitting the ground, they were back upright in a second. The Seltas squealed in confusion and pain as it lay on the ground, wiggling its feet wildly and failing miserably to get back up.

The attacker didn't immediately turn to face the Seltas, however, looking towards Sonia. The dual blade user realized that it was another huntress, but with a dark growl, the huntress hissed venomously. "How _dare_ you make me attack such a fine creature as this."

Sonia was baffled at the words, but before she could say or ask anything, the Seltas had managed to right itself, turning and waving its sickles angrily. The woman responded immediately, dashing towards the creature and snapping her staff out in a sharp thrust. The Seltas raised its sickles to block, but the bladed tip of the weapon shot straight through the middle of them, piercing the creature's canopy breaking off a large chunk of its shell. The Seltas squealed in pain, but the huntress swung the bladed end of her staff at the creature in wide, sweeping arcs which tore gashes into the Neopteron's shell. Sonia could hear a strange jingling sound in the air again, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from; it seemed to match with the huntress' movements, so perhaps it was a sound her weapon made?

Eventually the creature managed to get control of itself, and snapped its canopy low to the ground, aiming its pointed horn at the huntress. Rather than dodge to the left or right, however, the huntress planted the butt of her staff into the ground and vaulted herself into the air as the Seltas took off, clearing the creature's charge. Once airborne, the Seltas spun around in confusion, searching around for the huntress it thought would have been impaled on its horn. The huntress had already landed from her vault and turned to charge the insect, but the Neopteron hissed in agitation, flying higher to escape the huntress' reach.

The huntress' arm snapped out as she twirled her staff, and a dark shape shot towards the Seltas. Sonia blinked in surprise when she realized that the shape was a large beetle, zipping through the air. The Seltas swung its claws out at the beetle as it approached, but the smaller bug slipped around the attacks easily. The larger insect tried to follow it, but the beetle was much faster, twirling around and around the Seltas until the larger bug grew dizzy and wobbled closer to the ground. Then the beetle struck, diving in and ramming its horn directly into the Seltas' face. The Seltas shrieked in pain, reeling back and swinging its forelegs at the beetle, but the smaller bug had already pulled away and was returning to the huntress. The woman held out her arm, allowing the beetle to resettle back onto her wrist, before rushing the Seltas again.

Something seemed different about her this time, though Sonia couldn't peg exactly what it was. It came to her a moment later, when she struck out at the insect with a flurry of attacks, much faster and more powerful than she had before. The Seltas squealed under the onslaught, finally managing to pull itself up several more yards into the air to escape the assault. A thin gurgling sound filled the air as it once again prepared to lob green mucus orbs, but once more the huntress surprised it as she took a step forward, swinging the point of her weapon towards the ground.

The curved edge swung back into standby position before the blade struck the ground, and as the end of the staff planted against the ground, the huntress swung herself upwards to vault into the air. In the same moment, there was a click and a sharp whooshing sound, and a burst of pinkish-white powdery haze burst from the tip of the staff with such force that it accelerated the huntress' momentum. With the huntress' leap and the added burst from the staff, the woman was vaulted nearly five yards into the air, matching the Seltas' height. The Neopteron barely had time to register what had happened before the woman's staff cracked against the creature's horn and sent it plummeting to the ground.

The Seltas hit the dirt with a crunch, bouncing off the stones and rolling onto its back. The huntress landed right next to it, turning sharply and cracking the shaft of her weapon across the creature's abdomen. The Seltas squealed painfully as it writhed about and tried to push itself upright. However, even though the creature was open for attack, the huntress took several steps back away from the Seltas. A few moments later the insect flipped back onto its legs, its eyes darting fearfully towards the huntress before it limped fearfully in the opposite direction. The huntress didn't give chase either, simply watching the bug flee. Once it believed itself a safe distance away, the Seltas stretched out its wings and launched itself into the air, rocketing through the trees to make its escape.

Sonia stared in stunned silence at the huntress as she sheathed her weapon, twirling it around and sliding it onto her back. She didn't understand why the woman had simply let the Seltas escape rather than finishing it off, but before she could think too hard about it, the huntress turned sharply and stalking towards her.

The woman had been a veritable blur of motion during her battle with the Seltas, but now as she approached, Sonia finally got a good look at her. She was wearing an armor set made from Rathian materials, that much was clear. It seemed to be closer to the gunner's armor, however, trading away the dresslike faulds, heavy pauldrons, and helm for a more mobility-oriented design, relying more on the scales and webbing of the monster than its heavy plates. Her face was mostly covered by her cap and the the webbing hanging down from the cap's brim.

Her weapon was something Sonia had never seen before: a long, orange-tinted staff with a thick metal blade folded into the shaft near the top. Most of the weapon seemed to be a mix of sturdy metal and solid monster bones, but the opposite end of the weapon from the blade had a green orb implanted into the base, glowing gently and pulsing with every step the huntress took. Then there was the massive beetle which clung to the huntress' right arm. Sonia shivered at bit at the sight; the creature seemed to be latched to a special bracer on the woman's arm, its mandibles clicking quietly as it nibbled on some… attached mouthpiece or something.

Sonia also realized that the huntress was very… short. Sonia had never considered herself tall, but even she felt big as this woman approached. She hadn't been able to tell earlier, but the woman had to be at least six inches shorter than Sonia. Her long staff reached a good two feet taller than her by itself, and both Bram and Logan practically towered over her in comparison. She was slim as well, with a very petite frame showing under the green armor. She had darker, honey-colored skin, and a long wave of silvery-blonde hair that stretched out from under her cap and reached down her back, tied into an elaborate braid. Sonia realized that the jingling sound she'd heard earlier had indeed come from the huntress; tied into her hair was at least a dozen small silver bells, clinking quietly as she walked. As the woman stopped in front of her, looking up at Sonia and allowing her to see under the wide-brimmed hat, Sonia saw that the huntress had a small oval-shaped face, with soft features and clear, crystal-blue eyes.

However, any softness that may have been found in the huntress' features was harshly offset by the dark scowl that covered her face. The huntress was silent for a moment as the sound of grunting caught Sonia's ears, and the dual blade wielder saw Bram and Logan hurrying over to them. The unknown huntress' eyes narrowed on the two men as they approached, and her eyes darted between the Therian hunters critically before stopping on Logan. The great sword user must have missed the huntress' dark expression, because he grinned slightly as he approached, trying to be friendly.

"Hoy there, thanks for the help there, missy. You really-"

"Show me your Guild card," the huntress ordered sharply, and Logan blinked in surprise.

"Why you need to-"

"Just do it," she snapped, making Logan flinch back. He frowned uncertainly before reaching into his pouch. There was an awkward silence as he dug around, until finally he pulled out a small card and passed it to the huntress.

"Here. Now why you trying to-"

"This is a Therian Guild card," the huntress interrupted. She'd hardly had it in her hand for a second.

"Ja, so?"

" _So_?" the huntress growled venomously. "That means that your attempt to hunt that Seltas was illegal!"

Logan's eyes snapped open in shock, and he shook his head. "Wait, what you mean, _'illegal'_?"

"I mean you cannot legally hunt here!"

"I know what the word _means_! But what you talking about? I is a high-ranked hunter!"

"In Theron, perhaps, but your Guild card amounts to nothing within Gahiji!"

" _What_?"

"But we got permission in Val Habar!" Sonia cut in, flinching as the huntress shot a glare in her direction. "I mean… the… the Guild Master, Treno, he said we were able to hunt in Gahiji!"

"Excuse me?" the huntress cut in. "That's impossible."

"Well, he did!"

The huntress scowled venomously at Sonia, making the dual blade wielder flinch back nervously. "I did not mean that it is something he wouldn't do. Maybe he would… had he the power. But not even a Guild Master has the authority to offer a foreigner the right to hunt within Gahiji without passing the Gahin hunter's exam. It is Guild _law_. So no, you do _not_ have the right to hunt in Gahiji, no matter what you think!"

"What?" Logan muttered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "But that's… I don't-"

Logan paused at the sound of approaching footsteps, however. From behind them, Steward was hurrying towards them, having hurried back to them from the front of the wagon train. The caravan had ground to a halt at the realization that the Seltas had been chased off, and several of the members had left the safety of their wagons to inspect the damage they'd incurred. The huntress looked over at him, recognition on her face, before returning her glare to Logan. Upon reaching them, Steward took a moment to pause and catch his breath before nodding politely to the huntress.

"Greetings, young huntress. I appreciate your aid in assisting our caravan in…" The man petered to a halt as the huntress looked up at him, letting him see her face under the wide-brimmed hat. "Ah… you are… Tapio's daughter, are you not?"

"I am indeed. My name is Tuulikki tar'Mielikki, the daughter of Tapio ka'Ukko," she replied, but she motioned sharply to the Therian hunters. "What is the meaning of this, Master Steward? Why are these people here? Where is your normal huntress?"

Steward shook his head solemnly. "She is… not with Stellazzio any longer. She was wounded during a hunt and has since retired."

The huntress, Tuulikki, balked in surprise, before lowering her gaze. "I see… I'm sorry to hear that. She was a fine huntress… But nonetheless, who are these people? These… _Therians_? Don't you have any _real_ hunters guarding your caravan? One with the legal ability to hunt within our borders?"

Sonia frowned at the question. The huntress had called them 'Therians' as though it was an insult. Next to her, Logan growled viciously, earning only a disdainful glance from the huntress.

"Hoy! What you mean, 'real hunters', girlie? If you implying I ain't a real hunter, you-" The great sword user paused, however, as Steward quickly stepped in front of him and gave him a cautionary look.

"Please, my friend, allow me to speak with her," the caravan master said. Though Logan continued to bare his teeth furiously, he took a step back and crossed his arms, glaring at the Rathian-armored huntress. Turning back to Tuulikki, Steward gave her a calm, polite smile. "You see, honorable Tuulikki, the young hunter Logan, who is wearing the Zinogre armor, is a friend of mine who saved Caravan Stellazzio some time ago. By way of thanks, I accepted his request to spend time with his apprentices among my caravan, to traverse our country as hunters. Upon the untimely loss of our caravan's former hunter, we were… lacking in guards who could defend us. However, Logan is a high-ranked hunter within Theron, and I planned for him to defend Caravan Stellazzio from monsters which may threaten us during his time within our borders… though for his apprentices' sake, I plan to spend the next several months traversing less threatening locales. Surely there is no harm in this sentiment."

Tuulikki had listened patiently as Steward spoke, but as the caravan master finished, she quickly shook her head. "There is no harm in the sentiment, but what you have done is illegal." She shot another look at Logan. "'High-ranked' though this hunter may be in Theron, he holds no rank in Gahiji, not without passing the hunter's exam."

"I fear I don't understand," Steward muttered. "I spoke to Guild Master Treno in Val Habar-"

"As I told these three, a Guild Master does not have the authority to allow foreign hunters to hunt freely in Gahiji. They can only hunt once they have passed the Gahin hunters exam, and no earlier."

"I… I see… And yet, huntress Tuulikki, I have known other hunters, _Gahin_ hunters, who took occasional journeys into Theron, and none have mentioned a need to take the Therian hunter's exam to participate in hunts…"

"The Therian Guild allows Gahin hunters to take part in hunts, yes," the huntress nodded, "provided they have a Gahin Guild card. However, the Gahin Guild holds itself to _higher_ standards. If Therian hunters wish to hunt within Gahiji, they _must_ pass the Gahin Guild's hunter's exam, a task not one of them have accomplished."

"What?!" Logan gasped. "That's… how's that fair? You can hunt in Theron, but we can't hunt here?"

"I don't care if it's fair or not," the huntress snapped. "It's obviously necessary. Your Guild has seen fit to make you a high-rank hunter, yet you cannot fell a simple Seltas? Fine creatures though they are, the Guild considers them little more than pests, no more challenging than a Great Jaggi. And yet you could not challenge it!"

"Hoy, I-"

"I saw your display of so-called hunting," the huntress scoffed, waving her hand. "The Seltas made fools of you. Or perhaps Gahiji _itself_ made fools of you. You crawled across this terrain with the dexterity of a blind Slagtoth! Your mobility is abysmal, yours worst of all, _high-rank hunter_. This gorge is hardly the most challenging terrain Gahiji has to offer, and you are fools if you think you would be able to defend this caravan at your skill level, or even _survive_."

"Now you listen, you little-"

"My friends! Please, calm yourselves!" Logan and Tuulikki both paused, turning their attention toward Steward, who had a stern look on his face. "I think… that this is not the place to discuss such things. Clearly something has gone wrong, but shouting about it out in the wilds will do us no good. Bickering and the slinging of insults will get us nowhere. Let us continue on to Lintukoto, and we will discuss this matter _civilly_ once we arrive. We can speak with the local Guild authority in Lintukoto and sort this out properly."

Logan grumbled to himself sourly, but Tuulikki lowered her head and pulled down the brim of her cap to hide her face. After a moment, she nodded. "Very well. We will continue this discussion in Lintukoto and discuss this with my father; he maintains his role as Guild advisor for this area, and will know what best to do in this situation. There are no better individuals to seek answers on Guild law from between Lintukoto and Val Habar. Have you any complaints?"

"I do not," Steward replied. "Tapio is a wise man. Let us continue on."

"And I will be accompanying the caravan, of course," the huntress added. "You must have a _licensed_ hunter guarding your wagons, after all."

Logan glared at the huntress as she spoke, and Steward hesitated for a moment before replying. "Yes… very well. I am thankful for your assistance."

Tuulikki nodded, before turning and striding towards the front of the caravan. There were a few shouts along the wagon train, and the Popos began moving again, pulling the wagons back into motion as the caravan began moving once more. The hunters began to follow slowly and uncertainly, and Steward quickly met up with them, a despondent look on his face.

"I must… I must apologize, my friends," Steward moaned despairingly. "I promised I would do what I could to let you hunt here in Gahiji, and yet… it seems that I…"

"Hoy, save you apologies," Logan said quickly, patting Steward's shoulder. "We sort this out, hey? We just gotta talk with you friend Tapio? He gonna help us?"

Steward frowned uncertainly. "I… cannot be certain, I fear. Tuulikki's words were true: he is the Guild advisor for the villages in this area, and will know best how to resolve this situation. Tapio is a wise man and an old friend, yet he was also a great and well-respected hunter before Lintukoto made him chief. I recall him in his younger years, and he was… a very proud man. Proud of his skill as a Gahin hunter. If he takes to this situation with the same views as his daughter, who accompanies us…"

Sonia glanced nervously at the huntress striding at the head of the caravan. Despite her short stature, Tuulikki seemed positively menacing, and every now and then, she would spare a glance back at the Therian hunters and give them a condescending scowl before returning her gaze to the path in front of them.

Logan grumbled nervously. "Eh… I is not liking this. We work this out somehow, though."

"Yes… I am sure there's something we can do," Steward replied.

Sonia looked nervously at Bram though, and the archer returned her gaze with a worried look of his own. The two older men were trying to sound confident, but Sonia could hear the uncertainty in their tones. Sonia couldn't help but fear what would happen to the three of them.

"What do we do now, Bram?" she whispered.

"I'm not sure if there's anything we _can_ do…" Bram replied, shaking his head. "We'll just have to see what happens. It's… out of our hands."

Sonia frowned; she hated feeling powerless, but there was little she could do to help it in this situation. In nervous silence, the caravan pressed on, continuing its drive towards Lintukoto Gully.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about bureaucratic mistakes! Please Review!**

 **So, yeah, looks like something went wrong. Wonder how that happened?**

 **I always like looking at monster sizes and finding out how big they really are, or at least converting them to sizes I can understand. A gold-crown small Seltas is 554 cm, and though that doesn't sound like much to an American, converted to imperial, that's over 18 feet! The game really doesn't make them feel quite so imposing, does it? Interesting side fact, for those of you that play Pokemon, and gave ORAS a go, check out Groudon's size in the Pokedex. He's only 11 feet tall and 16 feet long. Seltas is bigger than Pokemon's land god! Remember that the next time you're going toe-to-toe with one of these bugs: they're roughly the same size as Groudon.**

 **Also, something I've recently learned is that in the MH verse, part of the lore is that hunters are descended from some sort of super-soldiers that took part in a war many centuries ago. That explains why they're so powerful, and able to take hits from creatures that would otherwise break them to pieces. A rather interesting tidbit. I'll need to scour my MH Illustrations books again and make more notes…**

 **I'm thinking I might make some drawings of the caravan to put onto DA or something, to help viewers better picture what a lot of the caravan looks like. I'm no artist, especially when it comes to people and other living creatures, but solid objects aren't too hard for me to draw. I've been meaning to get back into doodling a little for fun, but I've never really had the motivation to do so.**

 **Playing: MH4U  
Listening: The All-American Rejects, Ron Sexsmith, Sun Kil Moon, Shawn Mullins, Iron & Wine, Titus Andronicus, Roman Candle, Frank Sinatra, I Can Friday by Day!  
Watching: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood  
Reading: **_**Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **Dorohedoro**_ **by Hayashida Q**


	6. Lintukoto Gully

Lintukoto Gully

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

It was late twilight when the caravan finally came to a halt in a small clearing that seemed set aside for them. Word of what had happened during the encounter with the Seltas had long since spread around Stellazzio, and Logan couldn't meet anyone's eyes. The looks they were giving him and his apprentices were uncertain, distrustful, confused… He wasn't used to being looked at like that, and it pained him. He could barely stand to hear it when Cleyra the smith began complaining about the damage that had been done to the wagons and the repairs she'd need to make.

Logan was confused when they'd halted and began to set up camp. They were deep in the forest, and though Logan could see one or two houses and huts built at the bases of some of the trees, it was hardly enough to be called a village, and he doubted it was enough for Steward to want to stop here. From somewhere nearby, he could hear churning water, perhaps from a waterfall or nearby river, but there didn't appear to be any sort of village in the area.

Tuulikki, the huntress that had 'saved' them, ordered them to follow her and left little room for disobedience. Steward accompanied them, nodding confidently to the Therian hunters, but Logan could see in his eyes that he was just as uncertain and confused as he had been before. His presence was a small comfort, though. With no other choice, the hunters and Steward followed the staff-wielding huntress into the trees and along a small stone path. Up ahead, Logan spotted a wide rift in the earth, and the sound of rushing water began to grow louder. Soon the path changed from stone to wood, and they reached a wide staircase that sloped down into the rift, and Logan's eyes widened in awe.

Lintukoto Gully fit its name: the rift in the earth was a massive gully, with white-water rapids churning wildly below. Years of water rushing through the area had cleaved the earth, digging deeper and wider until the area could more appropriately be called a ravine. Now the 'gully' was at least a dozen yards wide and nearly forty yards deep, stretching for nearly a half-mile in either direction.

The village itself had been built into the rock walls, small huts and houses half-dug into the stone with wooden fronts jutting out and supported from below with timber braces. Wide walkways had been built on each side, following the curve of the walls with several bridges connecting to the other side of the ravine. There were five whole levels of housing from the top of the ravine to the bottom, accessible by staircases carved into the walls or by a couple small lifts. The bottom row hung only ten feet or so above the rapids and was partially shrouded in mist, giving the entire village a hazy appearance and coating the walkways in a fine layer of moisture.

Even with the rock walls, the fading twilight, and the mist swelling up from the rapids, Lintukoto still felt warm and alive. Thick vines and roots hung down from the trees above, some so long that they created green curtains which stretched all the way to the bottom. Most houses had at least one or two warm-colored glowstones outside their doors. People were moving about freely along the wooden walkways, striding back and forth, up and down, and crossing the bridges from one side of the gully to the other. A few restaurants and cantinas were still open at this hour and were shining brightly in the fading light, with long counters and a rows of seats filled with people laughing and talking.

"Quit gawking and keep up!" A sharp word from Tuulikki forced Logan to focus his attention back on the woman with a dark scowl. She led them at a brisk pace, giving them hardly any time to observe their surroundings.

Still, Logan couldn't help but notice that there were a lot of hunters in Lintukoto, more than he would've thought possible for a village this size. Even at the speed the huntress was leading them, it was impossible to miss how incredibly mobile they were, flaunting their ability with a passion. Rather than following the normal walkways, the hunters seemed to prefer taking the bolder paths by jumping down to the lower levels, climbing to the upper levels via the hanging vines or supports, and leaping across the gap between each side of the ravine rather than taking the bridges. It was so common that perhaps it was just a part of their lives, rather than a desire to show off; the locals hardly gave them a second glance unless the hunters landed in their paths or bumped them. Was this something special about Lintukoto, or were all Gahin hunters as mobile as this?

Logan didn't have time to consider it, and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask Tuulikki about it. As he turned his attention back to the huntress, the great sword user noticed that most of the hunters were nodding politely as she passed, and giving curious looks at Logan and his apprentices. He growled slightly to himself as he heard Bram and Sonia whispering nervously between each other, wishing that there wasn't so much procession to all this. He heard Steward offering them words of confidence, and Logan wished he could do the same, but didn't know what to say. He tried to grin confidently at them, but doing so only made him realize that there were a few hunters following them. Did they sense that something was happening, and wished to watch what unfolded? Damn it, they didn't need this right now…

The huntress led them to the center of the village, where they came across what had to be the largest structure in Lintukoto. The building stretched across the entire ravine, built tall and wide with solid timber, and thick support braces embedded in the stone walls held the whole thing up. The peak of the roof was level with the top of the gully, slightly sloped and covered with dirt and grass and several small trees to hide it from any monsters passing by. The entrance was wide and elaborate though, with tall pillars carved with detailed reliefs of various monsters, many which Logan didn't recognize at all. The huntress led them inside, not sparing a moment's waste as they entered.

The main hall of the building was large and open, and appeared to be made for village gatherings, with enough space to hold the entire population within it. Several tables lined the room, and a large stone pit with a roaring fire had been built into the center, where several men and women sat talking around it as they soaked in the warmth of the flames.

The walls were covered in sewn tapestries with depictions of what Logan assumed to be heroic battles against terrible monsters. Logan imagined that each tapestry had a tale attached to it, and that there were several older folks in the village who could tell the full tale that matched each one. Most appeared quite old, with their ends frayed and worn and the colors dulled as well. Several on the right-hand wall appeared newer than the rest though, depicting the same huntress challenging many different monsters, some tall woman with long silvery hair wielding a staff-like weapon. Logan glanced back to the huntress that guided them; silvery-blonde hair and a staff weapon… Was there a connection between the two?

The huntress led them on, however, passing the fire pit and leading them to a chamber in the back. It was darker and more somber here. This place felt far more serious, and the worry that had been building up in Logan's chest began to grow stronger.

Sitting at the back of the room upon an upraised platform were several old men and women, likely the village elders, though the man in the center was the one who pulled Logan's attention. He was tall, and had certainly been a hunter once. He had coppery skin that was worn with age, yet his body was well-built and strong. Time had left him bald, but a narrow, silvery, pointed beard jutted out from his chin. His face was rectangular and stern, with grey eyes were clear and observant. His clothing was fine and distinct, well-cut and embroidered green leather, but still appeared functional and protective. Behind him lay a long sword, made of bright purple materials and shaped into a guisarme; the location of the hilt made Logan feel as though the man could grab the blade and cleave down anyone at a moment's notice. Most notably, the man was missing part of his left leg: the appendage had been severed just below the knee, and a long peg-leg had been attached to replace it.

Logan could feel the command that the man had over those in the room, even as he seemed to lounge back a little while puffing on the end of an worn-down pipe. The other men and women sitting next to him were dressed in finery of their own, some with clothing even more extravagant than his, but none of them held the same presence as the silver-bearded man.

As the Therian hunters approached, the man gave them an appraising look. His eyes lingered for a moment on the apprentices behind Logan, and he raised an eyebrow curiously when Steward entered behind them. He didn't say anything, however, returning his attention to the huntress who led them. Logan looked back at the sound of whispering behind him, and realized that the tagalongs that had been following them had come in as well, spreading out near the entrance. He scowled angrily at the collection, but turned his attention back to the old man at the front as he began to speak.

"Welcome back, Tuulikki," the man addressed the huntress, his voice calm. "Did your hunt for the Congalala truly incite such a procession?"

"I did not meet the Congalala, Father," Tuulikki replied. That earned her a curious glance from the man, and some questioning whispers from the crowd, but she motioned sharply towards the Therian hunters and Steward. "I was required to come to the aid of Caravan Stellazzio as it was traveling along the road to our village."

"Oh?" Tapio replied curiously. "Why was that? Caravan Stellazzio has a skilled huntress defending it already… or, it _should_."

Tuulikki gave a slow and solemn nod, and Steward stepped forward. "Our former huntress… has retired."

"I see… You have my condolences," Tapio nodded in understanding, looking back to Tuulikki and motioning for her to continue.

"I was near where the Congalala was last sighted, when I heard shouting from the road. Upon approaching through the trees, I came across these three hunters attempting to slay a Seltas that was attacking the caravan." The huntress paused for a moment and crossed her arms. "From what I saw, however, these hunters gave an absolutely abysmal performance. The Seltas easily outmaneuvered them and would have done great damage to the wagons, and maybe taken the lives of one or two of the caravan members had I not intervened."

There was some murmuring amongst the hunters that had followed them into the room. Logan opened his mouth to try and defend the three of them, but a firm hand gripped his shoulder. The great sword user turned to find Steward shaking his head, a wordless warning for Logan to keep control. Logan gritted his teeth angrily but acquiesced; Steward would know better about this village and its people than he did, but the great sword user did not like keeping quiet while the huntress talked down about them.

Tapio turned to study the three hunters again, staring at them intently. He gazed between them carefully, before raising an eyebrow in surprise. "They are… Therian hunters?"

"They are," Tuulikki confirmed. "Well spotted. And they are hunting here illegally as well. None of them have earned a Gahin Guild card. They have broken Guild laws and tried to hunt in Gahiji without authorization."

There was some shocked and angry mutterings from the crowd around them, but Tapio frowned thoughtfully for a few moments, before returning his attention to his daughter and giving her a level stare. " _Intentionally_?"

Tuulikki frowned at the words, shifting where she stood nervously before shaking her head. "No… not intentionally. They seemed shocked when I told them the Guild laws… and when I informed Master Steward of the law, he claimed ignorance as well."

"I see… Steward is a friend of the village, and I have never known him to be a liar. But why have you brought these hunters before _me_?"

"We wish to ask your advice on what to do in this situation," Steward spoke up. "Such a mistake is… tragic. I had promised these three a journey through Gahiji as hunters. To cut it short so abruptly…"

"You are an advisor to the Guild for this area," Tuulikki said. "You are the one who knows the Guild laws best… as well as the proper _punishments_ for infringements."

"Hmm… That is true," Tapio muttered, gazing flatly at the Therian hunters.

Logan heard Sonia and Bram whispering nervously to each other, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear race down his spine. He hadn't been sure what would happen for trying to hunt in Gahiji without a license, but the word 'punishment' seemed to strike the terror home. Around them, the other hunters in the room seemed to be whispering intently to each other, but Logan couldn't help but hear a sense of glee in their voices. The word 'Therian' was spoken frequently and with condescending tones. Did all of them share the same disdain for Therians as Tuulikki seemed to?

Tapio, however, maintained an unreadable expression as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Tell me, my friend, were you truly unaware of this rule?" he asked the caravaneer, and Steward nodded.

"I was," Steward admitted. "I have never truly associated with Therian hunters before I met Logan, and those hunters I knew who traveled to Theron never made mention of needing to take the Therian exam. I assumed that the courtesy went both ways."

"And you, hunters," Tapio said, turning to face Logan, "was there no mention of Gahiji's regulations on foreign hunters when you arrived in Val Habar?"

Logan frowned, shaking his head. "No, they wasn't. That Treno fella never said nothing about that kind of thing. He brought us the paper we was supposed to sign, and we filled them out. Never saw nothing having to do with passing the exam… Read all the fine print and everything…"

There were some hushed mutterings around the room as Logan finished speaking, and Tapio gazed at him with an intrigued expression. "You read _all_ the fine print?"

Logan grumbled slightly under his breath. "Mama always said it was a smart thing to do when you signing something. Sneaky people put nasty tricks in little words…"

"Hmm… I suppose so. Some things are the same no matter what country you're in, I suppose," Tapio replied. He paused for a moment, chewing the end of his pipe thoughtfully. "Is this the first time you've been to Gahiji, hunter?"

Logan shook his head. "Eh… first time legally, I guess… Accidentally crossed the border a few years back chasing a Gigginox-"

"I've told you that story, remember?" Steward cut in, and Tapio nodded.

"Ah, yes… the great poison-spitting worm which nearly destroyed your caravan… So this is one of those hunters, hmm?" The village chief paused thoughtfully, returning his gaze to Steward. "And the Guild made no mention of the need for them to take the exam in order to hunt within our borders when you prepared for their arrival in this country?"

"No, they did not," the caravan master replied. "I asked Guildmaster Treno himself to supply me with what I needed so they could journey with us… but he never made mention of this."

"How odd…" the old man muttered, sitting thoughtfully for a moment. "Treno is not one to break Guild law… at least, not for something like this. He would have _known_ that Therian hunters would need to pass the Gahin exam to be qualified to hunt within our borders, and that he does not have the power to circumvent that… Even His Immenseness in Dundorma cannot subvert that rule."

"His Immenseness?" Sonia whispered behind Logan. "Who's that?"

"The Supreme Guild Master in Dundorma Town," Steward replied quietly. "He's the head of the entire country's Guild. He is a man who has earned his title… both literally and figuratively."

"What does that-"

"Steward," Tapio cut in, pulling the caravaneer's attention back to the village chief. "Did you perhaps imply that they would be in Gahiji for reasons other than hunting? Or did you implicate that they were already qualified to hunt within these borders?"

Steward frowned uncertainly at the words. "The former is easy: I made no secret that they desired to hunt. As for the latter… I told him that they were coming from Theron, and I told of Logan's work saving my caravan from the Gigginox, but as I was unaware that they needed to earn a Gahin Guild card, I may have inadvertently led Treno to believe that they were qualified to hunt within our borders… I fear I cannot recall." The man lowered his head solemnly. "I fear… perhaps this whole thing is my fault."

"Hmm… No, Treno is no fool. A tale from a friend would not have been enough to convince him to let things pass without question. No matter how grand your tale of this… Giggi creature was, Treno would have made sure all the paperwork was in order before letting these hunters pass through Val Habar." The man frowned, scratching his head before sighing. "Paperwork… Perhaps that is where our issue stems. That mobile monstrosity they call a 'Guild hall' in Val Habar is bound to be cluttered, especially after the town has changed locations. When was the last time the town moved?"

"Just over a month ago," Steward replied quickly. "Not long before Caravan Stellazzio made its way there in preparation to meet our… Therian friends."

"Hmph. It usually takes two or three months to get everything situated, by which time the town picks up and moves somewhere else," Tapio grumbled. "I believe I have a solid grasp of the situation now. Likely this is all a mere clerical error… among other misunderstandings and slip-ups. I will send a letter to Val Habar in the morning, and we will uncover what has happened. Do not blame yourself for this, my friend. I feel that you burden yourself too much over what has happened than you should."

Steward nodded gratefully, but the expression on his face showed that he clearly held some guilt at what had happened. However, in the moment of silence, Tuulikki stepped forward again.

"And what of the hunters themselves?" she asked. "What will become of them? Even if this whole situation was not their fault, ignorance of the law does not exempt them from it."

Tapio glanced around the room as several of the local hunters shouted words of agreement, before sighing and shaking his head. "That is true, I suppose. But then, it would not be hard for them to escape punishment at this point."

"But how? They've-"

"I know what they've done," Tapio said quickly. "They entered Gahiji with the intent to hunt the monsters within our borders, despite lacking the qualifications to do so. However, as of yet, it doesn't seem that they've done anything that can truly be considered incriminating. At this point, it would be easy for them to say that they were merely acting in defense of Stellazzio. Guild card or not, there are few that would lay blame on young hunters that were trying to keep a caravan safe."

"What? But that's… that's…"

"An abuse of the system, certainly. Guild law isn't perfect, Tuulikki, and there are many loopholes that can be slipped through, given enough knowledge of the law." The glaive wielder seemed baffled at the idea, turning to glare at the Therian hunters as though it was their fault. Tapio took another puff from his pipe before returning his attention to the Therian hunters, his eyes boring into them intently. "Still, we must determine what to do with these hunters. Loopholes aside, they cannot be allowed to return to their position as Stellazzio's guards anymore. They are not legally allowed to hunt within Gahiji, and by Tuulikki's judgment, they lack the skills necessary to be certified as proper Gahin hunters as well."

"What? But-" Tapio turned his attention as Sonia suddenly spoke up, "we were only fighting a few minutes! How could she possibly make that kind of judgement?"

"I do not doubt Tuulikki's assessment of you three," Tapio replied sternly. "Her eyes are sharp. If she claims that you do not have the skills required to pass the Gahin hunter's exam, then I know it to be true. Few in Lintukoto would disagree with that assertion, either. Even without her word, to hear that three hunters had been unable to keep a caravan safe from a single Seltas would be a sign of extreme incompetence among anyone in this village, Therian or not. Even ignoring your lack of a Guild card, you three are not worthy of holding the position of Caravan Stellazzio's guards, and I personally will not trust you three with the role in defending the wagons."

"It was fortunate that this was discovered when it was," Tuulikki noted. "Had the Congalala I had been seeking found them, rather than the Seltas, the caravan may have been devastated due to their incompetence." Logan shot her a dark scowl, but most of the hunters that had followed them into the room seemed to be agreeing with the sentiment. Turning her head, she stared intently at the trio, specifically behind Logan towards Bram. "To make things worse, I have discovered that they are of the Techie's mindset. The one in the yellow armor is in possession of a mechanical weapon."

Again, there were some mutters of disdain from the crowd, and Bram looked around nervously, clearly uncomfortable at the negative attention. "Techie? What- I don't know…"

"She speaks of the Progress faction," Steward whispered quietly. "Techie is a rather… _negative_ term for them, used by the Purist faction."

"But what does she… My switch axe? Is she talking about that?"

"Most likely. The Purist faction is not exactly fond of technologically advanced weapons…"

"No we are not," Tuulikki cut in, staring at Bram; apparently she'd heard them. "It is an affront to the natural order of things, using such machines to hunt."

"An _affront_?" Bram asked. "That seems like a bit of an exaggeration… It's only a weapon-"

"Only a weapon which is powered with… some volatile canister that can blow up! A true hunter need not rely on such… _dangerous, unnatural_ weaponry to hunt a monster. A proper blade is all you need, not your strange weapons, and it won't endanger your life. Do you not have faith in your own strength? What about your bow? What is the point of the contraption on the end? Some mechanical creation to increase the power of your shots because you're not good enough to-"

"Hoy! That's enough!" Logan snapped, unable to keep his silence any longer. There were a few surprised whispers at the outburst, and Tuulikki jolted slightly from the force of the shout, but she quickly returned Logan's glare as he stared her down. "You Gahin folk like mocking apprentices? You people won't shut up about 'Gahin pride' and you feel like mocking a kid who ain't even old enough to take the exam? They still young, still learning, and you trying to beat them down? You keep them _out_ of it! You got a problem, _I_ is they hunting master. You want to blame someone for what happened, you talk to _me_."

There were a couple muffled scoffs from the crowd, but Logan saw a couple eyes look down abashedly. Tuulikki's face flushed slightly, but she refused to back down, glaring intently on Logan. That was good; if Logan could get them to focus all their attention on him, that'd make things easier. Bram and Sonia didn't need this kind of disdain from these hunters for a mistake like this… Tapio's cleared his throat, however, leveling his eyes on Logan.

"Very well, we will focus on you. Though Tuulikki's words against you Therian hunters may be harsh, they are also true. You are _meant_ to be a high-rank hunter, and yet you proved inadequate against a relatively weak creature which most apprentices can hunt with ease." The elder man paused, taking a long draw from his pipe, exhaling a wave of smoke into the air. "How can you expect to guard a caravan with such a level of skill? How can you expect to teach your apprentices to do the same, when you, their master, are challenged when trying to hunt what is equivalent to a flying Great Jaggi?"

Logan clenched his teeth, feeling his face grow flush with embarrassment as some of the hunters around him cackled in amusement. He tried to keep his expression flat and stoic, but he could feel his face growing red under the criticism. Tuulikki had lowered her gaze and pulled down the brim of her cap, but Logan could practically feel the huntress radiating satisfaction. Tapio looked idly around the room as the rest of the hunters grinned and laughed between themselves. Logan tried to bear with it but… damn it, he'd been a well-respected hunter for all these years, yet…

"So, what _should_ be done with you?" Tapio asked. "You lack the ability to defend Steward's caravan as a proper hunter. You are incapable of challenging the beasts that traverse our land. Your display of skill would be considered shameful to any that stand here now. Even if you had the skill, you cannot legally act as a guardian hunter in Gahiji without passing the hunter's exam. By Guild law, at best you should be sent back to your own country, where your skills are considered adequate. Perhaps that would be best. There is no… _shame_ in admitting defeat, or retreating when you are outmatched."

Logan's face flared again at the words, and more laughter came from the surrounding hunters, as well as a few jeers. He grit his teeth in embarrassed fury. Damn these people! The old man's gaze remained fixed on Logan, watching his expressions as the great sword user fumed. Then he looked around the room, taking note of the hunters around them, and the condescending looks they were giving the Therian hunters.

"It seems my kinsman disagree with me. They seem to believe that fleeing is a cowardly thing to do. Their pride as hunters wouldn't allow them to consider such a thing! And yet, I would ask those _proud_ Gahin hunters here to answer me this: how many of you can swim?"

Uncertain confusion filled the room, and harried whispers passed between those around them. However, hands began to rise, one by one. Now Logan found himself shocked, and he could hear Sonia whispering in surprise to Bram behind him. There couldn't have been a twenty of the hunters in the room raising their hands, and Tuulikki wasn't one of them.

Tapio nodded at the numbers. "And of you who can swim, how many of you can swim confidently while wearing full armor, with your weapon and all your hunting equipment strapped to your body?"

Hands dropped, some quickly, a few cautiously and uncertainty. The number of raised hands dwindled down to just over a dozen, and even those with their hands raised didn't look too confident about their declarations.

"I see…" Tapio murmured. "I am not surprised. The rapids below are not the safest place to learn, and the closest lake or pond deep enough to is many miles away. Our country has a great many mountains, but few lakes or wetlands; many consider the skill unnecessary. Now I ask you this: how many of you have fought a monster that spends most of its life in the seas or rivers?"

There was some uncertain shuffling among the hunters. A few hands dropped, a couple were raised, and a couple wary mentions of Plesioths could be heard. Logan was even more confused than before now. There were maybe nine hunters raising their hands.

"One last question: how many of you have hunted a monster underwater, while you yourself were swimming in its most natural of habitats?" No hands were raised now, and the hunters were looking at each other uncertainly, unsure what the point of all this was. Tapio nodded once more, before returning his gaze to the Therian hunters. "You there, boy."

Logan turned his head, realizing that the village chief wasn't addressing him, but rather Bram. The great sword user growled under his breath; Tapio had said he wouldn't pull the apprentices into this! He moved to step in front of the archer, but the village chief sent him a sharp glare that froze him in his tracks. After a moment, the village chief returned his focus to Bram.

The archer had paled somewhat at having been singled out, but cleared his throat nervously. "Ah… yes?"

Tapio was quiet for a moment before leaning forward. "That armor you wear… what monster is it made from?" Bram looked around nervously, even sparing a glance down as though uncertain whether or not he was dressed in the proper attire.

"Um… Royal Ludroth," the archer finally replied.

"Hmm… Royal Ludroth," Tapio muttered. "We don't have any of their species in Gahiji. Were you aware of this?"

Bram nodded slowly. "I was…"

"Do you know _why_ we don't see any of them within the Gahin borders, boy?"

"Ah…" Bram frowned thoughtfully before replying, slowly and uncertainly. "Because… there aren't many bodies of water large enough for a Royal to live in. No wetlands or swamps or floodlands. No really wide or deep rivers either. There's a few lakes, but they're hard to reach. It's just… really hard for Royal Ludroths and their kin to live in this land."

Tapio nodded at the words. "Yes, precisely. Well spoken, boy."

Bram flushed slightly at the praise, uncertain how he should receive it. Most of the hunters in the room were muttering to each other in confusion, clearly uncertain about where the village chief was going with all this. Several of the other village elders sitting nearby appeared concerned as well, leaning over to whisper sharply at the chief, but he waved them away. Logan glanced over at the huntress, Tuulikki, who was frowning irritably. Apparently this conversation had taken a turn that she had not expected.

"Allow me to tell a story, if you will," Tapio said suddenly, leaning back in his seat. "Those around us know that before becoming chief of this village, I was a respectable hunter myself. I was a restless man in my youth, and I sought to see more of the world than what I could find in Lintukoto Gully and Dundorma. I sought to find out what other monsters there were to fight in lands beyond the borders of Gahiji." The chief glanced back at the Therian hunters. "A rather familiar story, I suppose. As such, I passed over the border to spend some time in Theron to see what the country had to offer.

"I was not impressed by what I found. I considered both the monsters and the hunters that lived in the country as lumbering and brutish. They had great strength and durability, however, I cannot deny that, but I could outperform most of the hunters I met, and found their abilities to be paltry in comparison to Gahin hunters." There were a few proud chuckles from the audience, and Logan gritted his teeth at the accusation. Tuulikki shot him a smug look, and the great sword user clenched his fists angrily. Tapio paused for a moment, ignoring the jibes from the surrounding hunters while picking up his pipe and taking a long draw, exhaling the smoke slowly. Then he continued his story.

"Several months into my journey, I found myself at the far western side of Theron, following the coast to a hunting city that I had hopes would offer me greater challenges, though I did not have _high_ hopes. I was traveling alone at the time, having found no hunters I considered as equals worthy of befriending, when I came across a wide river. I admit, I found myself stunned for the first time by that river. I had never seen its like in Gahiji during my whole life. It was so wide and deep, and surged past me with a strength that belied its gentle-appearing waters. Unable to cross such a great river, I chose instead to follow it until I found a ferry to carry me across.

"Before I could find a village, however, I was set upon. A large monster, and a collection of its followers, leapt from the river to attack me. Green scales, and a bright yellow mane made of a sponge-like material." Tapio nodded toward Bram. "A Royal Ludroth, as your country calls it, and its… harem, I suppose. I was unintimidated by the creatures; they looked weaker than the other beasts that I had met within your country. I found my assessment proved correct when I butchered my way through half the Ludroth and made a fair mess of the Royal itself.

"I would have killed it in minutes… but I was caught off guard. While focusing on the Royal, a pair of Ludroth emerged from the waters behind me. One managed to bite into my leg, and though its fangs could not penetrate my armor, its grip was strong enough to hold me in place long enough for the Royal to charge me. With a mighty blow, the beast flung me into the waters of the river. Thankfully, I was a fair swimmer, and was able to find my balance within the deep waters, but the Royal and its harem dove into the water after me, placing themselves between myself and the shoreline.

"On land, I would have won. I would have managed to slay the creature with ease and never thought again of the monster. But in the water…" Tapio paused, shaking his head. "The creature attacked with a ferocity and fluidity that I wouldn't have imagined of the beast on land, and its blows were more powerful than before. I was slow and sluggish as well, unaccustomed to swinging a blade underwater, and the beast was able to dodge my pathetic attacks with ease, striking back with a speed and power I could not combat. Its harem, though weaker, were just as sharp, swarming around me and biting at me, pushing me further and further away from the shore. I did not even have the time to drink potions and when I tried, the fluid would only swirl away in the rushing river.

"Those creatures may have been the death of me that day… had I not been saved by a passing hunter. I was close to losing consciousness, the Royal Ludroth preparing to finish me, when a young huntress dove into the water, striking out at the creature with a long sword of her own. She moved with a grace in the water I could not imagine, slicing into the Royal and its harem with a ferocity and skill that made my attempts seem feeble. Though the beasts turned to counter her assault, their attacks were useless, as she slipped through the river avoiding every tooth and claw. In the time it took me to struggle to shore, the woman had cut down half the creature's harem and sliced away most of the Royal's mane, leaving it a bleeding mess in the river. The beast, staggered by the huntress' assault, fled with the remainder of its harem to its nest to recover.

"Upon returning to shore, the huntress came to make sure I was alright. I could hardly look at her. I had spent so many months believing myself a higher tier than all the Therian hunters, and in a few minutes I had been utterly outperformed by this young woman. I managed to sputter out my thanks between potion bottles, before praising her skill and asking her how highly-ranked she was."

Tapio was quiet for a moment, staring at the floor. "She was… a mere apprentice. She was… _flattered_ by my praise, but claimed she was not as great as I said she was. Her village on the coast specialized in hunters who challenged underwater monsters. The other hunters in her village were better, she said, and her master an exemplary hunter in the water. She said she was… nothing special. She was worried that she wouldn't pass the Therian hunter's exam. Royal Ludroths, she said, just… weren't that big of a challenge."

The room was dead silent as Tapio took another draw from his pipe before continuing. Tuulikki's face had grown pale with shock, a look mirrored by most of the other hunters and huntresses in the room.

"In my shame, I fled. The thought that I, who held himself in such high esteem as a proud Gahin hunter, had been saved by a _Therian_ apprentice, was too much. I ran from the huntress, and continued to run. Over the next month, I came straight back to Gahiji. No more hunts. No more traveling. I wanted to escape my shattered pride, to come home to a place where I was respected and admired. When I returned, I tried to forget what had happened, brushing off the country to my friends and contemporaries as exactly as they imagined it, a land of slow, brutish hunters. I told of all the beasts I had bested handily, while never again speaking of Royal Ludroths or any underwater monsters.

"But try as I might to forget, the memory never faded. I was made a fair fool of. I, who considered myself so high above the Therian hunters, required saving from a hunter that their country's Guild had not yet seen fit to give a license." Tapio looked up again, once again staring behind Logan towards Bram. "And now here you are. A young man, not a licensed hunter in this country or your own, wearing armor made from one of the few beasts in this world that handily bested me, a glaring reminder of my own failings."

"But chief!" a voice called from the back. "You'd never fought a monster in the water before! How were you supposed to-"

"Fight? Win? Even manage to chase it off? I know I was inexperienced in the water, and was easily overcome," Tapio replied, turning to stare at the speaker. He motioned his hand to the Therian hunters before him. "But these hunters are no different, now are they? They have never needed to fight while dealing with sharp elevation changes as only Gahiji can offer. Most of Theron is flat and level, save for some mountain ranges, and even those have many smooth valleys and level plateaus. They are inexperienced in such things, as I was inexperienced in underwater battling. Where are their words of comfort and encouragement, I ask?"

His words were met with an uncomfortable silence, and he leaned back where he sat, gazing with disappointment at the hunters in the room.

"Let me go back to my question from earlier," Tapio said, looking directly at Logan. "What of you, young Therian hunter? Have you battled a sea monster in its natural element?"

Logan stared at the old man uncertainly for a few moments before nodding. "Ja. Ja, of course." There was harried whispering around them once more, and Logan realized what the old man was getting at.

"Could you give us an example?" Tapio asked. "What is the most dangerous sea monster you have faced?"

"Lagiacrus," Logan replied quickly.

"No hesitation, I see. Lagiacrus are very dangerous then?"

"Ho, yes. The worst… The worst thing underwater that isn't one of they subspecies or an elder dragon, hey? Very dangerous."

"And have you fought many of them?"

"Ja… about seven or so, I think."

"You have fought many underwater battles aside from Lagiacrus?"

"Ja. Royals, Gobuls, Plesioth, those types. Thinking maybe forty total or something like that?"

"Forty." Tapio said the word like a drumbeat. Glancing around, Logan realized that the hunters in the room were staring at him, no longer in disdain, but in shock. Tapio hummed thoughtfully at the word. "Forty hunts in the water, while not one can be counted among every Gahin hunter in this room. And what of your apprentices? Have they any experience in underwater hunts?"

"Eh… ja, a few of them. Seven total, I think. Five Royal Ludroths and a couple Gobul."

Tapio nodded solemnly at the words. "Seven. Only seven, and yet seven more than every hunter in this room combined." The man looked around the room again, seeing the uncertain and abashed faces on the hunters around him. Some still were trying to look confident and smug, but they were less so than before. "Just as you Gahin hunters may show pride in your ability to hunt monsters in such treacherous terrain as Gahiji offers, so these Therian hunters before you may show pride in their ability to hunt underwater monsters in their own habitats… and win, nonetheless. As we have skills that Therian hunters do not have, so too do they have skills we do not.

"But that…" Tapio said pointedly, looking directly at Logan, "is something that can be fixed. Lack of ability is not the same as lack of _experience_ , or lack of _training_. I have a suggestion, if you would hear it. To have come all this way, only to be turned back… I have not been a hunter in many years, but I believe I can still fathom the disappointment you must feel in circumstances such as this. And Steward, my friend, I know a man such as yourself must be pained to know that he cannot keep his word. You promised these young hunters an adventure exploring our lands, and to have that promise be broken through such unwieldy reasons… it must hurt your pride."

"I cannot lie, it wounds my honor to have made such a mistake," Steward replied, and Tapio nodded, returning his gaze to the hunters.

"I would solve both of these situations at once if I can," he told them intently. "You whose pride has been wounded, I would give you a chance to prove your worth. You are not legally allowed to hunt in Gahin territory as you are, but there is at least _one_ way around this. I am one of the most knowledgeable individuals in Guild law between here and Val Habar, but even a rookie hunter knows this rule: an individual, no matter their nationality, may participate in hunts within the borders of Gahiji, provided they have either passed the Gahin Guild's hunter's exam… or are the _apprentice_ of an official Gahin hunter."

There was a moment of silence in the room, before realization of what Tapio was implying settled in, and there were several shouts of disbelief from the hunters around them. Again, the other elders surrounding Tapio began to whisper harshly among themselves, and the closest ones leaned in to whisper intently into Tapio's ear, but a sharp look from the chief made them pull away. Tuulikki wasn't deterred however, stepping forward with a stunned expression on her face.

"Father, you cannot possibly intend to-"

"That is right," Tapio nodded. "If the Therian hunters so desire to stay in Gahiji and hunt, I would have them become the apprentices of one of Lintukoto Gully's hunters, until they leave the country or pass the Gahin hunter's exam on their own merit. Had Stellazzio's huntress not recently left behind the life of a hunter, I would have suggested that she take on the role as their official mentor, but as that is not an option, I can instead have them learn from one of the hunters within Lintukoto."

"But you said that you trusted my judgement of them! You agreed that they don't have the skill to hunt within our borders!"

"I still do. I trust your judgement of them, but your assessment is only _as you see them now_. If they are not skilled enough to qualify as Gahin hunters, then the proper solution would be to train them so that they _are_ qualified. Is that not what the goal of apprenticeship is, to instill the skills necessary to hunt? They already have the basic strength and understanding of hunting, now they only need learn the complexities that separate Gahin hunters from Therian."

"But why bother?" Tuulikki gasped. "What is the point? Why would you conscript one of our village's hunters to do this? We don't owe them this!"

"Perhaps not," Tapio agreed. "I have no grand reasoning. I owe nothing to the three hunters that inadvertently endangered the lives of Caravan Stellazzio. However, Steward is a dear friend of mine, and it pains me to see his suffering guilt over this whole situation; perhaps I would like to alleviate his worries if I can. Also, I find myself empathizing with these young hunters, having been in their shoes before; perhaps I would like to offer these hunters a chance I never took as a young man, to overcome their inadequacies rather than running from them. Lastly, I find it _worrying_ that so many of our local hunters have seen fit to follow you to this meeting, for apparently no other reason than to heckle three young hunters they know nothing about; perhaps I wish to humble them, or at least find out whether their beliefs about Therians are at all founded."

Several of the hunters had the decency to look ashamed of themselves at the words. Tapio folded his fingers in front of himself as he stared down his own daughter. "There are also those that seem to be trying to use this occurrence to push their own personal beliefs on the village, despite the discrepancies in their arguments. These young hunters have entered this hall wielding a great sword, dual blades, and a bow, yet an attempt was made to blame their lack of skill on technological weapon preference."

Tuulikki's head dipped, hiding her face underneath the brim of her cap. After a few moments, it became clear she wouldn't be revealing herself anytime soon, and Tapio sighed, leaning back where he sat. A couple of the other village elders sitting near Tapio leaned in then, whispering harshly into his ears. The village chief listened to their quiet words for a few moments with a look of agitation on his face, before waving them away.

"I have no great love for the technological weapons. Just as you do, Tuulikki, I look upon such weapons as the… the slash axe, the gunnerlance… and other such equipment with distaste. I find them unsafe and volatile, creations which endanger even the hunters that use them. I believe that having trust in a natural, solid weapon without internal mechanisms is safer and more reliable… But weapon preference and true skill are two different things, and I plan to judge these hunters based on their skill above all else… or at least, their skill _potential_.

"Therefore," Tapio stated, raising his voice in proclamation, "should all parties accept my judgement, I would keep these Therian hunters within the walls of Lintukoto for… two months. Yes, that should be enough. For two months, they will receive strict training on the Gahin way of hunting, in order to deem whether they have the potential to be Gahin hunters, despite hailing from Theron.

"As for the hunter who will train them…" Tapio paused, and Logan felt a chill well up in his chest. The village chief couldn't possibly intend… But sure enough, Tapio gaze remained level on his daughter. "You will train them, Tuulikki."

"I will not!" "Like hell she will!"

Logan and Tuulikki both turned to glare at each other as both shouted their distaste at the idea at the same time. Tapio couldn't hide an amused smile at their abrupt reactions, but shook his head and stared sternly at the two hunters.

"I believe she is the best candidate for this job," Tapio explained. "Though she is admittedly somewhat… _prickly_ , and you may not have had the best introduction to each other, Tuulikki _is_ one of the best hunters in Lintukoto Gully. There are few who can match her ability, and she is skilled enough to provide you with the training you would need to meet the expectations the Gahin Guild requires of their hunters. Admittedly, she has not acted as a master to an apprentice of her own before… but I'm sure she will learn quickly. That being said, hers will also be the most _scrutinizing_ eye in the village during your training. You have heard her opinion of your abilities, and the abilities of Therians in general. If you can prove to _her_ that you are capable enough to be Gahin hunters, then surely no other man, woman, or child within Lintukoto could _possibly_ disagree."

There were a few disbelieving laughs in the crowd, but Logan saw Tuulikki frown slightly at the unspoken rebuke. It seemed that even Tapio thought his daughter's feelings towards Therians were a little too harsh. However, the huntress shook her head a moment later.

"Why thrust this on me, Father?" she asked. "I do not wish to do this. Besides, you say that mine is the most scrutinizing eye? Then I have seen enough! I saw their 'hunting' display back against the Seltas, and there is no hope for them to pass the Gahin hunters exam!"

"I don't believe that's true," Tapio replied simply, pulling his pipe from his mouth. The flame within had burned out, and the old man sighed as he rapped the pipe gently against a nearby bowl, emptying the contents before turning and staring solemnly at Tuulikki. "Even if an apprentice looks utterly incompetent, I believe determination and courage can lead them to succeed where others may believe them hopeless. Don't you agree?"

There were a few grumbles and scoffs from the crowd at that. Tuulikki opened her mouth to retort as well, but paused before uttering a single word. Some nearby hunters looked on expectantly, but the huntress closed her mouth a moment later, looking down slightly and glaring at the floor in front of her father.

"No… it is not hopeless for… any hunter that has the determination," she muttered. A few hunters around her looked scandalized at the words, but others seemed to be keeping their silence.

Tapio nodded at the admission, however, returning his attention to his pipe and refilling the bowl. "Then you have no more complaints? You will teach these Therian hunters the Gahin way of hunting?"

The huntress' scowl grew fiercer as she continued to glare at the floor, so much that Logan wondered if the wood would catch flame under the intensity. "I have other obligations…" she growled.

"Nothing that cannot wait for a couple months," Tapio replied.

"A couple _months_?" Tuulikki hissed. "But what about-"

"Ah, yes. The caravan, of course," Tapio said quickly, cutting the huntress off. He glanced back towards Steward. "We cannot leave a friend of our fair village to travel without guard, nor can we ask Stellazzio to remain within Lintukoto for the entirety of these hunters' training. That would not be good for business, would it?"

Steward blinked in surprise, caught off guard that the conversation had shifted back to him so abruptly, but recovered quickly and nodded. "Ah. Yes, my friend. While the company and welcome of the Lintukoto villagers is fine enough, I fear we cannot remain here for long. But with the circumstances as they are…"

Tapio raised a hand, however. "As I have said, Steward, you have long been a friend of this village. And just as I plan to help you keep your word to these hunters, so shall I not force you to remain in Lintukoto during their training, nor shall you be forced to continue your caravan's trade route without a hunter to guard you. In exchange for taking your three Therian hunters to train, I would offer you three hunters from this village to guard your caravan, until these Therian hunters are capable enough to do so themselves. There are three hunters who live at the edge of town who should be available to accompany you. Is this an acceptable trade?"

Steward nodded slowly. "Yes… that would provide us the guards we would require to travel safely."

"And now you have no more complaints, do you, Tuulikki?" Tapio asked, glancing back at his daughter. The huntress' fists were clenched tightly at her sides, but she was forced to shake her head in defeat.

"I have nothing more…"

"Then it is settled," Tapio replied. The huntress cursed venomously under her breath, turning to glare daggers at the Therian hunters. Tapio cleared his throat, pulling her attention back to him. "I'm sure you know, Tuulikki, that this is an effort to train these hunters _fairly_. It is a favor which I do for my friend Steward, a man with the respect of myself and the rest of the village, so that he may keep his word to these young hunters. If you teach these Therians, you will do it _properly_. You will not try to break them or force them into giving up through cruelty. You will train them as any other hunting master or mistress would train their own apprentices, not as a slavemaster. Am I understood?"

"You don't need to patronize me," the huntress grumbled. "I will train them as I was trained. But they won't meet the Gahin expectations of them."

"Only time will tell. Perhaps these Therian hunters will surprise you."

"I doubt it."

Tapio merely grunted in reply, turning back to face the Therian hunters and pausing thoughtfully. "I suppose… that I have perhaps not asked the most important question: will the hunters themselves be willing to accept this arrangement as well? To the apprentices, perhaps this isn't too terrible a decision, but to the master… it may be hard to lower yourself to apprentice status, after so long as an official hunter in your own land."

Logan grimaced at the words. Tapio was right: the idea of being reduced to an apprentice again, especially under someone who had been so blatantly harsh to them, was a cruel thought. But then again, the thought of all these hunters thinking him to be _unworthy_ of hunting in their borders, just because he was Therian… the thought of what they'd say if he didn't accept, and slunk back to Theron with his tail between his legs…

"What say you?" Tapio asked. "Will you accept my proposal? Will you strive to meet the standards set by our country, and not your own? Will you seek to prove yourselves in the eyes of our village, and show your worth to those that doubt you? Will you endeavor to face your weaknesses and overcome them, rather than running away from those who may look down on you?"

Logan glanced around the room, staring at the hunters around them. Many wore scowls now, and some made no effort to hide their rolled eyes and unexpectant expressions. A few, however, seemed intrigued by either Tapio's story or mere curiosity, and seemed to want to see what the Therian hunters were capable of. Finally, Logan turned his attention to Tuulikki. The huntress had a dour look on her face, and as he looked at her, she returned his gaze with a dark scowl. Logan glared in return, before returning his gaze to Tapio and crossing his arms.

"Ja, we do it."

* * *

An hour later, the hunters found themselves at the base of the gully. Tapio had seen fit to provide the three of them with a place to live at least, a pair of small, vacant huts which sat near the rushing waters. A few snickering laughs and hushed whispers told them that the houses were not exactly prime real estate, but Logan didn't quite know why. They were small, certainly, but not cramped, and surprisingly warm and dry for being so close to the rapids. Perhaps the rapids were the problem; the sound of churning water could be heard inside the huts, and was probably a little unsettling to the other villagers, if so few of them actually knew how to swim. For hunters that had challenged aquatic monsters in their native element though, it wasn't that bad.

The reaction from the rest of the caravan at the decision had been one of uncertainty. Only Selene seemed sad to see the hunters go. The rest seemed content to let the situation come to pass; they didn't want incapable hunters guarding them on their journey, and the trio hadn't spent enough time with them to make a personal impact on anybody. As such, only the caravan master and the Guild representative had been around to help the Therian hunters repack their belonging and haul them to the bottom of the gully. By the time they were finished, night had long since fallen, and even the bars and inns were growing quiet as people went to bed.

"I truly am sorry for all of this," Steward moaned despairingly. The five of them were gathered together in the house Tapio had offered Logan and Bram, and with all of them in there, it was rather tight quarters. "I don't… I simply do not know how all this came to happen. When I traveled to the Guild to gather the paperwork to get you three into the country, I was never told that you would need to pass the Gahin hunter's exam. Nonetheless, the fault lays on me. I promised I would take care of everything so you could enjoy your stay here, but…"

"No, if it's anyone's fault, it should be mine, Master Steward," Selene interjected, staring ashamedly at the floor. "I'm supposed to be the Guild representative for Stellazzio, and yet I did not gather the information we needed when I was told that we'd be hosting three Therian hunters. I should have-"

"Hoy, calm down Steward. And you too, girlie," Logan said sternly, crossing his arms. "You both didn't know, so it wasn't you fault, just a paperwork snafu. Even that Treno guy didn't catch it. We get all this sorted out somehow. If we gotta be 'apprentices' to hunt here… then we do that." Logan grinned confidently at the pair. "We gonna _prove_ we good enough to guard you caravan, make them eat they words, hey?"

Steward gave the great sword user a wan grin. "Well, I suppose if nothing else, you've still got your confidence."

"Heh. These folks don't know what they got theyselves into." Logan sighed for a moment. "That guy Tapio, he said he gonna give us two months to show our worth. That's two months we gotta stay here, training under that damn woman… But I swear, when you get back, we be the best hunters you ever seen!"

"Two months it is, then," Steward nodded with a small smile. "I will return in that time, and will receive you again as Stellazzio's escorts. I have the utmost confidence in you… in all three of you."

"Heh, we won't let you down," Logan grinned confidently. The caravan master nodded, and made his way towards the door. Selene glanced between the three hunters worriedly, before bowing slightly and rushing after the man.

As the door clicked shut, and the sound of Steward and Selene's footsteps faded under the sound of the rushing waters from the river, Logan felt himself sag a little. He'd been putting on a strong face since arriving in the village, but… He quickly shook himself, strengthening his expression and turning to face his apprentices. Bram and Sonia were sitting next to each other on the archer's bed, both with complicated expressions of their own. Logan would need to try and boost their confidence… he'd need to try and help them through all this. But first, the great sword user strode over to the pair, standing in front of them. As the pair of them looked up at him, he lowered his head, looking at the floor.

"Look, I… I want to apologize," Logan mumbled quietly. "I agreed to this whole thing without asking you two. I was just… pissed off that they was looking down on us so much, that I wanted to try and prove them wrong. I want to try and show these bastards what I can do… but that just me. I'd get it if you two didn't want to stay here. You still apprentices… You don't need to be here. You don't need to prove anything. You shouldn't have to deal with the things these bastards say. Steward ain't leaving Lintukoto for a week… if you two don't want to do all this, I can ask him-"

"Hell no. We're _staying_."

Logan looked up in surprise at Sonia's immediate, sharp rebuttal to find the apprentice with a determined scowl on her face. "If you think that I'm not just as pissed off about all this as you are, you're dead wrong. The way that those hunters were treating us, just because we're Therian hunters…" Sonia growled angrily, seething at the thought. "I want to prove them wrong! I want to rub their noses in it! Two months? Fine! I'd stay here two _years_ if that's what it took to show these people that I'm more than capable of hunting under their damn Guild standards!"

"I'm with you and Sonia on this one. I say we stay," Bram added. The archer's eyes were sharp as well, a rare expression on the young man. He was usually calm and collected, but it seemed that the situation had ignited something in the young man just as it had in Sonia. "I've never been one for boasting… I don't care much what people think of me. But to have them judge me based on nothing more than nationality and a few minutes of a single hunt… I don't like that. They seemed so certain of us, with so little to go on. I want to prove them wrong. Besides," Bram said quietly, "the whole goal of this trip was to prove ourselves as exemplary hunters. If we can prove our abilities, our potential, to these people, who expect nothing of us…"

"That's right!" Sonia replied, her eyes lighting up. "Our goals are the same here as they were back home. It may be a little harder to do here, but that doesn't change anything. I want to prove to _everyone_ out there that I can be a great hunter. If these people have so little faith in us, then that just makes me want to try harder!"

Logan stared at the two of them in stunned silence for a moment, and he grinned slightly at their enthusiasm, but a moment later the great sword user sighed, slouching down and seating himself of the next bed, folding his hands together in his lap as he stared at the ground. "Is good to hear you is eager to prove youselves… but they's more to this than that. I isn't gonna lie to you two. Thinking what they said… least a bit of it… was true."

Bram and Sonia's eyes widened at the words, but Logan set his jaw sternly. "Hate to say it… but they was right when they said we wasn't good enough to be hunters. I isn't the greatest judge of strength when it comes to monsters, but just from the damage you did with you swords and you bow, that Seltas should have been easy pickings. One solid hit with my great sword, and that thing would be paste. But we didn't beat it. We _failed_. We can't deny that. We _wasn't_ good enough to fight the Seltas… and we put the caravan in danger because of that.

"As much as I want to do this because I want to _prove_ I is good enough to these snobs… I know I need to do this to make myself a better hunter. Is one thing to do this training out of pride… is another thing to do so because we really _isn't_ good enough… and if we want to be hunters, then we _needs to be_ good enough. But is like Tapio said: that's what training is for, to show that we got what it takes to be _real_ hunters. And you two… if you two really gonna stay, you better make sure you know why you doing this."

The two apprentices looked at each other uncertainly, but Sonia looked back quickly, nodding with conviction. "I'll do whatever it takes to be a great hunter, no matter what. It's just like I said before: two months or two years, I'll work for however long it takes to become a respectable hunter."

"I want to be able to protect people," Bram chimed in. "If this training will make me better at doing so… then I'll do it gladly. I'd do it even if I didn't need to in order to stay in Gahiji."

Logan blinked in surprise at their immediate and certain answers, before chuckling in pride. "Heh. And here I was afraid you two might have a little trouble with this. Looks like you two already fired up and raring to give these people something to think about. Fine then; we _all_ staying here."

The apprentices both grinned enthusiastically, but Bram's expression faded slightly after a moment or two. "What do you think this training we'll be doing will entail?"

Logan shook his head. "Can't tell… Don't know what these people do in they training to make them so jumpy as they is. Doubt it's gonna be fun though… and not easy either. But that don't matter, hey? Is like that Tapio guy said: you learn how to hunt through training, and they gonna give it to us.

"On that note… I think is time we got some sleep," Logan said, standing up and pulling Sonia to her feet. "If we gonna do this, we gonna have to take it seriously. Gonna need all the rest we can, hey? And… I doubt that girl that's gonna teach us gonna be pulling any punches with us tomorrow. I is thinking we gotta take what we can get…"

"Yeah, okay… night, Bram."

"Sleep well, Sonia," the archer replied as the huntress made her way out the door, walking over to her own hut.

Soon enough, the candles were snuffed out, and both Logan and Bram were in bed, trying to drift to sleep. However, Logan remained awake, staring at the ceiling in silence. He hoped he was doing the right thing here, agreeing to this training… It was so easy to act confident about what you were capable of as a hunter, so easy to believe that you would be successful. But actually succeeding… that didn't always happen, and their failure to take down the Seltas was proof enough of that. By the sound of Bram's breathing off to the side, Logan was sure that the archer was awake as well. Both of them were too lost in their own thoughts, too unsettled by their situation and the uncertainty about their fates. Logan sighed to himself, closing his eyes and rolling over in bed.

"We gonna show 'em," he whispered, but it was more for himself than for anyone else. He had to remain positive. He had to maintain a confident face. He couldn't afford to do anything less.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about three hunting apprentices! Please Review!**

 **Aw yeah, time for some mood whiplash! Tapio's obviously one of those players that's HR 200 and abandons rooms after getting KOed by a low-rank Kecha Wacha. For shame.**

 **Writing the description of Lintukoto is sort of compelling me to try and play Minecraft again… A large part of me wants to hop into creative mode, find a ravine in a jungle biome, and transform it into Lintukoto. I had the same compulsion when I was writing TLC. Find a jungle biome, dig a big hole, and create Malefica underground. It's something I might still do, though I haven't played MC in a long time now.**

 **Here's an interesting bit of in-game fridge logic: the Frenzy virus actually makes hunters go temporarily mad and start attacking wildly. Some of you may be wondering what I mean, but think about it; what do you do when you're infected? Attack! Without fail, if you're infected, you are compelled to attack the monster, to do as much damage as fast as you can and overcome the virus! Though the reasons may be different, the Frenzy virus has effectively accomplished its purpose: forcing you into attacking fast and hard! Think about that one, why don't you…**

 **Playing: MH4U, Black Mesa  
Listening: Switchfoot, Neil Diamond, Widespread Panic, Stereolab, Iron & Wine, Quietdrive, Titus Andronicus, Gratitude  
Watching: Cosmos, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Bob's Burgers  
Reading: **_**Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **One-Punch Man**_ **by One,** _ **Mahou Tsukai no Yome**_ **by Yamazaki Kore**


	7. Training

Training

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

When Sonia had been younger and still in school, she had once being taught about civilizations even older than the Lost. Despite the Lost being considered one of the most ancient of peoples themselves, it seemed that there were countless more than had come before. The Romans, the Greeks, the Huns, the Native Americans, the Aztecs, the Macedonians, the Mesopotamians… The list went on. One of the more interesting civilizations Sonia recalled hearing about where a people called the Spartans, who had become legendary among historians as raising nearly all their men to be warriors through a brutal training regimen that left them unmatched as warriors. Even now, the term 'Spartan training' was used by the Lost to emphasize difficult drills and exercise.

With that knowledge, the next month apprenticed to Tuulikki truly deserved to be called 'Spartan training', as far as Sonia was concerned. Despite her bold words the night they arrived in Lintukoto Gully, Sonia soon discovered how harsh the Gahin training could really be… or at least as harsh as it could get under Tuulikki.

The huntress had started them off immediately, either eager to get down to business or to break them as quickly as she could. The very first morning after the Therian hunters arrived, Tuulikki woke them at the crack of dawn, demanding that they put their equipment on and prepare themselves. They were still tired from their journey from Val Habar and from the sleepless night they'd gotten, but they followed her instructions, quietly eager to prove themselves. They'd been caught off guard almost immediately, however, when Tuulikki had stopped both Sonia and Bram and motioned to Sonia's dual blades and Bram's bow.

"Those are not the only weapons you use," she stated matter-of-factly.

"No… I sometimes use different weapons," Sonia replied, and Bram nodded in agreement.

"Which are the _heaviest_ weapons you plan to use while you are in Gahiji?" Tuulikki asked, making the apprentices look at each other worriedly.

"Probably my switch axe," Bram replied, earning a distasteful look from the huntress, though she refrained from commenting.

"I use hunting horn… sometimes," Sonia admitted. "I left my Qurupeco horn back in Theron though…"

"And you?" Tuulikki asked sharply, turning to Logan.

"Great sword only," he growled, crossing his arms.

"Hmm. So be it. I imagine there aren't many weapons heavier than a great sword anyway. You," she said, pointing to Bram, "get your… ugh, your other weapon. You will be carrying it around today. And you," she to Sonia, "put the blades away. We will visit the Guild hall before we leave; they should have a practice hunting horn available that we can borrow for a while. You will be wearing that during training."

"But why?" Sonia asked in exasperation, and Tuulikki narrowed her eyes.

"Gahin training focuses on mobility first of all, and speed secondary. You must be nimble and fluid in all situations. What good is training your agility with small weapons such as dual blades, when you cannot offer a passing performance when you have a hunting horn weighing you down? You will train with the _bulkiest_ weapon you are proficient in, so as not to lose anything when hunting with something different. If you prove capable enough to meet Gahin standards with _those_ weapons - which I doubt you will - then you may use whichever weapons you desire."

"Easy for you to say, just carrying a stick with you," Logan noted, getting a cold look from the huntress. "Or do you got another weapon you trained with?"

"My weapon choice is no concern of yours," Tuulikki replied darkly. "However, since you _asked_ , my training was not made simpler merely because I chose a less cumbersome weapon. My own teacher strapped a whole Diablos femur to my back in place of my 'stick'. It may not measure up to the weight of your great sword, but it more than enough to weigh me down. Once I was allowed to leave the horn behind, it was a simple thing to traverse the land with only my glaive."

The huntress motioned pointedly at their armors as well, Sonia's Jaggi armor and Bram's Ludroth armor. "I _should_ be applying this to your armor as well, in case you equip heavier, clunkier plating in the future, but that would require either buying armor or supplying materials to the town smith. I have neither the wealth nor patience to see to either, and I will not force you three into purchasing your own, so we will skip that step."

"Thank goodness for small favors," Bram muttered under his breath.

"Enjoy the feeling," Tuulikki said with a predatory smirk. "It will be one of the few favors you will receive."

Tuulikki had been true to her word. As soon as Sonia and Bram had replaced their weapons and eaten a quick breakfast, the huntress led the Therians out of town. After about fifteen minutes of silent walking, they arrived at a wide, craggy hillside at least fifty yards tall. The hill wasn't sloped at all; rather, the elevation jumped up sharply in tiers, creating what looked like a layered stone cake. Each jump in elevation was several yards high, providing rugged walls with numerous protrusions. It was similar to the hill that they'd had such trouble fighting the Seltas on. At the top, Sonia could see a small carved altar shaped into the form of a monster's head, though time and decay had worn it down to something unintelligible.

"This is the Training Hill," Tuulikki told them. "A simple, unimaginative name… but it is a fitting one. All hunting apprentices in Lintukoto Gully begin their training here, climbing up and down the rock walls of this hill as fast as they can. That is what you'll be doing today."

"That's it?" Logan muttered. "We climbing this one hill all day?"

Tuulikki turned her gaze on him. "Need I remind you of your abysmal performance against the Seltas? To hunt within Gahiji, a hunter must be capable of dealing with the chaotic geography, or else any and all monsters will be able to outmaneuver them with ease. This hill is not the most treacherous obstacle you'll find within our borders, but it is a start. If you cannot even challenge this hill, Therian, then the rest of Gahiji will be forever out of your grasp. So, _yes_ , you will be climbing this one hill all day. And you will begin immediately."

Reaching her hand forward, Tuulikki snapped her fingers sharply. Therian hunters looked at each other, and the huntress scowled irately at them. "What are you waiting for? _Go_!"

With a sharp turn, the Therian hunters darted towards the base of the hill. All three of them were eager to show the huntress what they were capable of, but their enthusiasm faded quickly. Much like their battle against the Seltas, the hunters had trouble getting up the walls quickly, and once they'd reached the top and touched the altar, leaping down was just as challenging. It was faster, yes, and none of the drops were devastating falls, but even if you prepared yourself, the impact could be very jarring.

Sonia was the first to complete the run, scrambling up and down the walls at what she considered a pretty good speed, even with a bulky hunting horn slung over her back. Bram finished a good twenty seconds behind her, but Logan took almost an extra two minutes. He'd been able to pull himself up the walls at a decent pace, but the impacts from the drops left the hunter staggered and struggling to keep moving. Tuulikki was sitting on a nearby rock with a bored expression on her face when Logan finally hit the ground at the base of the hill.

"That was nearly as bad as I thought it would be," Tuulikki muttered. "I admit, I _have_ seen worse, but if you think that you can prove yourselves capable of meeting Gahin standards in only two months, you are fooling yourselves."

"I thought… we did… fairly well," Bram gasped, still trying to catch his breath. The silver-haired huntress scoffed and shook her head, making the bells in her hair jingle slightly, and Bram wrinkled his nose slightly at the sound.

"Oh, really?" Reaching into her pouch, Tuulikki pulled out a small glass object, a miniature sandglass. Holding it up for the three to see, a small smirk alighted on the corner of her mouth. "This is designed to count down _one minute_. For hunters to be considered _adequate_ in Lintukoto, they should be able to start from the bottom of the hill, climb to the top and touch the altar, and return to the bottom before the sand runs out. Tell me, do any of you think you managed that feat with your performance just now?"

Sonia grimaced nervously. There was no way _any_ of them had. She'd been the fastest of the three, and had to have taken at least three minutes. Doing the same thing in less than one…

"And how fast can you do it?" Logan challenged, but he winced as the huntress gave him a look of superiority, holding out the sandglass.

"Should I demonstrate? I am more than capable of showing you what a Gahin hunter is _truly_ capable of." Logan frowned nervously, but grabbed hold of the sandglass and flipped it over.

Tuulikki was off in a flash, sprinting towards the first ledge before leaping up the side. Sonia's eyes widened in shock; the huntress was practically _flying_ up the hill. It wasn't just her climbing speed by itself - though that was impressive in its own right - but rather than simply scaling the rock, the huntress was capable of finding a foothold and leaping upwards a couple yards, launching herself in quick bursts up and over each ledge. It felt like no time at all before the huntress had scaled the entire hill, tapping the altar at the top before leaping back towards the bottom.

Her jumps were just as impressive, or more particularly, her landings. Despite hitting the ground just as hard as Sonia did, Tuulikki was able to brace herself for landing and push off to keep running. By landing just right, the impact barely slowed her down; she seemed to be able to control her center of mass and springboard herself forward, drastically reducing her recovery time.

With the crunch of her boots against the dirt, Tuulikki landed in front of them before looking intently towards the sandglass. Sonia turned to check, and sure enough, there was still sand pouring down… quite a bit of it as well. The huntress must have managed to climb and descend the hill in perhaps fifty seconds, give or take. Bram and Logan were both staring wide-eyed at the sandglass as the remainder of the sand continued to fall.

"Not my best showing," Tuulikki stated, pushing her hair back and releasing a quiet jingle as she watched as the last of the sand trickle down into the bottom, "but a decent run, nonetheless. There are faster hunters within Lintukoto than myself, and many slower hunters as well. But all of them who have earned their Guild card have overcome the Training Hill. For you to have any hope of me recognizing your skill, you must be able to do at least this much."

The Therian hunters looked down nervously at the glass sandglass. Sonia had to keep herself from gulping; for such a small, simple thing, the sandglass suddenly seemed like a very intimidating obstacle.

"Not feeling as confident as you were yesterday, are you?" Tuulikki smirked.

Sonia really wasn't, but she crossed her arms and put on an air of certainty. "Two months is plenty of time for us to pass."

"Really? Perhaps you stand a small chance, girl, but what of your comrades? What of your hunting master?"

"Them too," Sonia replied quickly.

"Hmm. We will see."

* * *

As Tuulikki had promised, the Therian hunters spent the entire first day climbing the walls of the Training Hill, and for the most of the next couple weeks as well. Sonia quickly came to hate that damn hill. It wasn't just building up strength, since she already had a basic hunter's physique, but also learning how to recognize where the best places to climb were, and teaching herself how best to hold herself against the rock walls.

The Therian hunters tried to figure out the trick behind Tuulikki's vertical wall jump, but more often than not they found themselves on their backs, having missed their grips or put too much backwards momentum into their jumps. To her credit, Tuulikki did try and show them how to leap up the rock faces like she did, but an explanation was far different than having physical experience, and if they wanted to learn how to climb the walls like she did, they were just going to have to practice.

There were also the _variations_ on climbing walls that Tuulikki had them doing. Sometimes she'd tell them to just hang on the walls and see how long their grips would last. Sometimes she would tell them to climb left and right rather than up or down. Sometimes she'd ask them to use their hunting knives and attack to the left or right as though there was a monster clinging to the wall next to them. Sometimes she'd have them kick off from the wall, unsheathing their weapons and twisting around to attack in a single fluid movement. Sometimes she'd have them pick up heavy rocks and climb the walls with those weighing them down. The last one was by far the worst since that meant the trio had to learn to climb with only one hand when doing so with two was hard enough. Not to mention Tuulikki upped the difficulty after a few days by throwing paintballs at them to 'simulate a monster chasing them', though the Gahin hunter seemed to enjoy it far more than was necessary.

Though the huntress would usually have them spend their mornings going up and down the Training Rock, after the first couple days she started taking them out on other exercises. Sometimes she'd herd them into the thick vines and canopies of the trees, where she'd send them running across the thin paths that made up the higher levels of the forest. There were some area where tightly-bound vine 'floors' were sturdy enough to hold their weight, but open enough that Sonia could see through the intertwining greenery. The hunters soon lost count of the times when they'd miss their footing and their feet would slip through a hole, nearly dropping them to the ground. Once again, Tuulikki was perfectly eager to demonstrate her own prowess, dashing across the precarious pathway with confident steps, and even bringing out her weapon and twirling it through attack motions as she strode around the area, never missing her footing.

Then there were the obstacle courses. Climbing and jumping were one thing, but general agility was also required. Tuulikki would run them through gauntlets in the thicker areas of the forest, where the foliage grew thick and massive roots burst forth from the ground, creating barriers and hurdles. The hunters were given a path to follow and told to cover the distance in the time limit Tuulikki demanded. More often than not the hunters missed the time set by a lot, finding themselves fumbling when trying to duck under branches or leap over rocks.

Sonia had been afraid for Logan at first. Her hunting master had always been one to exude confidence and skill when it came to hunting, but now this fluid and mobile method of hunting was putting him through paces that he just wasn't matching up to. The difference between Therian and Gahin hunters was clearer to her now, and Logan was a man built to be a Therian hunter. He was broad, powerful, and very sturdy, but Tuulikki's harsh training had thrown his weaknesses into the spotlight.

Sonia had always known that she and Bram were more nimble than Logan, but the great sword user's performance at scaling the harsh Gahin terrain, maintaining fluid movement, and passing through uneven paths was very poor. Logan could take up to twice as long as Sonia and Bram to complete the obstacle courses Tuulikki found for them. The huntress' criticisms began to focus mainly on him, constantly pointing out that he was supposed to be Sonia and Bram's superior, and a high rank hunter in Theron, and was this the best he could do?

The Therian hunters were all stubborn, Logan perhaps the most of all, but even he was wearing down in morale after a week of poor performance. Every day he'd grin confidently and tell Sonia and Bram that they were all improving, that they would surpass Tuulikki's expectations, but Sonia could tell that he was doing it just as much for himself as he was for them. His eyes were growing strained and uncertain, and often he went to bed before the other two, secluding himself away from them after training. All those years as a well-respected hunter in Theron seemed pointless inside the Gahin border.

Thankfully, Logan was saved from being defeated by Tuulikki of all people, if inadvertently. During one of their sparse but much-anticipated breaks from training, Logan had made a passing comment that their regimen was just as hard and strenuous as his mother's. Tuulikki had heard the comment and remarked that Lynn's training must have been inadequate to leave Logan as unskilled as he was. The chiding of Lynn's teaching ability, and perhaps the unspoken insult of her ability as a huntress, was more than enough to flare Logan into a cold, determined fury. From then on there was no faltering, and though Sonia could see his strength and stamina being tested, Logan's determination never wavered. Even Tuulikki seemed stunned by his tenacity.

Much to the hunters' relief, even if most of their waking hours were spent under the Tuulikki's watchful eye, the huntress knew not to work them to death. The training ended as evening rolled around, and the Therian hunters were allowed to spend the late part of the day however they wished, though at least half of the time they barely had the strength to walk down to their huts and pass out from exhaustion. Sometimes, however, they still had the energy to stay awake, and though they were nervous about it, eventually the three of them began to go out into Lintukoto Gully and experience life within the village.

Living in Lintukoto was not as challenging to deal with as Sonia had feared at first. Though their introduction to the locals was less than pleasant, it seemed that they'd been 'welcomed' by several of the more zealous Purists who tended to look down on Therian hunters. However, while most of the villagers favored Purist tendencies, most of the civilians were more moderate, considering it a way of life but not a requirement. It helped that the Therian hunters weren't exactly flaunting technological weapons. There were a few distasteful looks in Bram's direction when he made his way through town with his switch axe strapped to his back for training, but word had gotten out that Bram favored the bow, and most people would treat them just as politely as they would any visitor to their village.

Surprisingly, there actually seemed to be a few Progressive hunters living within Lintukoto as well. There were only maybe nine or ten, but Sonia found herself gaping in shock when she'd caught sight of a hammer-wielding hunter whose weapon had been designed in the shape of a giant drill! It didn't look like just an aesthetic, either, as there was a trigger and a clunky motor strapped to the hilt. Sonia had wanted to go over and ask him about it, but the man was in a fevered argument with a pair of Purists, and the huntress really didn't want to get involved.

Bram and Logan had seen others as well; Bram had caught sight of a hunter wielding a long sword shaped like a chainsaw, while Logan had spotted a dual blade user carrying a pair of 'swords' that again had been shaped like drills. Sonia could barely comprehend how someone was supposed to fight with weapons like that. Were they even blades anymore, or had they become gauntlets? Sonia searched for a chance to talk with one of the Progressives, but with Tuulikki training them for most hours of the day and there being so few of them around, she never quite got the chance. Also, she couldn't help but feel that they were avoiding the Therian hunters…

Tapio himself was kind enough to come visit them on occasion, checking in on their progress and asking how they were getting by. He'd seemed like a possibly sympathetic ear to the Therian hunters, and the trio wasted no time venting their frustrations about his daughter's teaching methods on them. However, they were shocked when the man simply nodded in acceptance.

"Yes, that sounds about like the average training regimen," he'd said thoughtfully, stroking his beard.

"This is you _average_ training?" Logan groaned in dismay.

"Oh, yes. I was worried that Tuulikki might be acting somewhat harshly towards you three, but it seems as though she is keeping her word and going by the book on this… I shouldn't have doubted her." The older hunter paused, taking a moment to light his pipe as a small smile tugged at the edges of his lips. "The pace is a little faster and more rigorous than normal, but you've already gone through strength and reflex training already, and are trying to complete everything in two months, so it's understandable. Though… I suppose most children that have dreams of becoming a hunter one day start climbing the walls of the Hill as soon as they're old enough to travel that far outside the village on their own, so perhaps you're at more of a disadvantage than I assumed."

"You _all_ go through this kind of training as apprentices?" Bram groaned.

"Well, individual villages each have their own methods. The hunters off near the Hollow or the desert go through a much different regimen than we do, obviously," Tapio replied. "Though, to be honest, it all sounds quite _light_ compared to my own training back when I was an apprentice… but my hunting master was a veritable terror, and times have changed since then."

Tapio continued to talk after that, getting lost reminiscing over his glory days, but somewhere along the way, the hunters stopped paying attention. They were too dumbfounded at the idea that this kind of training was _common_ in Gahiji, and that Tuulikki had been genuinely straight-laced about it, if not a little too vocal about what she thought of them. Bram said that it was relieving to know that they were being treated equally, even if Tuulikki had a sharp tongue to go along with it, and Sonia had to reluctantly agree with that much.

The letters she received from her parents helped too. Sonia hadn't been sure what to expect when she'd sent a letter home to her mother, and another to her father up north, to explain everything that had happened. Apparently he and Bram's father were still in Gahiji, and had stumbled across some large Meridian structure that had completely enraptured Harker, and they wouldn't be leaving until he had translated all the secrets he'd found. Her mother hadn't exactly been pleased, but she seemed to understand why Sonia was sticking around, and encouraged her to do her best. She had faith in Sonia, she'd written, and knew that Sonia had the determination to see this whole thing through. She wished her good luck, and hoped that she would still have fun in Gahiji once this training was over. Her father's letter had arrived a few days after that, and though his writing wasn't as encouraging as her mother's had been, he wished her good luck as well.

All things considered, life in Lintukoto wasn't as bad as Sonia had feared it would be. It seemed like the only things that were really making life so hard for them here in Lintukoto were the harsh training and Tuulikki herself.

But over the next month, Tuulikki's mood towards them seemed to grow more… accepting. The huntress was borderline vengeful towards the Therian hunters for the first week, but it seemed that time was slowly cooling the flames within her. The first week had been the worst of it, with the huntress being a downright terror to them, but by the start of the second week of training, there were signs of her opinion of them improving. Though her words still had no small amount of bite to them, she was far less venomous to them than before.

She was still very open about her belief that they would not be able to pass the Gahin hunter's exam, but even that sentiment was announced less frequently as the days passed. Two weeks into their training, Sonia realized that even that had faded. Sonia wasn't sure whether it was because Tuulikki actually thought that they'd be able to pass the Gahin exam now or for some other reason, but either way it was a welcome relief from the rebukes she'd been slinging at the start. It all led to the Therian hunters developing a strained, uncomfortable, but mostly cordial relationship with her. The huntress was still sharp-tongued and held herself with an air of superiority, and she wouldn't try to be friendly or kind to them, but every few days the huntress would pause before walking away from them, before muttering that they'd worked hard, or put in good effort that day. The first couple times, the Therian hunters had thought they'd been hearing things, and Tuulikki had taken off without another word so they couldn't confirm it.

It was about three weeks after arriving in Lintukoto when the routine began to shift, since the Therians had hit a standstill in their training. They'd all improved significantly since their arrival: Sonia was down to about a minute and a half now, with Bram only a second or two behind her, and Sonia's best guess for Logan was that he'd gotten his time down to about a minute and fifty seconds. Sonia thought Logan was doing pretty well though. He still had trouble hitting the ground running after longer drops, but considering his size and weight, and the burden of his armor and great sword, Sonia figured that was to be expected, and since Tuulikki hadn't really ripped into him about it for a while, she had to be thinking the same. But their rate of improvement was starting to stall out, and simply running them up and down the Training Hill wouldn't be enough to really improve their abilities anymore.

With nothing else to do, Tuulikki began taking the three of them on actual hunts. Nothing exciting, unfortunately, simply easy work that any beginning hunter would be expected to do: gathering herbs, mushrooms, and honey for villagers, killing Konchu and gathering their shells for whatever they were needed for, or taking care of Jaggi or Velociprey that were making trouble for the farmers. Nothing difficult on their own, but the challenge came from Tuulikki's own goals that she set for them: complete the quest within a time limit, gather mushrooms along a _particularly_ precarious ridge, kill all the Jaggis or Velociprey without getting bitten, anything she could do to force them into moving in ways that would be expected of a Gahin hunter.

And they were _meeting_ their goals… sometimes, at least. What would have seemed like borderline impossible goals for the Therian hunters only a few weeks earlier had become challenging, but not undoable. The severe terrain of the country was no longer the insurmountable obstacle it had once been, and though Tuulikki still outpaced them all, telling them to move faster or climb higher, they were keeping up far better than they ever had before. They were learning how better to read their surroundings and figure out where they could climb and descend, and how to move through the thick trees and across precarious branches. Tuulikki seemed shocked at their progression, especially when Logan proved to be exceptionally skilled at finding the optimal paths to take, which helped make up for his slow speed.

She also began teaching them in other ways besides hunting. About twenty-five days in, the Therians were surprised when Tuulikki abruptly informed them that she'd be teaching them about the Gahin way of life here in Lintukoto. It had come to her attention, she said, that she'd hadn't been giving them a proper understanding of the culture they found themselves in.

Lintukoto's location made materials challenging to come by, and the rarer goods were nearly inaccessible to the village. With travel as challenging as it was, caravans became a vital resource. Lintukoto could survive without the aid of traveling merchants, but some of the things that came to them from the cities had become an integral part of the villages use. Ores, foods, clothes, general goods… there were things that the caravans had to offer that the Lintukoto's villagers had learned to love, though there were fears that after getting used to these things, it would be too hard to go without if something kept the caravans from coming.

"Is that why the village is so strong with Purist ideals?" Bram had asked during Tuulikki's explanation. "Preservation? Resource management? Trying to keep from spoiling yourselves with luxuries?"

Tuulikki blinked in surprise at the question, but scowled and shook her head. The motion had caused the numerous bells in her hair to jingle softly, and Bram had scrunched his face slightly at the sound. "We are not as simple as that, to fear that change is something bad. What we believe in is balance and stability. The machines and weapons you Therian thrive in making threaten that stability. The world can be led to ruin with great ease, and you hardly seem to notice or care."

"That's a little unfair, don't you think?"

Tuulikki glared at the hunter. "Advancement is fine. Progression is acceptable. But Therians seem so eager to press forward that they find themselves running faster than they can see the path in front of them. Take your switch axe for example: it is a powerful weapon, so I have heard, and yet rumors circulate that if the phial is damaged, there is risk of an explosion powerful enough to reduce the hunter wielding it to ash… as well as any comrades that happen to be nearby. Is that sort of power truly worth the risk? Therian technology has advanced dramatically the last few decades, but do they truly understand the long term implications? Can they understand what sort of consequences such equipment will have beyond the death of the beast in front of them?

"Technology without caution leads to ruin. You are so eager to find out whether you _could_ create new and more powerful machines that you fail to ask whether you _should_. This is a lesson that all Gahin know, and one that only Purists seem to remember. Our memories are long. We remember lessons others have forgotten."

Bram tried to press for more, but the huntress refused to say anything more on the subject. Between that and the sour look she was giving him, he quickly gave up and stopped asking, and the huntress continued to educate them on other parts of Gahin life.

As for the country's hunting lifestyle, Tuulikki told them that Gahiji was filled with particularly dangerous monsters. Within these borders, there were a lot of creatures which were so deadly that to approach them in a direct confrontation could easily end in death, no matter the strength or skill of the hunters. There was the Gravios, a creature with skin so hard the sharpest blade and keenest arrow would fail to penetrate its rock-like shell. There was the Deviljho, which existed in Theron, a creature who specialized in hunting down fleeing prey, assuming its prey managed to survive long enough to run. There was the Tigrex, a creature of primal rage that was so powerful that its _roars_ could cause physical damage at close proximity. There was the Rajang, a beast which was the embodiment of pure power, which had the strength to tear apart the land itself and the gall to hunt down and devour elder dragons.

And the elder dragons! Theron only had a few dozen elders to account for; Gahiji had _hundreds_. The Gahin Guild had an entire legion of highly-trained hunters just to keep _track_ of the elder dragons in the country, and that wasn't taking into account the hunters they actually sent out to kill or repel the beasts.

That was why hunting in this country was built around being more stealthy and mobile than it was about being strong. There was far more value in being able to sneak up on and deal a debilitating blow to a monster than it was to just charge in headfirst. You needed to be able to maneuver through your surroundings and use them to your advantage, rather than just trying to overpower a monster or try to keep dodging long enough to outlast it. And with the geography being as chaotic as it was, there was a lot of need for hunters to be at their best. Anything less, and the Guild would be essentially sending hunters off to their deaths.

Lintukoto was a village that was steeped in tradition. As the Therian hunters had noticed, most of the village consisted of men and women who kept to the Purist mindset, showing their respect to their ancestors by keeping to the old ways of hunting. Legacy and lineage were important to the locals here, and many of them could trace their family tree back a dozen generations or so. It was very important to honor the achievements of your ancestors in this village and to live up to the expectations that were laid upon your shoulders. Tradition and respect for one's elders also generally led hunters to use the same weapons as their parents or other ancestors out of honor for their legacy, and in hopes of surpassing them. Not every hunter did so, but it was quite common.

"So… did you do that?" Sonia asked during Tuulikki's explanation. "Did you use the same weapon as one of your ancestors? Your dad uses a long sword…"

"Yes, and my mother used the glaive," Tuulikki replied.

"The glaive?" Bram asked, looking at the weapon slung across the huntress' back.

"Indeed. It is appropriately called the insect glaive," Tuulikki replied, unslinging the weapon holding the staff out for them to observe. "The premise is simple: it is polearm which allows hunters to strike monsters with wide, sweeping attacks at greater range, and can be used to vault oneself into the air should the situation require it. This weapon is focused on motion and acrobatics more than anything else, and is a very useful weapon to wield in this country. Vaulting can be very useful when navigating terrain… or it can allow you to attack monsters with powerful overhead strikes that you would not otherwise manage with other weapons."

"What's with the bug though?" Sonia asked, pointing to the large black beetle clinging tightly to the huntress' arm. "You called it the _insect_ glaive, but the bug's not part of the weapon… is it?"

"It is called a _Kinsect_ ," Tuulikki replied with just a touch of sharpness. When Sonia winced a little, the huntress frowned, calming herself slightly and raising her arm for the Therians to see better. As if in response to the attention, the beetle turned around on her arm to face the three of them, its small black eyes glittering. "Kinsects are an… extension of the glaive's capabilities. As an archer requires arrow coatings, and bowgunners require more than simple ammunition, so too does the insect glaive require a Kinsect. They are not _necessary_ to wield the weapon, but their presence makes for a more capable hunter. Kinsects act as support for the hunter wielding the glaive, creating a bond between themselves and the hunter using this: the pheromone sac."

The huntress swung her glaive around, holding up the blunt end of the staff where the glowing green orb was. Looking at it closely, Sonia realized that it wasn't so much an orb as it was a sac of some kind, with a translucent membrane filled with a swirling green fluid that glowed brightly. Every shake of the glaive made the fluid glow slightly brighter, and Sonia noticed that the Kinsect on Tuulikki's arm twitched slightly with every movement.

"This sac contains a very potent pheromone, which attracts the attention of the Kinsect. By twirling the staff in the correct manner, a hunter can send out wave of pheromones that give the Kinsect an 'order'. There are three orders you can give them: attack, return, and seek. Attack and return are just what they sound like, and seek is a more precisely aimed attack using the pheromone to help the Kinsect know exactly where to strike. Perhaps I will show you how the 'seek' order works at a later date; I don't need my Kinsect getting riled up right now."

"And it listens to your every command?" Bram asked.

"To an extent," Tuulikki replied. "Some hunters… no, _many_ hunters, follow what I consider to be a very destructive mindset when it comes to the use of their Kinsects: complete and utter control. The more of the pheromone you expose the Kinsect to, the more it obeys you, to the point where it will follow your every whim without question."

"Isn't that… a good thing?" Sonia asked, but the dark look Tuulikki gave her said that the glaive wielder clearly thought otherwise.

" _Some_ hunters might think so," the huntress growled. "By doing so, the Kinsect certainly becomes docile and obedient, but it also loses all sense of self-preservation, and any sort of personality or intuition it would otherwise have. It becomes a mindless drone that only responds to the pheromones that are released by the glaive, and such creatures have a tendency to be killed by large monsters when they are sent in carelessly by a thoughtless hunter. I have no desire to raise a creature which would fly into the maw of a beast without a thought for its own life. I want it to be able to think for itself, to be aware of what it is capable of, and move as it best thinks it should. The Kinsect does have a mind, and possesses its own level of intelligence; my own has surprised me several times by maneuvering through the air in ways I would not have thought of and helped me bring down monsters with much more ease than if I had not trusted it to act as it saw fit." The huntress looked down and smiled at the black beetle with a surprisingly loving expression. "I would much rather have _trust_ in my Kinsect than to keep it as a slave."

The Therian hunters looked curiously at each other as the Kinsect clicked its mandibles happily as the huntress rubbed her hand along its shell. Upon noticing their gazes, Tuulikki cleared her throat nervously.

"So… the Kinsect just acts as a distraction for the monster?" Sonia asked.

"There is more to it than that. While the Kinsect does pull the attention of the monster away from the hunter, and is able to strike out at monster's weak points, it also possesses another ability: boosting a hunter's capabilities. When a Kinsect attacks a monster, it is able to gather 'essence' from the creature it attacked, made of small scrapings or fur or chunks of hide. Upon gathering the essence, the Kinsect's body is able to convert it into a special fluid, which can boost a hunter's skill once it enters their bloodstream-"

Sonia's eyes snapped open in shock, but Bram was the first to respond. "You're… _injecting_ yourself with stuff your bug spits out?" he asked, horrified.

" _Kinsect_ ," Tuulikki corrected sharply, before sighing and shaking her head. "It is not an… injection, exactly. It's more of a balm."

The huntress held up her arm, motioning towards the bracer on her arm. As if in response, the Kinsect crawled off the bracer, providing the hunters a better view, though the creature skittered across the huntress' body, before perching itself onto the top of her head. Sonia heard Logan shiver with disgust behind her, but Tuulikki didn't seem to notice.

"Once the Kinsect collects the monster's essence and filters it through its body, it can land here and bites down on this mouthpiece." The huntress pointed to a small nub on the bracer. "Once attached, the Kinsect regurgitates the essence it has collected through the holes on the mouthpiece, which travels inside the bracer and is spread onto the skin. The mucus of the Kinsect is absorbed through the skin quite quickly, and shortly enters the bloodstream, where the effects of the essence temporarily boost the hunter's strength. Depending on the type of essence the Kinsect gathered, the effects can vary: some essences bolster a hunter's strength, some speed, some defense. Some will even provide healing and painkilling effects similar to drinking a potion."

"Your bug - ah, Kinsect - can create produce healing fluids?" Bram asked, leaning forward in interest.

"Yes. It's not that potent, but the Kinsect can indeed break down essence in that manner."

"But still…" Sonia groaned, "you're boosting yourself by putting bug vomit in your blood…"

"It isn't vomit! And you make it out to be worse than it truly is," Tuulikki sighed. "It is no different than eating a Might Seed or other such substances."

"It is _way_ different!"

"It's not _that_ bad, Sonia…" Bram said, earning a small smile from Tuulikki. "Really, it's not that much different than drinking a glass of milk."

"Excuse me? What kind of milk are _you_ drinking?"

"Buffalo milk. The same type as you? Don't you know where milk comes from?"

"Yeah, it comes out of a… oh. Ah. Right. Um…"

"Not that different, is it? At least you're not putting Kinsect essence in your mouth."

" _Thank you_ ," Tuulikki nodded.

"Still can't believe hunters actually use a weapon like that…" Logan muttered uncomfortably. "You sure this a normal weapon? I ain't seen many folk using that kind of thing."

"There are plenty of glaive wielders in Gahiji!" Tuulikki replied defensively, though she lowered her gaze a moment later. "Well… perhaps not _that_ many. Admittedly, the Kinsect, though an excellent boon to have, is also partially the reason that so few hunters wield the insect glaive in the field…"

"Because of bug vomit?" Sonia supplied.

"No! And don't call it vomit! Aversion to the Kinsect's essence boosting aside, the Kinsect also requires care and nourishment. It is a _living creature_ , not simply a weapon, and is not that different from having a pet. You must provide them nectar, make certain their pheromone sac doesn't grow empty, work to make sure they aren't injured while on a hunt, provide care for them if they _are_ wounded… And in the tragic event that your Kinsect dies during a hunt, you will have to raise a new one from a hatchling. Many hunters don't wish to add the responsibility of raising one as a requirement to hunt, and so they choose less complex weapons instead."

"Can't say I don't understand where they're coming from…" Bram replied. Tuulikki crossed her arms, a look of frustration and slight disappointment on her face.

Sonia paused thoughtfully for a moment, looking between the glaive and the Kinsect. "What happens if you get a new weapon?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… if you get a new glaive, do you need to get a new Kinsect too?"

Tuulikki was quiet for a moment, before scoffing. "No, of course not. That would be foolish and wasteful. Though the Kinsect has a connection to the pheromone sac within the glaive, it is merely a matter of transferring the pheromone sac from one glaive to another. If a smith designs a glaive where the sac and Kinsect cannot be transferred, you should find a different smith. They're trying to wring you dry of your Zenni by tricking you. That would only lead to a vast number of Kinsects to care for and keep fed. It seems that caring for a number of Kinsects is a responsibility few hunters seem to desire…"

"Can't imagine why…" Logan muttered, staring up at the large beetle perched on the huntress' head. "Hoy, bug girl. I got a question, hey?"

"If you want to get back to your hut in one piece today, you will _never_ refer to me as 'bug girl' ever again, understood?" Tuulikki growled. Logan frowned, but nodded begrudgingly. "Very well. What's your question?"

Logan grumbled to himself in frustration before answering. "Back when we was fighting the Seltas, we wasn't doing half bad before you come along." Tuulikki scoffed at the words, opening her mouth to retort, but Logan cut her off. " _But!_ During the fight, something funny happened. I pegged it in the face with a dung bomb to get it off a wagon, and then its eyes got all glowy, and it went all crazy-like, hey? After that, things went downhill, and… Hmph. Well, you seem to know a bit 'bout bugs, so I was thinking you maybe know what happened."

Initially, Tuulikki had been scowling for having been cut off, but as the great sword user finished speaking, a thoughtful expression had covered her face. "Glowing eyes? That shouldn't have… That only happens when a Seltas is under control of a Queen. How did…" The huntress' eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, you said you threw a dung bomb at it?"

"Ja."

"What kind of dung bomb?"

Logan's face soured. "What with you and Bram? Is a _dung bomb_! Don't need to know-"

"Just tell me."

Logan grumbled sourly to himself, reaching into his pouch and pulling one out. "Don't know, hey? Bought 'em in Val Habar, and didn't really care 'bout the ingredients. You really curious about it, you can have one. Don't see the point though…"

The hunter tossed one of the dung bombs over to Tuulikki, and the glaive wielder caught it gingerly, examining it carefully. Sonia didn't know what she was looking for, though; it was just poop in a bomb casing, wasn't it? But Tuulikki seemed to be studying it intently, before raising it to her ear and shaking it slightly, and Sonia shivered in revulsion at the sound of sloshing coming from within. A moment later, the huntress looked up, a surprised expression on her face.

"Who did you buy this from? What caravan?" she asked, and Logan shook his head uncertainly.

"Eh? I don't… Erm… Thinking… thinking it was West something?"

Tuulikki nodded at the words. "West Dickens… I know them. They usually keep to the trade roads between Val Habar and the Heavenly Mount. They're known for producing cheap and shoddy knock-off equipment. I advise you to never buy from them again."

"What? They… They sell me defective stuff?" Logan growled angrily.

"I wouldn't call them defective…" Tuulikki replied, rolling the bomb casing around in her hand. "I think I know what happened. Most dung bombs are made from their namesake, monster dung. However, I have heard that there are also… equivalent replacements."

"What do you mean?" Bram asked. "Do they replace the dung with something that smells just as bad or something?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Like what?" Sonia asked. "Rotten eggs? Spoiled milk? Logan's cooking?"

"Hoy!"

"It varies," Tuulikki replied. "However, since you were wondering about these bombs in particular, I suspect I know what happened. Rather than your standard dung, I believe that these bombs you purchased were created using Seltas Queen pheromones."

"Eh? From the queen?" Logan asked. "Then… if we hit the Seltas with it…"

"If you'd used this against any other monster, it likely would've had the intended effect," the glaive wielder explained. "Seltas Queen extract is a notoriously foul-smelling substance. However, Seltas Queens use pheromones to control Seltas. It produces different scents with subtleties that only Seltas can detect to give orders, with different effects: find food, carry me, defend this territory… mate. It can even use the pheromones to give the Seltas battle commands."

"Then…" Bram muttered, "the bomb that Logan threw-"

"It likely compelled the Seltas to attack," Tuulikki affirmed. "It could just as easily given the Neopteron the order to fall asleep or lay down and allow itself to be killed, but it seems your bomb came from more aggressive pheromones. Without precise orders, the Seltas must have decided to attack without prejudice against whatever it considered worth attacking. Essentially, the entire caravan."

Logan let out a strained sigh, and as Sonia looked over at him, she found him staring at the ground with a guilty look on his face. "So… is my fault then, that we got the caravan in trouble?"

The glaive wielder was quiet for a moment. "Your actions may have led to the Seltas' mad assault… but fortune seems to have worked against you. Had you bought the bomb from another vendor, you would likely have avoided this issue. Had the Queen extract had any other effect, the battle would have turned in your favor. Had you missed and thrown a second bomb, the extract in that bomb may have had a different effect. Had Treno done his work properly… well. It seems that you were simply unlucky."

Sonia grimaced, clenching her fists and glaring at the ground. " _Unlucky_? That's it? We are not just-"

"Misfortune compounded the problems," Tuulikki cut in sternly. "Poor luck nearly cost some members of Stellazzio their lives, but basic skill should still have seen you through the battle victoriously, despite everything else. Even with bad luck like that-"

"If we get skilled enough, we'll be able to be victorious, despite any… complications, right?" Bram asked.

Tuulikki blinked at the interruption, frowning and nodding. "Yes. For the most part, at least. But you still have a long way to go before you reach that kind of skill…"

"But not impossible for us, hey?" Logan asked, looking up at the huntress. The glaive wielder scowled.

"You've yet to impress me," she replied simply. "And as for you, perhaps it would do you some good to read up on the monsters that dwell within Gahin borders, to keep such _bad luck_ from happening again."

Logan harrumphed and crossed his arms, but nodded sullenly. "Maybe I will, girlie."

A couple days later, Bram had uncomfortably asked about the bells she wore in her hair, and the bells that he'd seen other hunters wearing around Lintukoto. A haughty expression had grown on Tuulikki's face as she turned to give them a good look at the silver orbs tied into her hair.

They were symbols of pride, she told them, signs of great skill and cunning offered to hunters. They tied in with the more stealthy aspect of being hunters: when a hunter was able to sneak up on a monster and deal it a debilitating blow by surprise, they tied a silver bell into their hair or armor to symbolize their successful outmaneuvering of a monster. With each consecutive monster you dealt a surprise attack against, another bell was added, showing your skill to your comrades. However, they also increased the difficulty of adding _more_ bells, as the more you had, the more challenging it was to surprise a monster successfully. Once you failed to surprise a monster, you had to remove all the bells and start again from zero.

"I wear fifteen bells in my hair," Tuulikki had explained. "A proud number for any Gahin hunter. However, my goal is to reach fifty bells, as my mother, Mielikki tar'Lempo, had at most during her lifetime. I have reached as high as twenty-one, and I hope to surpass that."

After that explanation, Sonia really began to notice the bells more often. At least half of the hunters that lived in Lintukoto wore them in their hair or clipped on as earrings, or even strapped to their armors. It was amazing how she hadn't really noticed them before; those that wore them seemed to move fluidly even when not hunting, slipping gracefully through the village so as not to make the bells chime, even as they climbed the walls or leapt across gaps. Most didn't have many bells on them, usually between two and five, though some had as many as ten. Hunters with more than a dozen were scarce though, and Sonia only saw a couple with more than twenty. Sonia began to wonder if there would be a chance for her to get some bells of her own while she was here in Gahiji…

As the days went by, Sonia realized she was acclimating to the way things went here in Lintukoto. Though she, Bram, and Logan hadn't completed their training, they were soon using what they'd learned in their everyday life. When traveling through the village, Sonia would occasionally just climb up to the higher levels of the village rather than traveling to the closest staircase. When some villagers were transporting goods and blocking the pathways, often it was faster to leap to the other side of the ravine and back rather than waiting for the transporters to carry their goods past. She'd also taken to watching some of the other hunters in the village and comparing her own motions to how she moved, trying to figure out the best methods of travel.

Sonia had to admit… she was starting to enjoy herself here. She was experiencing something that was completely unknown to the people she knew back home, and gaining skills that she'd never knew a hunter could possess. The process was far from what she'd imagined it to be, but she couldn't deny that it was having an effect. Even if she couldn't manage to pass the Gahin hunter's exam - though she was determined to do so one way or another - she would come out of this as a better hunter.

* * *

The day after a full month had passed since their arrival in Lintukoto, Sonia found herself lulling peacefully out of sleep, breathing gently as the light from the sun filled the gully, illuminating her room with a gentle light. For a few minutes, Sonia savored the feeling. It felt like it had been so long since she'd really gotten a chance to sleep in…

A few moments later, the huntress jolted upright in shock. It _had_ been a long time since she'd slept in, exactly a month! Tuulikki had woken them at the crack of dawn every day without fail since they'd begun their training!

Was this… a test? Had something happened? Was Tuulikki _dead_?

But a moment later, Sonia heard the sound of Tuulikki rapping her knuckles against the door to the boys' hut next door, causing a ruckus when the hunters no doubt realized that they'd slept in… or been allowed to sleep in. Leaping from her bed, Sonia paused only long enough to pull on a shirt and trousers before throwing herself out the front door.

"Sorry I slept in!" she blurted out. A moment later, Bram and Logan's door burst open, and the two men began sputtering out apologies of their own as well. However, Sonia was surprised to find that Tuulikki did not appear to be there to lead them off for training. In fact, she wasn't even wearing her armor! Sonia didn't think she'd ever seen the huntress without her armor on…

She was wearing casual clothing, a green-dyed leather vest and a pair of tan cotton trousers, as well as some firm sandals. Her hair wasn't as tightly bound as it usually was, still braided but flowing more freely than before, though her 'honor bells' were still tied into the silvery-blonde hair. She didn't carry her glaive with her, but she did still have a hunting knife strapped to her belt, and she still wore her bracer on her wrist with her Kinsect clinging tightly to it. The large bug always seemed to be with the huntress, no matter where they were.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Tuulikki told them, smirking at their disheveled appearances. "However, we will not be training immediately today."

"You… what?" Logan muttered in confusion. "We isn't?"

"No, we is… we aren't. Later this afternoon, perhaps, but not before lunch. However, that doesn't mean that I don't want you up and moving. Get dressed and ready. There are some hunters I need to introduce you to."

"Who?"

"We're meeting with a couple friends of mine," Tuulikki explained. "They've been away on a hunt for some time now. The hunt was successful, but one of them was injured because of some… never mind. During the battle, he suffered a broken leg, and was unable to return to Lintukoto immediately thanks to his injuries. However, he has had time to recover, and I received a letter last week saying they should return today."

Sonia gulped uncertainly, and couldn't help but fear what to expect; Tuulikki had been downright _venomous_ to them when they'd first arrived, and even if she'd gotten softer since then, she was still a harsh taskmistress. If these friends were anything like her at all, the next month might be even worse than the first. Were the two 'friends' of Tuulikki's just going to team up with her and gang up on the Therian hunters? Sonia glanced at her friends, and both men wore the same concerned expressions that she did. None of them were eager to be introduced to these hunters.

Tuulikki seemed to catch Sonia's expression, however. "If you were wondering, yes, I do plan on asking for their aid in training you three. One is a very skillful individual whom I frequently find myself in awe of. You lot could learn a lot from them. The other is a hunting apprentice like yourselves, and perhaps will be able to offer you some insight on how better to learn the ways of Gahin hunting. Now go get ready, I'd like to be at the top of the village before noon."

The Therian hunters dressed slowly as they prepared for the day. Sonia was thankful for the chance to really wear casual clothing around the village for once; she'd been wearing her armor nearly every day since their training started, and it was starting to stink. A few local Felyne cleaners had come by to scrub down the Jaggi materials on a regular basis, but there was only so much one could do with such constant use.

After breakfast, Tuulikki led the three of them to the top of the ravine, back to the trees at the top of the village. There they sat in wait near the edge of the road which came from the west and continued on towards the southeast. They didn't have to wait too long, however; as midday grew close, there was a clattering sound coming from down the road, and as Sonia looked in that direction, she saw a caravan making its way down the road. At first she was shocked, thinking that it was Caravan Stellazzio come back early, but the wagons all looked different, and she recognized none of the people following alongside. This was a different caravan.

"There they are… finally," Tuulikki sighed. "My friends should be accompanying that caravan."

"So… what kind of people are your friends?" Bram asked, and Tuulikki gave a haughty smirk.

"Well, they-"

"Tuli!"

Tuulikki turned her head just in time to gasp in surprise as a bright pink blur slammed into her from the side, nearly knocking her over. But a pair of strong arms quickly wrapped around her, pulling the glaive wielder off the ground and into a tight hug.

"Oh, Tuli, I've missed you so much! It's been too long since we last saw each other! Did you miss me and Leon? I know how lonely you can get when we're away!"

The Therian hunters were left frozen in shock at the sight in front of them. Tuulikki, the woman who had made their lives a veritable hell for the last month, had been lifted completely off her feet and was being spun around by another woman wearing bright pink armor. The huntress' Kinsect had detached itself quickly, and was now hovering in the air over the two of them as Tuulikki yelped in surprise, trying to dislodge herself from her assailant. Some passersby glanced their way, but few of them seemed concerned with the sight; was this a _common_ occurrence?

"Hah, you really didn't need to greet her so aggressively, Vi," an exasperated voice sighed next to Sonia, making the huntress jolt in surprise. She turned quickly to find a hunter standing next to her, who looked down to meet her gaze.

He was a tall young man, matching Bram in height, but more broad at the shoulders. He had a long, bright orange lance sticking straight up behind him, and a wide, half-moon shaped tower shield strapped to his right arm. Both weapon and shield were brightly colored, with the shield itself decorated to appear as a bright yellow eye at the core of the vibrant orange materials. He wore thick green and tan scale mail, accompanied with metal lining, sturdy plating that appeared well-crafted but worn down. His helmet was off as well, revealing dark and swarthy skin, a clean-shaven but battered face with a square jaw and a stern expression. His black hair was cut close to nearly a buzz-cut, giving him a very professional appearance. His hazel eyes, however, were curious as he examined Sonia. He nodded politely, giving her a small smile as he extended his hand.

"You must be Sonia. My name is Leon ka'Virtus, Tuli… ah, Tuulikki's friend. It's nice to finally meet you."

Sonia blinked in surprise, reaching forward slowly to shake his hand, which he shook firmly. _These_ were Tuulikki's friends? This was definitely not what she'd expected. "It's… nice to meet you too… Wait, how do you know my name?"

The lancer glanced over towards Tuulikki and the pink-armored huntress, who was still hugging the glaive user fervently, despite her protests. "Tuli's been sending us letters about you three over the last month. We've got a general idea of what's happened."

"Letters, huh?" she muttered, and Leon grinned.

"Oh, yes. You can probably guess, but the first few were very… unflattering. A long list of grievances, if I had to describe them. However, we-"

"Damn it, Vi, put me down!" Tuulikki snapped at the pink-armored huntress.

"Ah… I should probably help," the lancer mumbled, striding over toward the huntresses. "Come on, Vi, you can put her down now. I think she's gotten enough affection."

"Oh, boo," the pink huntress sighed, lowering Tuulikki to the ground and releasing her. The glaive wielder glared at the huntress for a moment, before glancing nervously at the Therian hunters, her face growing flush with embarrassment. She turned away quickly, hiding her face for a moment as she straightened her clothing. As she turned back around, she found all three Therian hunters staring at her and the pink-armored huntress with flabbergasted expressions. Both Bram and Logan had been stunned to wide-eyed silence by the entire display, though Sonia imagined she'd look the same if Leon hadn't distracted her. The huntress cleared her throat before addressing the three of them.

"As you… may have guessed, these are the hunters I mentioned… my friends," Tuulikki told the trio, though Sonia couldn't help but notice that there was a slight hitch of embarrassment in her voice. "Allow me to introduce them. The hunter is Leon ka'Virtus-" The young man nodded politely. "-and the huntress here is-"

"A pleasure to make your acquaintances!" the pink-armored hunter cut in quickly, curtseying with her platemail dress. "My name is Violetta tar'Kumin. You can call me Vi, though!"

Violetta's appearance and demeanor were a far cry from Tuulikki's. The huntress wore the gaudy plated armor dress made from Pink Rathian materials, and strung over her back was a weapon that was just as flamboyant, a bright green hunting horn shaped like a collection of bongo drums and covered in lime green fur, tribal symbols, and decorations. She was roughly the same height as Sonia, putting her nearly a full head taller than Tuulikki, but she seemed to have quite a bit more weight on her, and her body was much curvier than most hunters would be able to possess in their profession. Her skin was well-tanned, and her face was round and soft, with not a scratch nor scar to be found on it. Her hair was a dark brown, a bob cut down to her shoulders, and her eyes were wide and vibrant, colored an appropriate violet hue as she smiled sweetly.

"So these are the Therian hunters you told us about!" the pink huntress exclaimed, sweeping forward to examine the three of them. The trio winced nervously as she circled around them, eyeing them curiously as she looked them up and down. Her gaze lingered critically on Logan for a few moments longer than they had on the apprentices, but she pulled back quickly enough and returned to Tuulikki's side. "You know, they don't look as bad as you let on. They seem nice."

"You isn't so bad youself, hey?" Logan said with a sly grin, earning a laugh from the pink-armored huntress.

"Well, aren't you friendly?"

Logan smirked wickedly, but the expression faltered as he received a noxious scowl from Tuulikki. " _As I was saying_ , now that they've returned to Lintukoto, I plan on having them aid me in teaching you. Three hunters can provide better teaching than a single one possibly can."

"Kinda strange to have three hunting teachers, don't you think?" Violetta noted.

"Hardly three," Leon noted. "We're not all licensed hunters, after all. But to be fair, I had two hunting masters myself, though the circumstances were a little strange. Still, two heads should be better than one."

"So is Leon the one who will be teaching us like you said?" Sonia asked, but Leon blinked in surprise, looking at Tuulikki in confusion. The glaive wielder smirked slightly, before shaking her head.

"No, he's not. Leon here is, like you three, an apprentice. _Violetta_ is the experienced huntress whom I have called upon."

"Really?"

"Her armor is made from Pink Rathian materials," Bram pointed out. "That's a high-rank monster, unless things are different in this country."

"That's right!" Violetta nodded. "Also, my horn is made from Emerald Congalala materials, which is high-rank too."

"Exactly," Tuulikki nodded. "Leon is certainly a very calm and observant individual, but isn't licensed quite yet. While Violetta may not _act_ like a professional hunter-"

"Hey!"

"-she is indeed a very skilled individual, and has been recognized as a high-rank hunter by the Guild. She's the one who will be aiding me in teaching you three the art of stealth."

"Oh, I see. I just thought… wait. _Stealth_?" Sonia looked back towards Violetta, staring poignantly at the woman's bright pink armor, lime green hunting horn, and general vibrant demeanor.

"Yes, of course," Tuulikki replied proudly, motioning towards the other huntress. "Do you not see the bells of honor, displaying her skill?"

Sonia realized that Violetta's armor was absolutely _covered_ in silver bells! There weren't any hanging from her short hair like Tuulikki's, but Violetta had to have at least sixty small jingling orbs tied to her armor, glittering brightly in the midday sun. Most were attached to the wide, plated dress that hung from her waist, though there were several tied to her pauldrons, and even a few wrapped around her wrists. The huntress smiled and twirled in place as Sonia stared at her, allowing the bells to jingle with the motion. But with so many bells, how could Violetta possibly sneak up on a monster?

"How she get so close like that?" Logan muttered, and Sonia gasped.

"Hey, yeah! How'd you manage to sneak up on us with all those bells?"

Tuulikki had a very smug look on her face as she replied before the pink-armored huntress. "As I said, Violetta is _very skilled_. She is easily the most talented hunter at the art of stealth within the walls of Lintukoto Gully, and perhaps the stealthiest hunter between here and Dundorma. It's no surprise that three inexperienced Therians were unable to hear her coming."

"What about you, though?" Bram asked curiously. "She practically tackled you when she showed up, and I'm fairly certain you were just as caught off guard as the rest of us."

The glaive wielder sputtered slightly at the accusation, clearing her throat before responding. "That… merely goes to show what she is capable of. Even with the armor she wears and the weapon she wields, there is no monster… and few humans, that can detect her presence as she approaches them, if she does not wish them to. In fact, she could likely-"

"Aw, come on, Tuli! You'll make me blush," Violetta laughed as Tuulikki flushed slightly. "Tuli likes to brag for me. She's _very_ proud of me as a friend."

"For good reason," Tuulikki muttered, slightly flustered. "You are an exemplary huntress."

"Aw, how sweet of you. And you want me to teach them how to be sneaky, right? I can do that." The pink-armored huntress smiled encouragingly at the Therian hunters. "I can't promise that I'll make you as good as _me_ in just a month, but I'll do what I can! Should we start immediately? I'm a little tuckered from the trip back, but I've got enough energy to give a lesson."

"Actually, that will have to wait for tomorrow," Tuulikki replied. "We were just waiting around so that I could introduce you all, but I've already made other training plans for this afternoon. Today is set on dealing with a pack of Velociprey that are growing too numerous south of the village. Once that is done-"

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Violetta said quickly, cutting the glaive wielder off. "Velociprey? _Prey_? Not a Drome?"

Tuulikki blinked in confusion. "Ah… well, yes, just the Prey. They don't yet meet my standards of-"

"Aw, come on Tuli," the pink huntress sighed. "Your standards are too high and you know it. You should have given them something big to fight by now, shouldn't you?"

"But it's only been a month-"

"They've only had a month with _you_ as their teacher," Violetta cut her off. "They were training as hunters before they even arrived here, right? Even if it was as Therian hunters, not Gahin, that's a lot more than a month of experience."

"I'm with Vi on this one," Leon added, earning a disappointed frown from Tuulikki. "I got the chance to take on a Great Jaggi after three months as an apprentice, and they've got at least that much experience under their belt. Why not give them a real test, and see how much they've improved by pitting them against something more challenging than ankle-biters?"

Tuulikki scowled, crossing her arms indignantly. "I seem to recall hearing that your first Great Jaggi hunt didn't go that well, Leon."

The lancer chuckled sheepishly, scratching his cheek. "Maybe so," he admitted. "But it gave me a reference, showing me what my weaknesses were. Even you've got to admit that there's only so much you can learn fighting Velociprey."

Tuulikki scowled in frustration at the combined arguments from both Violetta and Leon. The Therian hunters watched in amazement as the two other hunters seemed to so easily handle the short woman. Finally she sighed, turning back to the Therian hunters. "So be it. It seems our plans for today have changed. Go fetch your armor and weapons; today we see if you three can defeat a… Great Jaggi."

"Just a Great Jaggi?" Violetta asked curiously. "Why not a Seltas? Their numbers have been pretty high recently." Tuulikki hesitated at the suggestion, however, and the horn wielder rolled her eyes. "Let them fight a Seltas. Isn't that the one they had trouble with? Let them try and show you that they've improved."

Tuulikki crossed her arms though, lowering her head to hide her face. "I think a Great Jaggi would-"

"I think you're letting personal preferences cloud your judgement, Tuli," Leon cut in.

The glaive wielder grumbled sourly at the words, before raising her hands in defeat. "Fine! Fine. They'll fight a Seltas. I don't like it though."

"We know you don't," Violetta chirped.

Tuulikki continued to grumble to herself for a few moment, before turning her attention back to the Therian hunters. "Alright, you heard them, you three. It's time to see whether or not you've managed to learn anything over the last month. You have yet to overcome the Training Hill, but-"

"We still got time for that," Logan growled. "Ain't been two months yet, hey. Thinking we more than ready to squish a bug."

"Ha, that's right!" Sonia chimed in. "We'll get it this time!"

"Don't get overconfident! I'm sure your _last_ encounter with a Seltas is still fresh in your mind, even after a month! If you-"

"Calm down, Tuli," Violetta said.

"Right… Fine. Alright then, you three go equip yourselves. You've got a Seltas to hunt."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about a training montage! Please Review!**

 **I learned something interesting recently. I was reading an article about old stories of dragons and knights and stuff, and there was a section dedicated to asking the question about what the best weapon for fighting giants beasts would be. Turns out, any sort of sword would actually be a really poor choice of weapon to use against a massive foe. For best results, you need to use something you can let better leverage with, like a spear or lance, or even clawed gauntlets. Relying on a long piece of metal with only a small hilt to hold is a bad idea. You either want a long hilt/pole to hold or to have something strapped to your arm for best results. You need that torque!**

 **Also, I was planning to put secret messages at the ends of my chapters, hidden in secret code, but the code I was going to use turned out to be flawed, so any message I wanted to write would end up being ridiculously convoluted.**

 **Playing: MH4U  
Listening: Revolutions Podcast, Crit Juice Podcast, Pet Shop Boys  
Watching: Ip Man, Red Cliff, Cosmos, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Kekkai Sensen / Blood Blockade Battlefront (I can't believe Funimation is producing something so good and bloody)  
Reading: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi, One Piece by Eiichiro Oda**


	8. Improvement

Improvement

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

There was a cold confidence flowing through Logan's veins as he finished putting his armor on. He'd been waiting the whole month for a chance like this, to show Tuulikki how wrong she'd been about him and his apprentices. Every cold remark with her derisive tone had made the great sword user seethe, and even if the huntress' attitude towards them had cooled somewhat in the last month, Logan still clung to the anger he'd felt at the start. His apprentices had gotten a little more comfortable with Tuulikki recently, but Logan… he just couldn't stand the woman.

But now he had an opportunity to show her what he was really capable of. He was loathe to admit it, but the huntress really had managed to teach them a lot over the last month, more than she thought she had, perhaps… No, the Therian hunters were just more capable than she had first believed them to be. Maybe she thought that this hunt would be a trying challenge for them, but Logan was certain that today was the day that she saw what he… what _they_ were really made of. This month under her training regimen wouldn't be for nothing. Nothing was going to get in their way this time, not the monster nor the terrain of the country itself.

Of course, he'd made a few _other_ preparations as well, just to make sure Tuulikki couldn't say anything bad about him once he and the apprentices finished the hunt… And they _would_ finish the hunt. He wondered how Sonia and Bram would react… he hadn't really let them in on his scheme. Keeping it from Bram had been especially tricky since they shared a hut, but Logan had managed it somehow.

The apprentices had long since finished suiting themselves up and had left to meet up in front of Tuulikki's hut near the top of the village. He shifted the sword on his back uncomfortably as he left his hut and closed the door behind him, hurrying up the stairs and platforms towards the top of the ravine. He even followed the example of the locals, leaping and hauling himself up floor by floor or climbing the vines cascading down from above. He usually kept to the less precarious routes himself, but he was feeling fired up today.

A couple minutes later (not a bad time to climb from the bottom of the village to the top), he reached Tuulikki's hut, a small wooden structure that sat on the second level down. Sonia and Bram were huddled up next to each other and talking quietly between themselves, while Tuulikki was talking to her friend Violetta. The lancer, Leon, didn't seem to be around at the moment, but the pink-armored hunting horn wielder was motioning excitedly as she told some story. Tuulikki sat fiddling with her glaive as her friend talked, poking at the pheromone sac while her Kinsect sat comfortably on her hat. Logan grimaced at the sight of the beetle, but shook it off as he approached. Violetta saw him coming and waved while giving him a friendly smile.

"Okay, I is ready to go," he called out nonchalantly as he approached, and Tuulikki turned at the sound of his voice.

"It took you long enough. I thought you were eager to try and prove your worth. Shouldn't you have been…" However, the huntress' words ground to a halt as she looked at the great sword user, and Logan smirked in satisfaction. "What… are you wearing?"

Logan grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. Both Sonia and Bram were stunned to silence as they looked at him, but the great sword user didn't blame them. He wasn't wearing his Zinogre armor, nor was his Zinogre great sword slung across his back. Rather, he'd replaced both with standard Alloy armor and an upgraded Buster Sword. Both were a far cry from the armor and weapon he'd had since before he'd even started training Bram and Sonia as his apprentices.

Violetta was looking between the other three hunters with confusion. "Is something wrong? He's not late or anything…"

"Heh, don't worry 'bout them, girlie. Just got some new armor," he replied flippantly, patting his chest piece. "And a new weapon."

"Huh? How come?" Sonia asked. "Your Zinogre equipment puts those to shame…"

"Ja, that's true," Logan shrugged, before turning a flat gaze on Tuulikki. "But we is trying to prove that our skill improved, isn't we? Didn't want _anyone_ saying I only did good 'cause my _equipment_ was good, hey? So until I pass the Gahin exam, I ain't gonna use nothing but the armor and weapons I make while I is in this country."

Tuulikki scowled at the great sword user. "Fine then. In that case, I don't want to hear any complaints from you saying you only _failed_ because the equipment you had wasn't _good enough_. After all, you're trying to prove that your skill improved. Armor and weapon choices should hardly factor into that, right?"

Logan grunted and crossed his arms. "Ja, that's right."

As the two hunters glared daggers at each other for a few moments, leaving the remaining three to stare between them uncomfortably. Violetta was the one to break the silence as she cleared her throat and snapped Tuulikki out of her daze.

"I should get going then, and leave you all to it. I need to get out of this armor anyway; I've been wearing it every day for the last week, and even though it's pink I guarantee it does _not_ smell like fresh-cut flowers. Also, Leon and I are going to get some lunch at the riverside diner. Trail rations just do not cut it."

"We should return by nightfall," Tuulikki replied. "We can finish catching up then."

"Great! You can bring these three while you're at it, and we can have a celebratory meal for them!" The hunting horn wielder paused nervously as Tuulikki groaned and shot her an irritated glower. "Or… a consolation meal. Whichever. Either way, I look forward to getting to know you all better! Good luck on your hunt!"

"We don't need luck," Sonia replied quickly, before grinning and clenching her fist in front of her. "We can do this on our own merit."

"Ha, well that's the spirit," Violetta said, waving quickly before darting down the stairs. "I'll see you when you get back then!"

Tuulikki sighed as the pink-armored huntress disappeared and turned towards the gate out of the city. "Well, no sense wasting any more time. Let's be off, and we'll see whether you've really improved or not."

"Heh, thinking we gonna do better than you think," Logan replied as he tailed after her.

"We'll see."

* * *

"Hey, Bram," Sonia whispered, slinking up next to the archer as they followed behind Tuulikki and Logan.

"Yes?"

"What's going on with Logan?"

"You're going to have to be more specific than that, Sonia."

"I mean… why's he acting so hostile towards Tuulikki?"

"Would you like the list in alphabetical or chronological order? She hasn't exactly been kind to us, Sonia."

"I know _that_ , but… I mean, I'm not that fond of her either. I get the armor and weapon change, but this… doesn't really seem like him, you know? I get that he wants to prove himself, but the way he's acting feels more like he wants to rub her nose in it. She's not the most pleasant person in the world, but I've never seen him act like this."

Bram nodded slowly. "Maybe you're right. He's always been a serious man… at least when it comes to hunting, but I've never seen him as aggressively antagonistic towards someone before."

"I've seen him get into fistfights with people and then share a drink with them the next day," Sonia noted.

"Right, right. I've never known him to hold a grudge, but…" Bram paused, shaking his head thoughtfully. "I'll ask him about it later. For now, let's focus on the hunt, okay?"

"Yeah… okay," Sonia muttered, frowning and crossing her arms.

Sonia wasn't that fond of the glaive wielder herself, sure; the way that she'd treated them when they'd first arrived in Lintukoto was still fresh in her mind. Bram was a little jumpy around Tuulikki as well, but that was for entirely different reasons. But she'd gotten more agreeable since then, almost… friendlier wasn't the right word. More professional? More like a teacher? She was their temporary hunting master, and a harsh taskmistress at that, but at the same time, she really seemed to be putting her best effort into teaching them. Beyond that, though, Sonia really wasn't sure what to make of Tuulikki. Sonia didn't really _like_ the glaive wielder, but at the same time, she didn't really _hate_ her. At least, not like she had during the first week. These days, everything the other huntress did felt so guarded and awkward. And then there was how the huntress had acted upon the arrival of her friends-

"Hello again!"

Sonia jolted in shock at the quiet words spoken next to her, and turned to find Violetta walking right between her and Bram, smiling sweetly between the two apprentices. Sonia's eyes darted down towards the huntress's outfit; she had yet to change out of the Pink Rathian armor with all the bells on it and Sonia had never heard her coming or seen her appear between them. For that matter, she'd just seen the horn user leave for the lower levels not twenty seconds ago, and she'd managed to loop around behind them?

"Ah… um, hello again, Miss Violetta," Bram muttered politely, clearly just as caught off guard as Sonia had been. "Didn't you say that you were-"

"Heading off to have lunch with Leon, yeah," the huntress nodded with a smile, reaching up and looping her arms into theirs. Violetta was keeping her voice hushed for some reason. "But please, call me Vi! I won't keep you for long, since I really _am_ famished… I'm really looking forward to having some Kelbi sausage. Ahti ka'Pekko has the best grill in town, hands down… I can treat you two if you come back successful!"

"While I appreciate the gesture," Bram cut in, impulsively lowering his voice to match the pink-armored huntress' tone, "is there a reason we're speaking so quietly?"

"Oh, right!" Violetta gasped in realization, lowering her head slightly as though to reduce the noise. "There's a small favor I'd like to ask you two… something I'd like you to do for me while you're out looking for the Seltas."

"What… like, collecting honey or something?" Sonia asked.

"No, I… well, actually, yes, if you could. I've been meaning to get some, and the trader likes to overcharge… But what I really want you to do is this: this may sound strange, but while you're searching for the Seltas, could you compliment Tuli's Kinsect?"

"I don't… what?" Sonia tilted her head in confusion. "Complement the bug? Um… the _Kinsect_?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"If I may ask… why?" Bram wondered.

"I think it'll be a good idea."

"And how's that?"

"I think it'll help you get along a little better with her," she replied quietly. Violetta was quiet for a moment, the smile on her face vanishing as she stared at the path in front of them. Then the smile was back as she looked up at them. "She's very proud of how she's raised him, you see, and despite how she acts, she's a sucker for praise. I know you don't really have a reason to listen to me… I'm sure she hasn't really been the kindest, gentlest person in the world to you three-"

"That might be a bit of an understatement," Sonia replied, and Violetta smiled sadly.

"Can you do that for me though? I know you don't really owe me anything, and considering my relationship with Tuli you probably trust me as far as you can throw me…" The huntress tilted her head thoughtfully. "Actually that's probably not the best phrase is it? Tuli's much smaller than me, so you can probably throw her further; would that mean you trust her more than me? I don't- ah, getting off topic."

Sonia frowned uncertainly. As nice as Violetta was, Sonia still wasn't certain how much she should trust the huntress. She was Tuulikki's friend after all… but she just seemed so genuinely friendly. Sonia supposed that opposites tended to attract; she and Bram were about as close as people could get despite being polar opposites in terms of personality. Vi's eyes were shining with such sincere honesty that Sonia finally nodded.

"Yeah… I guess we can try, but…"

"Great!" Violetta said, smiling brightly. "Trust me, it'll be worth it in the end!"

"In the end?" Bram asked. "What's that supposed to-"

"It means what it means," Violetta replied. With a twirl, the pink-armored huntress spun out of from between the two apprentices, pulling their arms behind her before spinning them together. Sonia blinked in surprise when she found her arm entwined in Bram's, and Violetta smiled brightly at them. "Thank you in advance! I'll make sure my stealth training with you guys is _extra_ good as a reward! Even more so if you do collect that honey for me while you're at it."

"Hey, hold on-" Sonia said as Violetta slipped past them, walking in the opposite direction down towards the lower levels of the Gully.

"Hoy, what's the hold up?" Logan called out from up ahead. He and Tuulikki had both paused at the stairwell out of the village, and the great sword user was looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Why you guys feeling so friendly right now?"

"Friendly?" Bram asked. "What do you-"

Then the two apprentice realized that they were still arm-and-arm, and the pair of them quickly pulled away from each other. Logan was smirking at them though, and Tuulikki was rolling her eyes.

"Heh, save that other stuff for when we get back, hey? We got work to do now. Come on, you two."

"Yeah, yeah, we're coming!" Sonia called back. "We were just talking to-"

However, the huntress gasped as she glanced behind her. Violetta had completely vanished from sight, nowhere to be found on the path behind them. But how? She'd only turned his attention away from the pink-armored huntress for a few seconds… if that.

"Just what?" Tuulikki snapped. "Hurry up! You have a hunt to do!"

"We're coming!" Bram replied quickly, grabbing Sonia's arm and pulling her forward, before lowering his voice. "I suppose if nothing else, she'll certainly be an effective stealth instructor, won't she?"

"I guess so…" Sonia replied, as the four hunters made their way out of the village.

* * *

They were about two miles outside of Lintukoto when Sonia decided to try and take Violetta's advice. They'd been walking in silence for the most part, Tuulikki taking the lead, but Sonia finally decided to buckle down, picking up the pace to catch up with the glaive wielder. The short huntress glanced up curiously as the dual blade wielder matched her stride, but quickly returned her gaze to the path in front of them when Sonia didn't immediately say anything.

Looking down, Sonia stared uncertainly at the Kinsect clinging to the short huntress' bracer. How was she supposed to compliment the Kinsect? What part of it was she supposed to praise? The wings? Its shell? Its mandibles? The creature as a whole? Its strength or speed, perhaps? As she pondered, the Kinsect seemed to sense her gaze and turned to face her, its black eyes glittering as it opened its wings to clean them with its hind legs. Sonia couldn't help but feel that the bug could sense her thoughts and was trying to preen a little to make itself more appealing. Tuulikki had noticed though and looked down at the bug with a confused expression.

"Um, you know, I couldn't help but notice that your Kinsect is kind of cute…" Sonia said awkwardly, and winced inwardly. She heard both Bram and Logan mutter in surprise at the comment, and mentally berated herself for such a pitiful attempt.

However, Tuulikki's face lit up at the words, and her once-flat and sour expression was replaced with one of supreme adoration. "I know, isn't he _just_?"

Sonia nearly tripped over her own feet at the complete turnaround in the glaive wielder's appearance. Tuulikki's eyes were practically shining as she reached up and stroked her hand across the Kinsect's shell, pulling a contented, purr-like clicking from the black beetle as it lifted its head, urging the huntress on.

"When I first got Ketrak, I didn't really know what to expect, but he's just so friendly and sweet!" Tuulikki said, prattling on as Sonia followed behind her in flabbergasted silence. "He's always so eager to meet people and play, and is so loving and affectionate! I just don't understand why people think Kinsects are gross; they've obviously never gotten to know one. If they're only basing their opinion on their fear and disgust towards larger insectoid monsters… I can't really understand those fears either, actually. Neopterons and Temnocerans are so wonderfully interesting, I just can't believe people find them unappealing.

"Though, I admit I was worried he was going to be scary-looking too when I first got him… I was much younger at the time, of course, and more squeamish about bugs, but his shell is such a beautiful, glossy black. Such a wonderful little creature… Ketrak's the entire reason I like insectoid monsters so much in the first place. He's such a sweetheart.

"I only hope I'm raising him correctly… I can't count the number of Kinsect care and development books I've read, and so many of them are at odds with each other. Bolster your Kinsect's power first, bolster their speed first, their stamina first. A golden shell is good, but a blue shell is better says one, while another claims that the opposite, or that no, a white-colored shell is obviously the best. My research isn't perfect, but I think I've narrowed it down to the best option, as far as I can tell. The Guild's lead entomologist seems to have developed the most in-depth research, so I'm going with his method, which matches at least three of the books I've read. But I've read all his papers on insectoid creatures, both big and small, so that's no surprise.

"I've noticed that Ketrak's shell is getting a slightly blue and purplish tint to it as well, so I think he's getting close to chrysalis, which means he'll become even lovelier than before! Or I hope he will be… I'll love him all the same no matter how he comes out, even if he's as pink as Vi's armor. I hope I'm not spoiling him too much like this, however… What do you think? Should I try being a little more-"

Upon looking up from her Kinsect and seeing Sonia's baffled expression though, Tuulikki abruptly sputtered to a halt. A look of shocked realization appeared as her face grew red with mortification, and she quickly dipped her head, hiding her face under her cap for several seconds. When she raised the brim back up, she'd composed herself, and was giving Sonia an agitated but flustered look. She didn't seem angry though, so that was a plus.

"Violetta put you up to that, didn't she?" the huntress grumbled sourly. "I should've known better than to think you'd actually… Never mind. Let's just keep going. I want this hunt over with before nightfall."

With that the huntress stalked off, shoving forward and taking the lead once more, fuming to herself. A moment later, Bram and Logan caught up with her.

"That was an interesting reaction," Bram noted. "Although, it went about as well as I thought it might…"

"Hoy, what the hell was that about?"

"Violetta suggested it," Sonia replied quietly. "I think she was trying to help us get along a little better with Tuulikki…"

"Why we want to do that?" Logan growled.

"Because we're going to be training under her for at least another five months, or until we pass the Gahin hunter's exam?" Bram replied. "Maybe Sonia's right. We're going to be working with her for a while, so we might as well try and improve our relationship with her. She's certainly not the most pleasant person, but we can try to at least be cordial to her. Water under the bridge, and all that."

Logan grimaced at the thought, crossing his arms and giving the apprentices a dour look. "Pah, do what you want, but I ain't gonna try and get friendly with her as easy as that."

Sonia and Bram gave each other concerned looks, but pressed forward, allowing the great sword user to lag behind as they approached the glaive wielder again. The short huntress still had a moody expression on her face, and her own arms were crossed in agitation as well. Bram looked nervously at Sonia before clearing his throat and stepping up next to the woman.

"So you… like Neopterons?"

"Yes… I do," Tuulikki replied, glaring at the archer with distrust. However, there was a spark of interest in her eyes and she continued speaking. "I find them fascinating. When I first took to using the insect glaive, I admit to being adverse to them, but Ketrak grew on me the longer I had him with me. I found him to be a very faithful and caring companion, much more than I would have expected. So I began to research other insectoid monsters as well."

Tuulikki's gaze remained on the path in front of them as they continued through the forest, but Sonia could see that her glower had vanished, and the glaive wielder had a glitter in her eyes. It was the same sort of look she'd seen on her mother when she was talking about trade, the look Van got when talking about some new book he'd been reading, the look that Bram's family members got when they were talking about their research and experiments… Well, Tuulikki's expression wasn't quite as _manic_ as the last example tended to be, but it showed the same sort of enthusiasm.

"Seltas, Seltas Queen, Nerscylla, even Konchu and Altaroth… I find them to be very interesting and unique creatures. They stand out among the rest of the beasts which call Gahiji their home. The way they have adapted themselves, the habits they have developed to compete with the other creatures you find in this country… Nearly all of them use deceptive tricks to gather their meals and protect themselves. The Nerscylla's deadly venoms, its trick to coat its body in the hides of its prey… the, ah, _bond_ between the Seltas and its queen… It's such a fascinating display, from such intricate beings!"

The huntress sighed in dismay. "I find myself… hesitant to kill them in the end. They're such wonderful creatures, I hate to inflict harm upon them… This insect glaive I carry is a fine weapon, but there are others which are superior to it. Unfortunately, many of them require materials from insectoid monsters, so I am out of luck. Honestly, I don't even enjoy the idea of hunting one now."

Sonia and Bram looked at each other uncertainly, but Logan grumbled a bit under his breath. "You not gonna stop us from killing it, is you?"

"...I am not so fanatic as that," Tuulikki scoffed. Her hesitation made Sonia think it might have been otherwise under other circumstances. "While I do not hunt them myself, I realize that they must be hunted when they cause trouble for humans. If you kill this Seltas, I won't hold it against you… but neither will I step in to help you hunt it, unless it threatens one of your lives. Do not expect me to kill it either; like the Seltas which attacked the caravan, if I must intervene I will only do so until it tries to flee, and I will allow it to escape with its life. If this Seltas dies today, it will not be by my own hands."

"We'll definitely take it down!" Sonia replied confidently, before flinching slightly as Tuulikki glared at her. "Erm… I mean…"

"I know what you meant," Tuulikki sighed, shaking her head. "You are training to be a hunter and you are merely doing your job. I won't hold any grudges against you for hunting and slaying any insectoid monsters. That being said, there _will_ be hell to pay should you harm _Ketrak_ in any way."

"Er… right. Understood. Big bugs bad, small bugs good…Sometimes. At least in this case."

"So… you named your Kinsect? Ketrak, right?" Bram asked.

"Of _course_ I named my Kinsect," the huntress replied curtly, turning her head sharply towards the archer. Bram shifted uncomfortably as the bells in her hair jingled loudly. "He's my pet and hunting partner. People don't just get pets and not name them. That's so _impersonal_ , like having a pet Poogie and just calling it 'Poogie', or getting a Goldenfish and naming it 'Goldenfish'. Ketrak has been my ally since I became a hunter in the first place; it would be stranger to have _not_ named him after all this time!"

"That makes sense, I suppose… Why Ketrak? Is that a Gahin name?"

"Well… in a sense," Tuulikki replied cautiously. "Old stories off further east, where Neopterons are more common, claimed that there was a god of insects named Ketrak, who claimed their souls after death."

"You named your Kinsect after a god?" Logan asked flatly. "That's a bit showy."

Sonia snapped an agitated glare at the great sword user, warning him off. She wasn't happy that he was adamant against trying to come to terms with Tuulikki, but that was his decision. However, he didn't have to get mouthy and ruin her and Bram's attempts! Logan rolled his eyes at her gaze, but nodded apologetically. However, Tuulikki's was staring at the ground, and Sonia could see that her face was slightly tinted in embarrassment again.

"I was fourteen when I got him," the huntress muttered. "My naming sense may have been a little… immature back then."

"Ah… that makes sense," Sonia replied with a nod. "The teen years are always a little awkward."

"Sonia, we're still in our teens," Bram sighed.

"I meant the early teens! The awkward years, the… you know what I meant!"

Bram shrugged, turning away from Sonia as she scowled at him. However, Tuulikki had returned her attention to the path in front of them, but a small, amused smile pulled at the edges of her mouth. Sonia blinked in surprise, before hurrying to catch up with the other huntress and leaning down towards her Kinsect… Ketrak, Sonia supposed.

"You know, it _is_ a little cute when you really look at it," Sonia said, leaning forward towards Ketrak. Tuulikki turned and gave her a sour, distrustful look. "No, really, I mean it."

And she did, surprisingly. Though it was a little strange to think of a bug as a pet, Sonia had to admit that Ketrak did act rather friendly. It enjoyed having its shell stroked, always looked at someone that was paying attention to it, and seemed eager to please, though it was hard to tell. That being said, Sonia didn't really think the same feeling could be given to the Seltas, or whatever its queen or a Nerscylla were… Ketrak though, was friendly enough to get the title.

She reached up carefully, placing her hand against the beetle's sturdy shell, and the Kinsect shivered in delight at the touch. As Sonia ran her fingers along its body, the Kinsect let out a contented chittering, leaning into the stroking. Sonia smiled slightly at the motion; Ketrak really did act like a pet, even if it was a pet with a hard shell, compound eyes, six legs, and a large pair of pincers.

"I wouldn't go so far as to calling Ketrak _cute_ ," Bram admitted, and Tuulikki narrowed her eyes on him, "but I can understand why you're so fond of him. He's certainly a friendly creature, and quite intriguing. Personally, though I have no desire to use the glaive myself, I'm am interested in this essence-boosting thing you talked about."

"I can explain it in further detail if you wish… once we return to the village," Tuulikki offered carefully.

"I'd appreciate that."

The huntress nodded at the words, but paused uncertainly, glancing back at Logan. Ketrak followed her gaze, turning and chittering eagerly at the great sword user. However, as the insect did so, the great sword user flinched slightly. After a moment, Logan grunted irately, pushing past the huntress and striding onwards.

"Don't like bugs," he growled as he forced his way through the foliage. Tuulikki looked as though he'd personally insulted her, and glowered venomously after him as he strode through the thicket.

"You… fine. Fine then. I shouldn't have expected…" With a sharp look, the huntress glared at Sonia and Bram. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up, you've got a Seltas to hunt."

With a huff of disdain, the glaive wielder turned and stalked after Logan. She quickly caught up to him, shoving him aside and taking the lead once more, earning a few curses from the great sword wielder. Sonia looked hopelessly at Bram, but all the archer did was shrug in dismay.

"That could've gone better," Bram sighed.

"What just _happened_?"

"I don't know… Come on, Sonia. Let's catch up. We'll focus on the hunt for now, and everything else… the rest will just have to wait."

* * *

Tuulikki continued to lead them on through the countryside around Lintukoto, along narrow paths that seemed to weave through the hills without rhyme or reason. The four of them kept silent for the rest of the journey, stewing in their own thoughts. Sonia was still irked with Logan for making Tuulikki angry like he had, especially when she and Bram had been doing so well. The glaive wielder's fuming seemed to have abated during their trek, but she'd closed herself off to the Therian hunters once more, focusing only on seeking out their prey.

Eventually, the path began to slope downwards, entering a deep ravine that stretched east and west, not unlike the one that Lintukoto itself was built inside. The bottom of this ravine was dry, however, though a thick cluster of trees grew up along the southern side, the leaves casting deep shadows across the floor as the branches crawled up the rock walls. The base of the ravine was shattered and upturned, with the floor jolting up and down and making travel a challenge. It was as though they were walking across broken piano keys; the elevation didn't change that much as a whole between one side of the ravine to the other, but every dozen yards or so, the earth would drop or jump a few yards, making it aggravating and slow to traverse.

Tuulikki kept them within the foliage of the trees, leading them through the shadows as they continued on. Finally though, she paused, raising her hand to call them to a halt and motioning to the far rock wall of the canyon.

"There it is," Tuulikki whispered.

Sure enough, a Seltas hung perched high on the far wall of the ravine. The creature had placed itself under a small tree which grew precariously out of a wide crack several dozen yards up. The green leaves and the shadows they cast partially hid the insect from view, and Sonia wondered if she would have seen the creature if Tuulikki hadn't pointed it out…

At the moment, the Seltas was carefully leaning up and nibbling at some large white flowers that were growing from the branches, sending a rain of petals and leaves down to the ravine floor.

"Thought Seltas was supposed to be carnivores?" Logan muttered, earning a questioning look from Sonia. "What? I bought a couple books to learn about the local monsters."

"Really?" Tuulikki asked.

"Said I would, didn't I?" Logan replied with a crooked grin. "I take my job seriously, hey? Ain't gonna let things go wrong like they did with the caravan, not again."

"...I see," Tuulikki replied flatly. "However, your book is not entirely true; Seltas are _mostly_ carnivorous, but are known to eat flowers and berries if the situation requires it. However, I suspect that is not exactly what this one is doing."

"Really? What you-" But before Logan could finish, Tuulikki quickly shushed him, motioning back towards the Seltas.

The hunters watched as the Seltas continued to eat, but Sonia soon realized that the Neopteron wasn't eating nearly as many of the flowers as she'd first thought. It seemed like it was just tearing more of them from the branches than it was trying to eat them. There was some movement at the bottom of the ravine, and the Seltas abruptly froze where it stood, turning around and staring at the ground below it. A moment later, a herd of Kelbi made their way into the canyon, their hooves clicking as they passed over the rocky terrain, hopping up and down the uneven ledges. As the Kelbi passed under the tree where the Seltas lay in wait, a couple of them paused and looked down at the fallen flowers and leaves. The herbivores glanced around nervously, checking for any threats, before leaning over and nibbling at the food.

As soon as the Kelbi lowered their heads, the Seltas pushed off the wall, its wings unfolding from its shell and beating into motion as the creature rocketed towards the earth. The Kelbi bleated in surprise, searching around for the source of the sound, but it was too late. The Seltas dived low, pulling up at the last moment and punching its horn directly into the side of one of the Kelbi. The creature squealed in agony as the Neopteron's momentum dragged its body through the air before it landed a dozen yards away, the blood pooling under them as the Kelbi quickly bled out. The rest of the herbivores bolted, sprinting away from the gory mess, but he Seltas ignored the fleeing Kelbi; it had already caught its prey.

The creature punctured onto the insect's horn was dead by now, its body hanging limply as blood dripped to the ground and slid down the Neopteron's shell, painting the forest-green material with streaks of crimson. The Seltas dipped its canopy towards the ground, before shaking its body back and forth, dislodging the carcass and sending it splattering to the ground. With a squeal of victory, the Seltas quickly began tearing into the herbivore's body, creating disgusting squelching and ripping sounds which carried clearly into the hunters' ears.

"Don't let that be you," Tuulikki advised. "That horn is sharper than it looks."

"Ick…" Sonia groaned.

"You're disgusted by this?" Tuulikki asked. "I thought you had been an apprentice for quite some time. You must have seen things like this before."

"Not like _that…_ Jaggis attack in groups, Royal Ludroth and Qurupecos eat fish, and Gobul eat their food whole. This is the first time I've seen a monster impale its prey like that…"

"Best accustom yourself to it; Seltas are common in this area, and this will likely not be the last one you see."

"But now that it's distracted, we got a good chance to kill it, hey?" Logan growled excitedly.

However, as the hunters rose to rush the creature, Tuulikki quickly raised a hand. "Wait."

"You not gonna let us attack?" Logan hissed, and Tuulikki glared at him.

"You will have your chance. However, do you recall when I explained the ideals of stealth and the honor bells to you?" The Therian hunters nodded. "Then perhaps you should try and live up to those methods of hunting. Instead of madly charging in as seems to be the standard for Therian hunters, try instead to take the Seltas by surprise. It is focused on its food now; strike a debilitating blow before it knows you're even there!"

"But you haven't taught us anything about stealth!" Sonia argued.

"It's _not_ that hard a concept. Violetta can teach you the more minute details later, but at its core you merely need to be _quiet_. It is said that Therians are rough and brutish, but surely you can at least _try_ and sneak up on it, can't you?"

"We can," Logan replied sternly. "So, what, we just get in real close and-"

"Not _you_ ," Tuulikki replied quickly, getting a sharp glare from the great sword wielder. "It's best if only one of you tries, while the other two remain on standby. _You_ move around too loudly; the Seltas would notice you before you got twenty yards away from it. _If_ you were capable enough to sneak up on it, you _would_ be the best option; a surprise blow from that great sword of yours… despite its lesser quality compared to your Zinogre blade, it could easily do enough damage to cripple or outright kill the Seltas. But you aren't subtle enough for this… not yet."

The glaive wielder looked at Bram. "You are likely the stealthiest from what I've seen, but a surprise attack with a bow against a hard-shelled creature like the Seltas would require a pinpoint shot, and I don't want to gamble on that.

"That leaves you," she said, turning to Sonia. "Dual blades are not the best weapons for surprise attacks, but if you can surprise it, you might be able to do enough damage to keep the hunt from getting too challenging."

"Get close and slice it up? I can do that!" Sonia replied enthusiastically.

"It's not that simple," Tuulikki said sternly. "Your blades are barely sharp enough to cut into the Seltas' shell. If you're going to sneak up on it, you had best take every advantage you can get. Don't just assault it head on: go for the weak points. You should try for-"

"Its face, its underbelly, and its butt - uh, abdomen?"

"Yes… exactly. How did you-"

"We figured that out back with the caravan. Bram's got a good eye for weak spots."

"Ah… well, you know where to aim. Try and cripple it before it can retaliate, and things will go much easier."

"And be careful," Bram whispered. Sonia looked back and gave him a confident smile, before slinking in the Seltas' direction.

Sonia crept forward cautiously, slipping through foliage as silently as she could. She'd never really tried to approach a monster like this, and she couldn't help but wonder if she'd be successful. Usually she'd only tried to hide from monsters when she or the others had laid traps, and were waiting for them to be set off, but she'd never tried to actively creep up on a monster. Thankfully, she seemed to be doing pretty well so far; the Seltas hadn't noticed her yet, though she wasn't sure whether that was due to her stealth abilities, or if the creature was just too focused on its ravenous consumption of the Kelbi.

Either way, she was slowly getting closer. She hesitated as she reached the edge of the treeline, uncertain how best to proceed. Beyond this, she wouldn't be able to duck behind any trees if the Seltas heard her… but she was going to have to risk it. Cautiously, she stepped out onto the rocky crevice, wincing at the sound of pebbles grinding under her boots, but the Seltas still had yet to catch onto her. Sonia closed the distance between herself and the Neopteron, and reached for her dual swords.

However, one of the rocks she stepped on suddenly shifted beneath her, creating a quick clattering of pebbles. The Seltas froze mid-bite, twisting its body around and catching sight of her immediately. Its mandibles were still dripping with the blood and sinew of the Kelbi, and its yellow compound eyes seemed to glow as the insect released a menacing hiss…

"Aw, pecker…"

* * *

"Damn it!" Logan hissed. "Bram!"

But the archer was already on his feet, an arrow mostly drawn, and the younger man sent it searing through the air. A fraction of a second later, the arrow struck the Neopteron just over its face, glancing off the thick shell but leaving a long crack behind. The creature squealed in shock, searching around for its attacker, and Logan rushed forward, charging loudly through the brush. The Neopteron spotted him instantly, waving its sickles at him angrily as its wings began to unfold.

However, it had forgotten about Sonia. The huntress launched herself at the Neopteron's back, swinging her dual blades out and into the insect's soft abdomen. The Seltas shrieked in pain, stumbling away from the huntress, but the creature continued to spread its wings, before leaping into the air and flying over the huntress' head.

Logan burst out of the treeline a moment later, dashing into the open as the Seltas hovered to a halt, squealing in agitation. Its compound eyes darted between the great sword user and Sonia as the pair of them stared up at it. Logan slid to a halt next to his apprentice and spared a glance back into the trees. Bram had yet to emerge from the trees, and was keeping himself under the canopy of overhanging branches, trying to follow the Seltas through the leaves. Logan nodded proudly; the archer had realized that the Seltas wasn't aware of him yet, and was keeping out of sight.

Tuulikki, however, remained hidden further back , watching the battle from the shadows. She was hidden so well that Logan had barely been able to find her, and likely wouldn't have if he hadn't known she was there already. True to her word, it seemed like she wouldn't intervene at all.

"Stay where you is for now, Bram," Logan called out, keeping his eyes on the Seltas; the creature's attention was fully on him and Sonia. "Don't think it knows you there yet, hey? Try and drop it when you got a shot."

The archer didn't reply, but Logan saw him nod, sliding himself closer to the base of the trees and keeping an arrow nocked and ready.

Hissing angrily, the Seltas snapped its abdomen forward, immediately launching a trio of slimy green blobs at the hunters beneath it and forcing them to leap backward to avoid them. Almost before the orbs had hit the ground, the Seltas swept through the air towards Logan with its horn pointed forward. The hunter ducked to the side, wincing as the Seltas' beating wings buzzed loudly over his head.

Logan turned as the Seltas looped in the air and leveled out into a high hover. The creature fired more acidic slime, forcing the great sword user to dive to the side again, nearly running him into a short ledge. However, a month's worth of muscle memory kicked in, and Logan leapt, grabbing the top of the ledge and hauling himself over the incline before the globs could splatter against him, pushing to his feet and turning to face the Neopteron once more. The hunter grinned viciously at the creature now that he found himself several feet higher and within much easier reach of the insect. If the Seltas didn't fly any higher, Logan would easily be able to strike it if it just got a little closer…

While the Seltas' attention was off of her, Sonia had done the same as Logan, dashing to the ledge on the other side of the depression and climbing up that side as well. The ledge Sonia stood on wasn't as high as Logan's was, but it was still more than high enough for her to reach the Seltas. With a quick nod to the huntress, Logan sprinted along the ledge towards the Seltas, grabbing hold of his great sword's hilt in preparation to attack. The Seltas seemed to realize this, and immediately began to fly backwards to put itself further away from him, but didn't realize that flying away from Logan was leading it towards Sonia instead.

Leaping off the edge, the huntress lashed out with her dual blades, the edges cutting into the creature's soft abdomen as she passed under it before hitting the ground. The attack wasn't very deep, but the surprise terrified the Neopteron and sent it spinning around, spraying its acid in a panic, and Sonia yelped in fright as the rocks around her were hosed with the steaming green fluid.

However, in its frantic spinning, the Seltas had flown close enough to the ledge that Logan was on instead. The great sword user grinned excitedly as he charged, leaping over the edge and swinging his great sword over his back and down onto the creature's back. There was a satisfying _crunch_ as the blade smashed against the Seltas' shell, the weight of the great sword slamming it down to the ground. The creature screeched in pain as it bounced off the rock, skidding across the ravine before sliding to a halt a couple dozen yards away.

"Haha! How you like that, you damn bug!" Logan shouted. Even as he was speaking, however, the Neopteron began pushing itself back to its feet, wobbling unsteadily but shaking its head and hissing at them a moment later.

"Buh… that didn't _kill_ it?" Sonia gasped.

"Eh… not used to this whole jumpy-attacking thing yet," Logan muttered, glaring at his great sword. "Ain't easy swinging this thing in the air without spinning youself in a big circle, hey? That shell's a lot harder than I thought it would be, too… But it's on the ground now! Let's go get it before-"

However, the Seltas abruptly charged forward, skittering across the ground with a speed Logan hadn't expected. Almost immediately the creature was lashing out at him with its sickles, and the hunter swept his weapon into a defensive stance to keep the points from punching into him. A staccato of clangs echoed across the ravine as the Seltas tried to pierce through the heavy metal slab. Logan did his best to keep it from breaking through; he didn't know how durable this armor really was, and he didn't want to find out the hard way.

To his left there was a flash of motion as Sonia darted around the Seltas, trying to attack its soft abdomen again, but the Neopteron spotted her and swiped its sickles around in a wide arc. The huntress cursed and leapt back as the edges grazed her cuirass, cutting shallow lines into the lavender leather. Logan lunged for the creature, swinging his great sword down towards the creature's back, but the Seltas' wings snapped out from its shell and blazed to life, and before the blow could land the Neopteron pushed into the air and out of reach.

"Hoy, not this crap again!"

"Bram, now might be a good time to surprise it!" Sonia shouted towards the trees. Logan could see some yellow-colored motion in the shadows, but before he could focus too closely on it, the Seltas dipped its head down, aiming the point of its horn directly at Sonia.

An arrow shot from the shadows of the trees, punching into the Seltas' abdomen just behind the insect's wings. The Neopteron still charged forward, but the arrow wound had altered its aim, and the monster veered sharply to the right, missing Sonia completely. The creature squealed in surprise as it nearly crashed into the far wall, but managed to pull up enough to skid against it instead, before grabbing hold of the wall and clinging to the side. The Seltas spun around, its eyes darting around angrily for its assailant, but Bram had slipped behind the trees again, and the Neopteron failed to spot him. With no other targets in sight, the Seltas once more turned its attention on the blade wielders beneath him, rubbing its sickles together and hissing at them.

However, Logan noticed that the creature's motions seemed a little sluggish. He could see a thin trail of purple fluid sliding down the creature's body from Bram's arrow, alongside the Neopteron's green blood.

"Poison, eh? Heh, that works just fine. Hoy, Sonia, you is the faster one. Once the poison kicks in you hit it fast and hard, hey?"

"Got it! What about until then?"

"Wear it down, and try and give Bram a clear shot."

With a nod, Sonia darted forward, charging towards where the Neopteron clung to the wall, with Logan following behind. With a cry of anger, the Neopteron darted towards the floor of the ravine, raising its sickles to attack. As it reached the base of the ravine, it snapped its forelegs out, but Sonia leapt sideways around the side of the creature. The Seltas started to turn as well, but caught sight of Logan too and pulled back, trying to keep both of the hunters where it could see them. Logan and Sonia both looped around the Seltas, trying to find an opportunity to attack, but the wary Neopteron was doing its best to keep either of them from getting into a blind spot. However, as it backed away, another arrow shot from the trees, nearly hitting the Seltas in its soft abdomen again, but arcing too high and clashing off its shell.

The Neopteron jolted in fright, spinning around in search of its attacker, and Logan rushed forward and swung his sword down at the creature. The insect heard him coming and tried to slide to the side, but the heavy metal blade clashed against the creature's canopy, screeching as it scraped against the hard shell and crunched down into the hook at the base of the horn, slamming the insect into the ground. The hunter cursed at the minimal damage he'd done, pulling his weapon back to attack again, but the Seltas quickly swept its sickles out with a low sweep, striking the hunter's greaves. The edges of the sickled didn't pierce the alloy plates, thankfully, but the force of the strike was enough to knock Logan's feet out from under him, throwing him onto his back and giving the Seltas time to push itself back to its feet.

Sonia jumped in from the side, swinging her dual blades down and stabbing them hard into the Seltas' abdomen. The insect squealed in pain, and green goop sprayed from its rear. Sonia cursed, yanking her swords free and leaping away from the hissing slime, and leapt back again as the Seltas swung about, swinging its sickles at her in a horizontal slash. The forelegs extended slightly during the swing, the points of them stretching nearly far enough to cut into the huntress' torso, but Sonia managed to keep out of range. As the sickles swept past, Sonia nearly jumped forward to attack again, but the Seltas recovered quickly and swiped its forelegs at her again, forcing her away.

Sonia pulled further and further back as the Neopteron's sickles swiped left and right. The huntress kept on her toes, looking for an opportunity to attack; each swing the Seltas took required a moment or two to recover before it could swing again, and Sonia was edging closer and closer to lashing out.

And then her moment came. The Seltas put just a little too much power into one of its sweeps, and a couple of the creature's legs had to snap out to keep it from losing its footing. At that moment, Sonia dashed forward, sliding right up to the Seltas and swinging her dual blades up under its arms towards its chest. There was a splash of blood and a screech of pain as the edges of the blades cut into the creature's body. Sonia pushed forward, trying to do more damage, but the insect instinctively spun away, trying to cover its soft spots. Sonia wasn't bothered, lunging towards the creature's now-exposed abdomen.

But the creature's wings unfurled as it tried to fly away, and as the wings buzzed to life, the translucent film began to smack against her chest and face. The huntress yelped in surprise under the rapid whapping from the wings, staggering back and covering her face. The Seltas turned its head around, realizing what had happened, and with a twist, swung its sickles around in a wide arc.

"Sonia, duck!" Logan shouted, but the huntress' defense of her face made her unable to see the attack. Instinctively, she lowered her blades to try and block the attacks with the flat side of the swords, but though she managed to place the blades between her body and the edge of the Setlas' sickles, it wasn't enough to truly stop the blow.

With a clash and a shout of pain, Sonia was hurled sideways, tossed over the rocky terrain and sent rolling against the wall of the ravine. Her dual blades fell from her grasp, clattering up next to her in the dirt. The huntress groaned, pushing herself to her knees and clutching her arm in pain; a curved line had been cut through the Jaggi materials by the Seltas' sickle, slicing a gash into Sonia's arm. The Seltas squealed victoriously and charged towards the Sonia, eager to finish the job. Logan leapt forward, trying to get between them but wasn't quick enough to slow its rush towards the recovering huntress.

"Hold it!"

A couple arrows suddenly punched into the Seltas' abdomen, sickly purple poison seeping from the wounds, and the Neopteron toppled to the ground, squealing in pain. The archer appeared from the shadows of the trees, another arrow drawn, and the Seltas turned to hiss furiously at him, but Bram released the arrow, letting it shoot through the air and crack against the creature's canopy. The Seltas squealed and staggered away, but another couple arrows clashed against its shell, sending it further and further back until it bumped up against a short ledge and turned to skitter up and over the rise.

"You okay, Sonia?" he asked quickly, looking worriedly towards the huntress.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," the dual blade wielder replied, drinking a potion and slapping a small bandage onto her arm before pushing back to her feet and picking up her blades again.

"Alright… try to be more careful not to-"

A loud drone cut off the archer's words as the Seltas leapt off the rock wall, unfurling its wings and rocketing towards Bram at a searing speed. The archer leapt to the side, allowing the Seltas to shoot past him into to the foliage. The Neopteron ricocheted off the trunks of a couple trees before managing to right itself in the air, turning back to face the archer and waving its sickles angrily.

"Maybe you should be more careful yourself, huh, string bean?"

"Yes, I can see that, Sonia…"

Bram drew another arrow as the Seltas emerged from the trees, but the creature froze, hovering in the air at the sight of him, making sure not to get any closer and keeping its eyes on the archer.

"Hoy, thinking you should've stayed hidden, hey?" Logan muttered. "You ain't gonna get any sneaky hits when the bug knows you is here."

"Sorry," Bram muttered. "But I couldn't just-"

"Heh, don't worry 'bout it. Woulda done the same in you position. Don't think I coulda thrown my great sword that far, though."

"I suppose being out here will make it easier for the two of you. It'll be easier to confuse it with three attackers to contend with than it would be with two visible and one hidden."

"Ho, that's the spirit. Keep shooting like you is; you gonna have to be the one to knock it out of the sky, hey?"

Bram nodded, pulling back another arrow to fire on the Seltas, but paused before he could, glancing up at the rest of his bow. Strapped to the limb was a narrow purple bottle hanging over the arrowhead, a thin pipe trailing down. Bram was pulling a small trigger just above the grip of his bow, which connected to a pair of small pincers that squeezed the bottle, which should have send a small gush of venom onto the arrowhead… but each squeeze produced little more than a spray of mist, not enough to soak the tip like it should have.

"Empty," the archer announced, pulling the bottle free and returning it to his pouch. "No more poison, guys. Hopefully I managed to inject it with enough slow it down a bit."

Logan eyed the Seltas, glancing quickly at the poisoned arrows Bram had managed to hit the creature's soft points with. The Neopteron didn't seem slowed down by the poison, but its breathing seemed haggard and its motions unsteady. The creature probably wasn't completely poisoned, but there was enough of the venom in its blood to addle it somewhat.

"Think you done enough. Now we just gotta do this the normal way, hey?"

"If we can get its blood pumping, the effects of the poison should kick in a little faster."

"I can handle that!" Sonia said enthusiastically, stepping forward the stand next to the two hunters.

"Take it easy, girlie," Logan replied. "Don't need you getting hit like that again. Just get it riled up a bit, _then_ we go for the kill."

"Hmm… yeah, alright."

With that the huntress began to circle the Seltas, forcing the Neopteron to turn in the air to keep an eye on her. Bram pulled back a little closer to the far wall of the ravine while Logan charged straight towards the creature itself. The insect's eyes darted between the three of them nervously, before an arrow shot over Logan's head, sinking into the soft skin under the Neopteron's canopy. The Seltas hissed in pain, but managed to dodge a second arrow that shot towards it and caught Logan off guard as it swung its abdomen forward to launch a few green globs at him. The great sword user slid to a halt and dodged the blobs, but the Seltas immediately turned its attention to Sonia, diving in the air and racing towards her.

The huntress yelped, diving out of the way as the creature shot over her head. However, rather than charging her a second time, the Seltas looped high into the air and plummeted straight towards the ground in front of her, folding in its wings and swinging its sickles down in a powerful guillotine strike. Sonia just barely leapt to the side before the Seltas hit the ground, its bladed forelegs cleaving into the earth. It took a couple tugs for the Seltas to yank its sickles out of the dirt, but as soon as it had it charged straight towards the huntress.

Sonia prepared to dodge and circle the Seltas again, but gasped in surprise when her feet nearly slipped over a short drop that the Seltas had pushed her back against. However, as the Seltas lunged, Sonia intentionally hopped backwards over the ledge and down to the floor below. Both sickles swished harmlessly through the air, and the Neopteron staggered a bit, having lost sight of the huntress. As she hit the ground at the base of the ledge, Sonia leapt forward and scaled the wall, pulling herself up right between the Neopteron's sickles.

The Seltas squealed in shock, trying to stumble back, but wasn't quick enough to dodge before Sonia lashed out with her right blade, cutting a shallow gash through the creature's chest. The insect screeched in pain, twisting its sickles into an 'X' shape behind Sonia and pulling them in, trying to slice the huntress from behind. The dual blade wielder reacted quickly, ducking low and sliding under the creature's left foreleg before the edges could cut into her back. As she darted around the Seltas' side, Sonia swept her left sword low to the ground, catching one of the Neopteron's legs in the crook of her weapon. With a sharp pull, the huntress yanked the leg out from under the Seltas, and the unbalanced creature flopped onto its belly.

Logan promptly leapt forward, swinging his great sword in a wide horizontal arc. There was a loud, satisfying crunch as the blade crashed against the creature's horn, and another jagged crack splintered up the side of the thick green material. The horn didn't break off, but the creature screeched in pain, swinging its head around wildly. The hunter ducked, rolling to the side before the horn could strike him, but winced as the creature retaliated, its forelegs snapping out and striking his chest plate, leaving two narrow scrapes against the alloy.

An arrow sailed through the air before the Seltas could attack again, striking near the crack Logan had left on its horn. The creature turned towards the archer, but instead caught sight of Sonia as she tried to attack. The Seltas crawled away from her and beat its wings to life, lifting itself into the air and pulling back even further as another arrow deflected against its shell.

Logan growled in irritation at the Seltas' continued mobility; the poison should have kicked in by now, right? Or had Bram's arrows not gotten enough of the venom into its bloodstream? Did poison effect Neopterons the same way it did wyverns and beasts? However, even as the thought entered his mind, the Seltas dipped in the air, its legs nearly touching the ground. The droning of its wings grew lower in pitch, and Logan swore he thought they were beating slower. Its flight grew wavy and uneven, weaving back and forth in the air. The wound Sonia had inflicted on the Seltas' shell seemed more viscous now, the green blood tinged a faint purple.

"It's poisoned now!" Bram called out. "I'm not sure how much is in its system, though. It may be able to fight off the effects."

"Right! Let's finish it quick then!" Logan shouted.

The hunters gave chase, following after the creature as it flew over the rugged terrain unsteadily. The ground was just as uneven as ever, jolting up and down like crooked teeth. However, this time the geography hardly slowed them down at all. The first rise was around six feet high, and Sonia was in the lead, vaulting up it with ease; a small foothold jutted out a foot from the ground, and the huntress was able to use the protrusion to leap up the ledge, hoisting herself over the wall and back onto her feet in barely a second. Bram was a moment behind her, pulling himself up almost as quickly as the huntress had. Logan reached the wall last, and though he was still slower than his apprentices, it only took him a couple seconds to pull himself up. The next few jumps and drops were overcome just as quickly, and the great sword user couldn't help but find himself grinning at the speed that the three of them were able to keep after the Neopteron compared to last time.

As they gained on the Seltas, Bram paused long enough to nock and fire another arrow, which clashed against the shell just over one of the creature's forelegs. The insect's eyes focused lazily on the archer before it swept in, and Bram dodged out of the way before drawing another arrow, but the Seltas spun around wildly, swiping its sickles out and nearly clipping the archer's head. Bram cursed, trying to put some distance between himself and the Neopteron, but it hadn't been necessary; the poison coursing through the Seltas' body had apparently made the creature dizzy, and the insect's swing left it spinning haphazardly through the air.

Logan leapt in, bringing his great sword down to cleave into the Seltas' shell, but the Seltas curved sharply in the air, sailing to the side of the blade. There was a screech as the edge of the great sword scraped along the edge of the insect's shell, but the attack did little to no damage otherwise. Logan growled in frustration; a poisoned flying monster was a lot more annoying than he thought it would be. He should have been able to cut clean through the Seltas, aerial maneuvers or not, but he wasn't used to the balance and weight of this great sword yet.

The Seltas managed to stop its spiralling and focus on the great sword user, charging towards him with its horn pointed forward, and Logan twisted his weapon around to defend as the point _clanged_ off the flat of the blade. The hunter braced himself for another attack, but was caught off guard as the Seltas' wings suddenly ground to a halt, swinging its thorax and legs forward to perch itself onto the heavy metal blade.

Its grip was tenuous, but the Seltas was able to cling to the great sword, and Logan found the point of his blade thumping into the rock under him as the bug's weight was added to the already heavy weapon. The hunter was suddenly struggling to stay standing as the creature's weight pushed down on his great sword, but he hissed in shock as the Seltas swung one of its sickles over the top of the weapon. Logan was forced to let go of his blade, leaping backwards to dodge the attack and letting his great sword and the Neopteron atop it crash to the ground.

The Seltas lashed out at him and Logan twisted his body to try and let the sickle hit one of the thicker points of his armor. However, he miscalculated. The crooked point punched into his shoulder just to the side of his pauldron and pierced through the underlying mail, cutting into flesh and pushing him backwards. Logan hissed in pain as he clutched his shoulder, cursing his mistake: he'd hoped to deflect the Seltas' sickle off his pauldron, but he'd forgotten that he wasn't wearing his Zinogre armor, which stretched further over his collarbone than the Alloy armor did. He didn't think the injury was too deep, thankfully, but he'd need to patch it quickly when he could…

When the blade had toppled to the ground, so had the Seltas. The creature had fallen flat on its belly from the drop, and was now struggling to its feet as though it was drunk. The creature's breath was ragged wheezing, and every attempt it made to stand ended with its feet slipping out from under it. Every once in a while, a squirt of acid would come out of its abdomen to splatter the ground. The poison was really hitting the creature hard…

It still seemed fairly aware of itself, however, as its gaze narrowed on the great sword user and the insect forced itself to its feet. The Seltas charged towards him, swinging its sickles wildly. Logan cursed, ducking under the attacks, but with the creature's forelegs being so long, it was nearly impossible for him to dodge everything, and the creature's poisoned state made each swing twisted and unpredictable. Several times the edges clanged against the alloy armor, denting the metal and nearly sending Logan to the ground, but he managed to keep himself upright and moving. He couldn't afford to take this much punishment for much longer…

As the Seltas' right sickle came down towards him, Logan swung his arm sideways and struck the side of the foreleg with his wrist. Before the Seltas could retaliate, the hunter bellowed loudly, charging directly between the creature's sickles and throwing a punch the Seltas' face. With a loud _clang_ , the gauntleted fist smacked just over its eyes, and the insect jolted, staggering back dazed as its eyes momentarily clouded over. With his chance open, Logan pushed past the insect, dashing back towards his great sword and hoisting it back over his shoulder.

As the Neopteron recovered, an arrow cracked loudly against the point of its canopy, making the creature flinch, but before it could seek out Bram, Sonia slid around its back, plunging her dual blades down into the Neopteron's thick abdomen. The Seltas squealed in pain, involuntarily spraying a gush of acid, and Sonia yanked her blades free and stumbled back as drops the green substance splattered against her lavender greaves and pants.

The two apprentices continued to keep the Neopteron occupied, Sonia circling the creature and attacking when she could while Bram kept his distance and fired at the Seltas' weak spots. Logan took the moment of reprieve to quickly patch up his shoulder, pulling the mail to the side and slapping on a sticky bandage before downing a potion. As he watched his apprentices, however, he realized that the Seltas' attacks were growing sharper and faster than they had been before. Logan cursed; the poison had to be wearing off! Bram seemed to have noticed, and was pulling away cautiously, but Sonia…

The Seltas suddenly twisted around with a speed that caught the dual blade wielder off guard. The Neopteron swung its head low to the ground, the wide canopy catching the huntress in the side with such force that it knocked her off her feet and tossed her several yards away, directly towards Bram. The archer shouted in surprise as the huntress nearly bowled him over, but knelt down the stop her from sliding too far. Thankfully, since the side of the horn didn't have a sharp edge, it looked as though the blow had only winded her as she coughed and pushed herself to her feet.

Logan growled angrily, charging towards the beast, but the Seltas' gaze snapped directly towards him, and the creature dropped its horn as its wings unfurled. The hunter cursed, diving out of the way as the Seltas rocketed past him. However, rather than looping through the air like the great sword user expected, the Seltas shocked Logan as it veered down towards the ground immediately after passing him, slamming its thorax into the dirt and immediately digging its legs into the ground, spinning around and grinding itself to a halt. Its wings hadn't even stopped droning.

Logan realized what was happening, and swung around to block as the Seltas rocketed forward again. There was a screech of metal as the Neopteron slammed into his blade, and Logan winced as the point slid around the side of the weapon, shooting over his left shoulder. He hadn't had time to properly brace himself though, and the full force of the Seltas' hit sent the hunter staggering back several yards, nearly throwing him onto his back. The creature's wings continued to buzz and the Seltas twisted its horn left and right, trying to throw the great sword from his grasp.

Somehow Logan managed to hold tight, and before the bug could overpower him, he wrenched his blade sideways. The edge of the blade caught the crook of the Seltas' horn, and with a roar of effort, the hunter was able to flip the Neopteron upside down in the air. With its wings still beating so furiously, the insect scraped across the edge of the blade and slammed upside down into the dirt.

"Now! Get it!"

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Sonia was on top of the thing, slashing at the Seltas' exposed underbelly. Logan could see that her time as a sword and shield user made the huntress favor her right arm with direct attacks, slicing at the Seltas only occasionally with her left, though when the Neopteron tried to lash out at her with its sickles, she was able to deflect them with her left blade. The huntress seemed to be trying to deal as much damage as possible to make up for when she'd been unable to do so while it was flying.

The Seltas' flailing was enough to push the huntress back after a few seconds though, but Logan was right behind her, getting just close enough before pulling back his blade to attack the creature. The Neopteron saw him coming and frantically tried to get away, beating its still-unfolded wings. It wasn't able to take to the skies while lying on its back, but with its wings smacking against the ground beneath it, the Seltas was sent skidding across the rocky terrain, dodging Logan's cleave as it was sent tumbling over itself until it hit the far wall of the ravine.

Several arrows punched into the creature's soft parts as it scrambled to right itself, four more of them piercing into its body by the time it managed to flip over. The creature's abdomen was starting to look like a pincushion now, and even though some of the arrows had been snapped off during the battle, the broken shafts were still poking out quite prominently. Bram continued to fire at the creature before it turned around, at which point Bram held off, waiting for a clear shot. The Seltas launched a trio of goop globs at the archer, but the slime fell short, and Bram was easily able to sidestep as the green substance splashed to the ground next to him. The archer raised his bow to shoot, but the Seltas snapped its horn down to charge.

Bram slid to the side to get out of the way, but the hunter suddenly gasped in surprise as his foot landed on a hissing puddle of the Seltas' green slime, making him slip and drop to a knee. The Seltas turned slightly, adjusting its aim and shooting forward before Bram could push himself up.

"Move, Bram!" Logan bellowed, racing towards his apprentice and shoving the archer to the side. Logan twisted his great sword in front of him just before the Seltas smashed into him, and the creature's horn screeched loudly as the point scratched a jagged line into the side of his weapon.

But this time he had braced himself better, keeping him from getting knocked back as he pushed against the blade. With a twist, he turned himself to the side, redirecting the Neopteron's charge and sending the creature rocketing towards the wall of the ravine. With a loud _crack_ it smashed into the tall rock, and a long fracture split up the stone wall where the horn had pierced it. The creature's wings ceased beating and folded back into its shell, but after a moment the creature began wriggling around in shock, realizing that it had accidentally gotten itself completely stuck.

"Gotcha, you little pest!" the great sword user snapped, lunging towards the helpless creature. Sliding to a halt right next to it and swinging his sword back behind him, he tightened his grip, tensing himself before swinging the weapon in an overhead arc, sending it crashing down onto the Seltas' canopy.

The Neopteron's shell shattered, sending green and orange shards flying through the air. The creature screeched in pain as the top half of its horn broke off, sending the insect toppling to the ground and rolling onto its back. However, a moment later the creature waved its legs in the air, trying to right itself, and Logan stared in shock at the beast.

"What?" Logan gasped. "That should have-"

He cursed as he looked down at his weapon, however; he'd forgotten that he'd downgraded to a weaker great sword. His Zinogre blade would have likely cleaved the Seltas in half with the same strike, but this iron weapon was not nearly as finely honed or well-crafted as his aquamarine and tan great sword was. He'd done a lot of damage, but not enough to kill the Seltas like he'd hoped. The hunter rushed forward to finish the creature, but the Neopteron twisted its abdomen around and sent a spray of green acid up at the hunter. Logan cursed and swung his sword in front of him to block the hissing slime, though some still splashed over the edge, splattering against his forearms and streaming over his armor's thick metal plating.

Logan hissed in pain as some of the acid managed to slide through the gaps in the plating, eating into the leather underneath. The hunter backed away from the creature, but the green slime kept spraying out, and all Logan could do was try and brace himself behind his weapon. Finally the stream of acidic goop ceased as the Seltas managed to right itself, and Logan was left holding a blade slathered in the slime, dripping to the earth below with a puddle of the gunk.

The Seltas was back on its feet now, but was wobbling around unsteadily. It kept looking upwards at the shattered remains of its horn, waving its sickles up to the cracked section despairingly. With a miserable groan, the creature lifted into the air.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Sonia shouted, rushing towards the creature. The creature squeaked in surprise at the shout, turning to face the huntress as she raced towards it, before lifting into the air out of her reach. Its compound eyes darted back and forth nervously between the hunters, and the Neopteron began to look off towards the jagged slopes of the hills behind it.

"It's trying to escape!" Bram shouted, drawing an arrow. "We need to stop it!"

The archer let loose the arrow, the head burying itself into a narrow gap near the Seltas' wings, but it wasn't enough to keep it from flying. That seemed to clinch it for the Neopteron, and the creature turned and began to fly away. The hunters immediately gave chase, tailing after the beast. Bram occasionally let loose arrows, and though some shots struck it, none of them managed to drop it out of the sky.

As the Seltas fled, it followed the curve of the ravine, and though the hunters were able to follow the creature, vaulting up and over the sharp upshoots and leaping down the drops, the Neopteron was still pulling away from them. It was just too easy for it to fly straight over all the jolting terrain and outpace the hunters completely. Once it had some distance on the hunters, the Seltas turned and made its way to the wall of the ravine, which stretched nearly thirty yards straight up.

"Bram, you gotta slow it down, hey? We never gonna catch it if it flies over that!"

"Easier said than done!" the archer shot back. "I can't break through that shell very easily! Hold on… I'm going to try an arc shot!"

Logan and Sonia both immediately slid to a halt, looking back worriedly as Bram pulled a special arrow from his quiver. The point was wrapped in a thin cloth, and as the archer tore it away, Logan could see that the head wasn't made of iron, and was instead a dark flint with sharp, jagged edges. The very tip was dipped in a dark black fluid, covering most of the head, though the spines along the edge were clearly visible.

"You sure about that, Bram?" Sonia asked fearfully. "You never were great at shooting those… I don't wanna regrow my eyebrows again!"

"I know!" Bram muttered irritably, drawing the arrow and aiming towards the creature. "But I'm not planning on hitting the Seltas itself. Get ready to attack, Sonia!"

"What do you-"

The archer drew back the string as far as it could go, before pulling back and aiming the arrow nearly straight upwards and releasing it. The arrow shot into the sky, arcing slightly as it curved in the air, before dropping back down towards the earth. Logan couldn't follow the path perfectly, but it seemed to him that the shot was falling down towards the Seltas, despite what Bram had said. However, the arrow struck the rock face right in front of the insect, and the edges of the flint head burst forth with a spray of sparks, igniting the black substance.

A blast with the force of a small barrel bomb detonated on the side of the wall, shattering a small chunk of the stone and sending a wave of heat and debris into the Seltas' face. The Neopteron squealed in surprise, plummeting several yards towards the ground before it managed to right itself in the air.

In a flash, Sonia was at the base of the rock wall and climbing up the side of it towards the Seltas. Before the Neopteron had the time to begin ascending again, the huntress had vaulted herself up to the same height it was at. The creature had yet to notice her, however, rubbing its forelegs against its face in pain and trying to assuage the agony from the shrapnel. The Seltas turned to hiss at the hunters below it, but paused uncertainly when it realized that one of them was missing.

Sonia pushed off the wall with a leap, landing with a _thump_ onto the top of the creature's canopy. The insect squealed in surprise at the sudden impact, dipping in the air from the added weight. From her perch on the creature's back, Sonia quickly wrapped her legs around the narrow middle of the horn to stabilize herself before drawing her dual blades and trying to drive the edges into the creature's body, but the thick plating of the shell made the edges glance off. She didn't have enough solid leverage to get in a good swing.

Then the Seltas began to retaliate. Realizing that the huntress was riding it, the insect began to flail about wildly in the air, desperate to dislodge her. Sonia shrieked in surprise, trying to keep from being thrown off, but the Neopteron's bucking was rough, and its shell had few grips for her to grab hold of, especially with her dual blades still in her hands. The Seltas' flying grew more and more erratic as well, with the huntress' weight throwing off its balance.

The Seltas' body tipped backwards as it bucked and made it abruptly fly backwards, and with a grinding crunch the Neopteron slammed its back into the rock wall. Sonia cried out in pain as she was smacked against the rough stone, her grip coming loose from the Seltas as she slid off the creature's canopy.

"Sonia, no!" Bram shouted, dashing forward to try and catch her. However, before she could fall, the huntress dropped her dual blades, clawing desperately for a grip on the Seltas' body, until she managed to find one. Just before she dropped, she managed to grab hold of the base of one of the insect's translucent wings, her grip tearing into the thin membrane.

The Seltas shrieked in shock as its wing was abruptly snapped to a halt, and with the other wing still beating wildly, the creature flipped in the air and plummeted towards the ground, throwing Sonia loose and sending her falling after it. Bram slid to a halt under the falling huntress as Sonia's dual swords hit the ground next to him a moment before the Seltas itself crashed into the rocky terrain. The archer braced himself as Sonia slammed into him, throwing both of the apprentices to the ground.

"You got her?" Logan shouted worriedly. "She alright?"

"We're fine!" the archer shouted back, as the two of them groaned in pain and untangled themselves. "Hurry up and finish it off!"

Logan didn't need any further motivation, and charged towards the fallen Seltas. Though the insect managed to struggle to its feet, it was too late. Logan had caught up to it, sweeping his sword out in a powerful horizontal slash, and as the Seltas tried to raise its sickles to block, the heavy iron blade slammed into them, fracturing them in half. The great sword kept its momentum as well, smashing into the Neopteron's thorax just below its head and sending a spray of green goop to the ground. The Seltas squealed in agony as it was thrown backwards, skidding across the rocks before smacking into the base of the rock wall.

Logan pulled his weapon back into attacking stance as the creature's legs and feelers continued to writhe about, but as he approached the creature to finish it, he realized that something was off. Though the Seltas' legs still twitched and wiggled, the insect made no other movements, and its compound eyes were hazy and dim. The Seltas was dead.

Logan quickly turned though, rushing over toward his apprentices worriedly, but he sighed in relief to see the two of them getting back to their feet, brushing themselves off but otherwise looking whole and in one piece.

"That's going to leave a bruise," Bram muttered, rubbing his chest and stomach where Sonia had crashed into him. "Thank goodness this armor is as cushioned as it is."

Sonia had slouched to the ground, and was rubbing her back as well as her head. "Yeah, lucky you. Remind me never to try and hop on a flying monster's back ever again."

"Understood." The archer glanced over towards the Seltas, flinching slightly at the sight of the creature's moving legs and reaching back for his bow. He paused though, looking uncertainly at Logan. "It's… dead, right?"

"Ja. Still twitching, but dead."

"So, it seems you were successful in the end after all." Logan jolted slightly at the words, spinning to find Tuulikki standing close behind him. The huntress smirked at the reaction, crossing her arms. "I may not be at Violetta's level, but I am still quite… sneaky, as she would call it."

"So how'd we do?" Sonia said, puffing out her chest. "Not a bad bit of hunting, was it?"

The glaive wielder kept a level gaze on the three of them for a few moments, before sighing. "To your credit, I wasn't required to step in and intervene this time, but against a Seltas, that's hardly a noteworthy accomplishment. You have all improved, certainly… but you still have much to work on.

"Let's start with you," Tuulikki continued, pointing at Sonia. "Mounting a monster like that is certainly a bold move… but I would not recommend doing so again."

"Mounting? You mean when I jumped on its back?" the dual blade wielder asked.

"Precisely. It is a technique used by some hunters within the borders of Gahiji, to jump on the back of a monster to try and wound it enough to stagger it. There are some hunters who see such maneuvers as a viable technique, but I don't deem it such myself."

"But why? I got it out of the sky, didn't I?"

"True, but it was still a foolhardy attempt. The Seltas fought viciously to dislodge you, and had it succeeded in any other way, you may have ended up badly wounded. Also, in order to properly pierce through a monster's plating and hide, you need to be able to strike with enough strength. Did you think you were doing any true damage to it while you were mounted atop it?"

"Um… no, not really. I didn't really have a clear shot at any soft spots."

"Precisely. Without a sturdy foothold or grip, or even proper stance, any damage you could inflict to a monster from such a precarious position would be minimal. You're lucky you use dual swords as your primary weapon. Can you imagine trying to attack from such a position with another weapon? With a long sword or hunting horn? Can you imagine either of these two attacking with their own weapons, the great sword or bow, while perched on the back of a monster? It is possible, certainly, but would require incredible core strength and coordination to do properly."

"What about using your carving knife?" Bram suggested, but Tuulikki shook her head.

"The knife is certainly a keenly honed blade, but it is thin and precise like a scalpel, and its purpose is to carve materials from the body of a dead monster; it is not made for use in battle and doing so would only dent or break your knife. A monster's back is often one of its best-defended parts as well, so the odds of piercing through the plating with anything but the sharpest blade you have is slim. Mounting is an adventurous idea, but is simply not feasible in practice. You place yourself in a dangerous position, do minimal damage, and risk getting injured if the monster manages to shake you off. For your own sakes, avoid trying to do so unless absolutely necessary."

Tuulikki sighed as Sonia frowned in disappointment at the words. "Mounting aside, your speed and mobility is rather impressive, a step above your comrades. You are quite skilled at reacting to attacks and pressing your advantage." The dual blade wielder perked up slightly at the praise before the Gahin huntress continued. "However, your attacks are often too risky. At times, you pressed your advantage too much, and the Seltas was able to retaliate hard. In the future, make certain that you attack in positions where it is easier for you to pull away if the monster counters you."

"Uh… Right…" Sonia muttered.

"Now then, moving on," the glaive wielder continued, looking towards Bram. "As I said before, you are better at stealth than your contemporaries. The Seltas' eyes aren't the sharpest, but they are quite skilled at seeing through foliage. Managing to hide from one while wearing such a… bright armor set, and wielding an equally garish weapon is to be commended. Learn what you can from Violetta; you may have some promise in that field.

"Beyond that, however, you seem overly cautious in comparison to the huntress' overzealous nature. I understand that the Seltas' shell is hard, and your arrows could only pierce the softer sections of its body, but most of the time you waited for a clear shot to present itself. The only time you fired without hesitation was when your comrades were in danger. You must try to find a better balance between aggression and aim. Not every shot needs to be a vital strike, and there is no harm in giving the monster you hunt something to worry about, even if your arrows aren't doing the maximum amount of damage they could be. Hunting isn't a contest; a monster trying to kill you won't give you an award for perfect accuracy."

"I… I understand," Bram replied, resting his hand on the quiver hanging from his belt. The container was just under half-full, showing just how many shots the archer had taken.

"As for you," Tuulikki said, turning to Logan, who crossed his arms and leveled his gaze on her, "you still need to work on your mobility."

"Hoy, I did-"

"You did mediocre work, not much more. A vast improvement traversing the Gahin terrain than before, but you only landed… four decent blows on it? Perhaps five? They were powerful, yes, as would be expected from your weapon, but you only managed to land said strikes when the Seltas was unable to move or completely caught off guard. Traversing the land is one thing, but you must be able to attack just as fluidly and precisely. You took a great many more blows than the other two as well. Relying on your weapon to block is fine, but even then you took a great amount of damage in comparison. Had you been hunting this Seltas alone, it would have easily outmaneuvered you and may have wounded you badly. If you wish to meet Gahin expectations, you will need to be able to strike with greater speed and accuracy than your showing today."

Logan growled under his breath, and was about to snap at her, but Tuulikki spoke up before he could. "That… being said… You did show exceptional adaptability to the situation. Your speed and mobility aside, you were able to use your strength and weapon to great effect during the battle. I'm not certain whether or not striking the Seltas with your fist was good tactics or simple foolishness… but it worked. You used the Seltas' attacks against it very well, you reacted quickly to changes in the flow of battle, and you actively kept watch on and defended your comrades. You show exceptional combat awareness and adaptability… though that may simply be due to the number of years you have been a hunter."

Logan was quiet as the huntress finished speaking, staring uncertainly at Tuulikki. She'd never given him any sort of compliments since he and his apprentices had arrived in Lintukoto, or at least, nothing that didn't feel backhanded. Her words this time still had some bite to them, of course, but…

"All in all, you three did… not do as poorly as I thought you would," Tuulikki said slowly, carefully. "I suppose this much should be expected from a month of training, given your previous experience-"

"Even though we _Therian_?" Logan cut in. Tuulikki glared at him, but the look didn't have the fire in it that he'd expected. With a sigh, the huntress continued.

"Yes… even though you Th… even though you're Therian. That being said, you still have a lot to learn and much to improve on. Passing the Guild exam is still only a dream at your current skill levels, and if you wish to pass it, you will need to put in even greater effort than before. You three have still not overcome the Training Rock in less than a minute."

"But once we do, you'll accept us as capable hunters?" Sonia asked.

Tuulikki was silent for a moment, before lowering her head, obscuring the view of her face with her wide-brimmed hat. "We will see… if you all can do so."

"So… is not looking so impossible for Therian hunters to meet you Gahin hunter expectations, hey?" Logan prodded, and again Tuulikki was silent for a moment before responding.

"For those with… the determination and courage… it is not impossible." The Therian hunters looked at each other victoriously at the words. It wasn't much… really, it was hardly anything at all, but it was the best praise that the woman had ever given them.

"So we ain't looking that hopeless anymore, is we?"

"No… no, Logan, you're not."

Logan was about to reply, but paused. Now that he thought about it, that was the first time Tuulikki had ever referred to him by name… Before he could say anything though, the glaive wielder shook her head, before returning her expression to the stern gaze she usually had.

"Don't get overconfident though. Seltas are one of the weakest monsters that Gahiji has to offer, and though you were successful in taking one down, any future challenges will be much harder. Now carve your spoils from the Seltas. You have earned that much."

Logan huffed irritably as the huntress turned away, walking over to lean against a nearby tree, but he was still grinning as he turned back to Sonia and Bram. "Gotta agree with her on that much, you two. We did good."

"At this rate, we're sure to have the Training Hill beat before Stellazzio comes back," Sonia said confidently.

"That's right. Just one more month… plenty of time to show people here we got what it takes to be hunters in this country. Keep it up you two. Now then, let's do our carving, hey? Think we all gonna enjoy slicing that thing apart. Gonna mount that chunk of horn on my wall…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Thanks for reading this chapter about bug squashing! Please Review!**

 **Seems like Bram's got a pretty decent stealth bonus, though the Seltas kept failing spot checks…**

 **I constantly had to remind myself during this chapter to remember how big a Seltas really is. Like I mentioned a few chapters ago, a gold-crown-small is 18 feet! That's not exactly small, you know, and anything that big that comes at you is bound to hit pretty hard. On the bright side, a creature like that, while having a hard shell, would have to be pretty lightweight for its size just to be capable of flight, considering those flimsy wings. Just imagine what'll happen if I get around to writing a Kirin into the story, since it's the smallest large monster out there, even though it's an elder dragon. It's a full 16 feet for a small one… about the size of a regular horse.**

 **So, as you can see from this chapter, mounting will not be a regular thing in this story. As fun as it is in-game, it's just not a very realistic thing to do in an actual story. I talked about it with my editor, Hawk, and we both agreed that the only way it could work was if the system was inverted from the in-game way: a hunter mounts a monster to distract it, and their teammates ATTACK in order to stagger and topple it, as opposed to waiting around while the rider does the work. Even then, it's not really feasible, for the reasons Tuulikki noted. Riding a Nerscylla, despite their poisoned/paralyzing spikes? Riding a Khezu, despite its whole body conducting electricity? Riding… any flying monster? The only way it might work is if hunting knives were actually purple sharpness or better, but that doesn't seem likely. Not to mention that monsters would put up one hell of a fight to get someone off, not those pre-scripted things you see. So if you're expecting some mounting in my story… best prepare yourself for some disappointment. Though it was kind of fun to have Tuulikki, my Insect Glaive wielder, to be the one to say 'mounting is a bad idea.'**

 **I've got to admit, I'm really looking forward to Disgaea 5, which should be coming out soon. As much as I loved Disgaea 1 and 2, I wasn't able to play 3 and 4 since they were both on PS3 (an issue I've had with a lot of PS series…). I'm hoping the story's good… though I'm not certain. 4 didn't look very appealing, since it seemed as though the writers decided to jump on the vampire/werewolf bandwagon and run with it, and I'm not sure where this one's going. Also, it's a game that got more grind to it than even Monster Hunter, so I'm in for some suffering…**

 **Playing: MH4U, GTAV  
Listening: ****Mark Knopfler, Bright Eyes, John Cale, Sufjan Stevens, Van Morrison, Mannheim Steamroller, The Flaming Lips** **  
Watching:** **Kekkai Sensen (really great anime, with excellent opening and ending music)** **  
Reading:** _ **Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneko Yusagi (I finally finished the web novel! Such a good story! Though the ending was a little bland IMO. Let's see if I can't find the light novel version now…),** _ **Ore Monogatari**_ **by Kawahara Kazune,** _ **Dorohedoro**_ **by Hayashida Q,** _ **Konjiki no Word Master**_ **by Tomoto Sui,** _ **Boku no Hero Academia**_ **by Horikoshi Kouhei**


	9. Rainy Days

Rainy Days

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

Bram let out a long, weary sigh as he exited the Lintukoto smithy, pausing at the edge of the awning to avoid getting caught in the rain. He could feel the irate glare of the smith drilling into his back, but he'd been expecting that when he'd entered the smithy in the first place.

It had been another month of training under Tuulikki since their first successful Seltas hunt, and things had been picking up for the Therians. With one complete hunt out of the way, their vertically challenged master was more willing to let them challenge other large monsters as well, though it was slim pickings in this area for a group of apprentices. The trio had taken down at least half a dozen Seltas by now, a few Great Jaggis, and several Velocidrome as well. Those creatures were far nastier than Bram would have thought, given their relation to Great Jaggis; they were thinner and weaker, but they were much faster and more agile, giving the hunters a run for their money.

Bram, Sonia, and Logan still hadn't managed to beat the Training Hill sandglass themselves, though they were shockingly close. Not even Tuulikki could find it in her to rebuke their determination or potential now. Sonia was still doing the best of them, clocking in at just a few seconds over a minute, with Bram tailing close behind. Logan was still stuck a ways behind them, but even he'd managed to drop his time down to about a minute and fifteen seconds.

They'd also spent a little time training under Violetta and Leon, or rather, under Violetta and _alongside_ Leon. The lancer had been joining them in their climbing and mobility training ever since his return to Lintukoto, though he hadn't been going with them on any hunts. He didn't seem to be taking parts in many hunts at all, but when he did he went out and completed them with Violetta while Tuulikki remained behind to oversee the Therians' progress.

When she wasn't out with Leon, Violetta had been trying her best to teach them how to be stealthy, but it just wasn't going well. Despite her enthusiasm to help out and her natural skill at being sneaky, the huntress just lacked the proper knowledge on how to teach them. She could show them how to walk, how to know where to step and what to avoid, but the way she could just vanish in the blink of an eye was utterly indescribable. She tried to explain it, but it just sounded like nonsense to Bram.

"It's like, you try and imagine yourself as a shadow, and the world is a _bigger_ shadow, and you need to vanish into it. Become one with the world-shadow, right? It's like this _swishing_ feeling, like pushing through vines or hanging branches of trees. Oh, and you have to clench your gut like you're trying to tie it into a knot, specifically a chain hitch knot…"

Her explanation continued on for the better part of twenty minutes, with none of the Therian hunters understanding a bit of it. Tuulikki and Leon had just sat to the side through the whole lesson shaking their heads, clearly just as confused. Despite her skill, teaching was not Violetta's forte.

Leon couldn't offer much more than what Tuulikki had already taught them, but he was able to provide Logan with some tips and tricks from one heavy-weapon user to another. The lance didn't have as much weight as a great sword, but it was challenging to traverse the country with both shield and lance, and time and experience had given him a little insight on how to better move with such a cumbersome weapon. Unfortunately, with his bulky equipment, he was forced to climb in very stilted and sweeping motions to keep his shield from scraping against whatever wall he was scaling, something Logan didn't need to worry about with his great sword strapped to his back. He did seem to have surpassed the Hill at least, beating the falling sand by a couple seconds even with the bulk of his weapon and the awkward motions he was forced to make.

At least when they weren't out on hunts they'd had the time to get to know the lancer. Bram found him to be pretty friendly, if a bit stuffy… though he knew he had no room to speak on that matter.

"So are you Violetta's apprentice or something?" Sonia had asked one day.

"Hmm? Oh… yes, but not really. She's sort of my interim hunting master while I'm living in Lintukoto."

"Like a student-teacher?"

"I suppose that description fits."

"Who's your original hunting master then?"

"My mom!" Violetta had cut in enthusiastically. "Kumin tar'Osmund. She taught me and Leon how to hunt when she wasn't helping Dad with his business. Used to be a really skilled archer back in the day, but she still knows her stuff."

"She really was," Leon agreed. "Out of the game for almost fifteen years and she can still hit you between the eyes at fifty yards."

Bram had raised an eyebrow at the phrase. "'Hit you between the eyes'? Was she shooting you with arrows?"

"Erm… well, no. She used this slingshot-style bow and pelted us with paintballs. It was an official hunting weapon, so they hit hard though, and those casings aren't really soft when they burst. But it was only painful, not lethal. She used to… _teach_ me how to block properly by shooting paintballs at me and trying to get them around my shield."

"Sounds… challenging."

"It certainly encouraged me to improve. But if nothing else, I learned how to protect my vitals fairly well. The welts were certainly a good indicator of where my openings were…"

"At least you had a shield," Violetta grumbled. "I had to _dodge_ them all. I swear Mom could curve those shots around trees."

Logan chuckled at that. "Heh, sounds like _my_ mother's training. If I come home without a new bruise, then she wasn't working me hard enough, and she'd double down the next day. And she was a _mean_ shot with her bowgun."

"Yeah, that sounds like Mom…"

"The training was good, but not without its flaws," Leon sighed. "Kumin is an excellent ranged huntress, but dealing with melee battles wasn't her forte. A shield is good defense against a large monster, but that doesn't really help against multiple monsters coming at you from different directions, and a lance can only do narrow piercing strikes. I did… decently against the first Seltas I ever fought, but even now if I'm taking on a Great Jaggi or Drome with more than half a dozen ankle-biters around, I get overwhelmed. I can't really spin on a dime with all this weight, and back-hopping and sidestepping will only get me so far. The best I can do is get the sturdiest armor I can and hope that's enough to keep Jaggis and Prey from biting through it."

"You know any other good lancers that could help you?" Logan asked. "Back home they was a couple lancers I knew that was real good at dodging attacks."

"Dodging with a lance?" Leon asked dubiously.

"Is true, hey?" the great sword user shrugged. "Don't know how they do it, but they fancy footwork could slip through attacks in ways that put dual blade users and sword users to shame. Was like the attacks was going right through them, like they was ghosts or… or, uh… hoy, Sonia, what those sneaky folks in black called?"

"Ninjas?"

"That's the one."

"I think that kind of thing might be a little beyond my capabilities," Leon chuckled. "I'll keep it in mind, but phasing through solid objects seems like much higher-level skill than what I can pull off now."

"Why not switch weapons then?" Sonia suggested. "Get something with a little more versatility and mobility to it. Go sword and shield like me! A little less defense but a fraction of the weight."

"I've considered it," Leon replied after a moment of silence, "but I'd rather stick with my lance. It's been the only weapon I've used since I started my apprenticeship, and with the exam so close, I don't think it would be wise to change things up now."

"That's too bad. Well, they're a little too bulky for my tastes, but if you don't want to change things up too much, you could find a smith that'll let you try out a gunlance - erk." Leon's expression had darkened at the mention of the gunlance, and Sonia had raised her hands. "Eh, sorry! Nevermind that last bit. I, uh, forgot."

The lancer blinked in surprise and quickly shook his head and gave Sonia a guilty smile. "You don't have to apologize. But no, thank you. I'll stick with what I have."

"Erm, right."

Over the next month, the training and hunters slowly improved their speed and mobility, but all their work was showing in other ways as well. Their weapons and armor were taking a beating, and there was only so much they could do to keep them whole. Bram had answered Tapio's questions about why there weren't any Royal Ludroth in Gahiji, but now that fact was coming back to get him; his armor was getting worn away, and he didn't have many spare materials left to repair it. Sonia was having the same issues with her Ludroth dual swords, though the Great Jaggis they'd killed had given her the materials to keep her armor repaired.

The archer's bow had nearly reached a point beyond repair, however, and none of the Therians had any Wroggi supplies to fix it. Thankfully, all the Seltas they'd been killing had given him materials for a replacement. It was a shorter bow than his Wroggi bow was, yet had more power behind each shot. Unfortunately, the Seltas materials were somewhat unwieldy in bow form: the limbs of the bow weren't as supple as other bows, making it creak and groan when he pulled back the string and making some of his shots fire inaccurately. Bram didn't have any other options at the moment short of purchasing the beginner's Hunter's Bow, so he would have to make do. The smith had suggested making a bow from Kelbi horns, but the design was more akin to a slingshot than anything else and appeared rather weak, so Bram had turned down the offer.

In the meantime, he'd tried to improve the _other_ weapon he was proficient with, but… it had gone about as well as he'd expected.

Sliding to the side, Bram darted between the awnings, trying to avoid getting too wet from the downpour. It had been raining almost constantly for the last couple days, driving hunting in the village to a standstill, and making the waters of the river below rise several feet, only a couple yards from the base of the lowest huts. A few hunters were willing to brave the torrential storms, but Tuulikki had kept the Therians from venturing out. The terrain became even more dangerous during the rain, and she wasn't going to risk having them go out in the storm. At least it had given them a couple days to have their weapons and armors repaired. Bram was just glad there wasn't any lightning… he hated thunder.

Bram managed to spot Sonia fairly easily, sitting under the awning of a cantina at the edge of the walkway. It was always rather easy to find her and Logan in a crowd, since the three of them stood out from most of the other villagers. Most of the locals bore similar traits to Tuulikki: darker skin, light-colored hair, and bright blue or grey eyes. From what he remembered of Val Habar, it was much the same there as well. Even their clothing separated them from the locals. Perir's fashion had taken cues from the cities along the coast to the west, and so Sonia's casual clothing consisted of a small shirt and vest that left her arms and stomach exposed, with loose trousers that went down just past her knees and a pair of leather sandals. Bram had spent his early years up in the mountains, and so favored long-sleeved shirts and boots, but the warm weather in both Perir and Lintukoto made that kind of clothing too sweltering for him to bear, and he'd taken to wearing only an open vest and pants in an attempt to stay cool. Lintukoto's clothing was incredibly modest in comparison, wearing tunics and trousers with light sashes across their torsos and shawls over their heads. Needless to say, Bram and Sonia stuck out fairly well while in the village with their exposed arms and stomachs, whether they meant to or not.

As Bram approached, Sonia was nibbling on some leftovers from breakfast and tossing some scraps down the ravine into the rushing waters below. Every once in a while, one of the scraps would be gobbled up by a fish that leapt out of the water; apparently it was the Whetfish migration season, and hundreds of the fish were making their way upstream. Bram had heard some of the hunters and locals complaining about it, wishing that more valuable or more delicious fish would make their way through town. Whetfish had little value, and their hard scales and fins made them challenging to eat. A few hunters would fish for them when the sky was clear, though; Bram had heard that some of them would cut off the fins and use them as replacements for whetstones, though he didn't think that would work too well himself.

Sonia perked up as he approached, pushing herself to her feet and stretching. "Any luck?"

"Unfortunately not," Bram sighed as he wiped off the water dripping down his face. "She doesn't work on switch axes, but I didn't have high hopes in the first place. Most of the people in Lintukoto are Purist, so why should the smith be any different? No switch axes, no gunlances, very few kinds of bowgun… and she distinctly said that she didn't make something called a 'charge blade'."

Sonia raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's a charge blade?"

"I don't know," Bram shrugged. "I hadn't heard of it either. The smith mentioned it in passing, but when I asked her about it she said if I didn't know, I was better off not knowing and wouldn't give me anything else."

"Weird… I wouldn't have thought Gahiji had a tech weapon that you couldn't find in Theron."

"No kidding." Bram sighed again, pulling his switch axe from it sheath on his back, holding out in front of him. The blade was crafted from Qurupeco materials, and was just as vibrant as the monster the parts had been carved from, a vibrant orange and green. "I know I don't use it that often, but I was hoping to get this upgraded. We've gotten a lot of Seltas and Velocidrome carves recently, and I was hoping to use some to improve this…"

"I think you'd have trouble upgrading your weapon here anyway, even without all this Purist stuff," Sonia noted. The huntress reached forward and flicked her finger against the glass phial at the core of the weapon, which glowed a burning red. "Dad always used to complain about having to buy phials when his started to lose their potency. Not many shops carry spares. You have to go to large towns or cities to buy them, since they're so expensive, so I'm not sure what the odds of buying them in a small village like this would be. And you might need new phials with your upgrade; would Seltas or Velocidrome materials work well with a fire element phial?"

"Good point. Well that's just wonderful, there really isn't much I can do while we're here in Lintukoto, is there…"

"Have you tried the smith that works with Caravan Stellazzio? That woman is a _brilliant_ weapon smith if you ask me." The apprentices turned at the voice, finding themselves face-to-face with an unfamiliar hunter standing behind them. The man's eyebrows raised as he looked between them, an amused expression on his face as he gave the pair a foxlike smile. "You're a couple of new faces in town, aren't you? Nice to meet you."

He was a vibrant young man. He stood a few inches shorter than Bram, with a slim and mobile frame, though he had strong legs and solid core muscles. He had fairly tanned skin and a thin, triangular face with narrow brown eyes and a curled smile. His hair was a bright orange-red, kept a medium length and combed back across his head. There was a rather notable scar behind his left eye which trailed to the back of his skull, and he was missing a decent chunk of his left ear as well.

His hair was bright enough to make the man stand out like a beacon as it was, but his equipment didn't dampen the effect at all. His armor matched a Qurupeco's plumage for vibrancy, though made of more sturdy-looking materials: thick scales and plates were colored a vibrant lime green and orange, with wide, frilled pauldrons and faulds, as well as a winged helmet which the man carried under his arm. The whole set was accented with inner leather lining that had been dyed a deep royal blue, with a three-pronged sash hanging down from his waist. He had a two-toned switch axe slung across his back made of azure and pink scales. Bram didn't recognize the armor, but the weapon was clearly made from Pink Rathian and Azure Rathalos materials.

With a wide smile, the man dipped his torso in an exuberant bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Reynardine, Rey for short, and I can't tell you how great it is to finally see another switch axe user in this village!" In a flash, the man rushed towards Bram, grinning excitedly and scanning his weapon eagerly. "I swear, even among the Progress faction, you really don't see many switch axe hunters in this country. This craftsmanship is pretty good, too! The materials themselves are kind of low quality, but the axe itself looks _very_ well made! You don't really see that kind of artisan skill in Gahiji…"

"Ah… Well…" Bram looked at Sonia uncertainly, but the huntress gave him a flabbergasted look. "Uh… actually, I had it made in Theron."

"Aha, of course," Reynardine sighed, stepping back and giving the weapon a forlorn look. "But that must mean that you two are a couple of those Therians that came into town a couple months ago."

"Yes, that's right," Bram nodded. "We-"

"I knew it. Though, to tell the truth it was pretty obvious. Your accent gives you away. And your outfits too, but I'm not going to complain on either of those regards."

"Accent?" Sonia muttered. "We don't-"

"Upupup! If you're going to say you don't have an accent, you're _wrong_ , little huntress. You have a _Therian_ accent; you sound like snakes when you use your S's. Dead giveaway. Perhaps the Gahin dialect would be strange in your country, but you're not in Theron anymore, lovely."

"He's right," Bram shrugged, as Sonia frowned concernedly. He could see her muttering under her breath, likely speaking out words with lots of S's in them out of confusion of Reynardine's comment. Bram shook his head and returned his gaze to the other hunter. "I suppose our nationality is rather obvious. And so are your… personal leanings in terms of technology. You're clearly a Progressive."

Rey grinned and nodded. "Not everyone in this village keeps to that sort of crusty old Purist mindset. A few of us think that clinging to old ideals and traditions just holds everyone back. They all talk about that 'advancement with caution' nonsense, but that kind of thinking just makes the world grind to a halt, don't you think?"

"Ah… well, it's not really our-"

"Seems like just an excuse to me," Rey pressed on. "Just because they don't like it doesn't mean they have to try and hold everyone else back with their outmoded ways. Change does come with risks, but no good changes can ever be made without risk of the bad, right? There's a difference between caution and being stubborn."

"Well, yes," Bram nodded, "but wouldn't it-"

The man grinned excitedly before Bram could reply though, reaching back to grab his switch axe and swinging it around to hold it out in front of him. "And… well, I'll be honest, at the core of it… doesn't this weapon look so _cool_? Much better than a boring old slab of metal. What I wouldn't give to take all my materials across the border and mold them into a finer weapon than they make here…"

"Your switch axe looks very nice to me," Bram replied, but the other man simply shook his head as he lowered his weapon around to rest the head on the wooden boardwalk under them.

"It only looks nice because the materials I used to make it were good quality, but the weapon could have been so much _better_ if I'd found a more experienced smith to do the work. I suppose it's still too early for a young hunter like yourself to really appreciate the subtle nuances in a switch axe… Ah, but it looks like the cute girl here gets it."

Bram glanced sharply at Sonia as the huntress scratched her head sheepishly. "The switch axe does look nice… but the mechanics along the shaft look a little clunky to me, and the sliders don't look very sturdy either… It looks like the energy coils coming off the phial are inefficiently wired, too. Honestly, it looks like the smith that designed the weapon built it to look interesting, but not really for damage or extended use."

"See? She does get it!" Reynardine laughed as Bram raised an eyebrow at Sonia.

"What? Dad used to complain all the time about things like that when we used to visit switch axe vendors. And there _was_ a time when I thought about using a switch axe before I realized how heavy they were."

"Looks like the huntress knows more about the weapon then the man who uses them," Reynardine chuckled. "She's right, too. The smith that made this had only been working on them for a couple years at most, and was more interested in having it look flashy than be functional. But he was the only one I could find that knew how to work with Azure Rathalos and Pink Rathian materials, so I really didn't have a choice. Maybe the next time I'm down near the Primal Forest, I'll slip over the border and hit up a smith in one of those mountain towns… But enough about _my_ troubles. _Now_ I'm wondering what kind of people these two Therians are…"

The hunter's gaze snapped sharply to Bram and Sonia with a scrutinizing gaze, examining both of them up and down. Bram noted that Sonia tensed slightly next to him, and the switch axe user circled around them, examining them from all sides before snapping to a halt in front of them. Reynardine tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment before splitting a wide smile.

"Well, you two are certainly interesting-looking, aren't you? Certainly not the brutish thugs people say about your countrymen… You seem fairly lithe and nimble to me. Not the seven foot tall, three hundred pound great sword users with two left feet and muscles for brains." Rey paused, looking between Bram and Sonia nervously. "Wait, neither of you uses great swords, right?"

"Uh… no, but-"

"Oh, good. Wouldn't want to get off on the wrong foot right out of the gate, would I?"

"Mercy, Reynardine, give the kids a chance to get a word in edgewise. You never know when to shut up, do you?"

This new man who approached was vastly different from Reynardine. He was shorter than the switch axe user, a couple inches smaller than even Sonia, but was built broad, stocky, and muscular; this man was built like a safe. He wasn't overly bulky, but gave off an impression that anything that tried to hit him would find him to be a brick wall. His skin was relatively pale, and he had a square face, which seemed to be stuck in a hard frown. He had trim, short-cut hair and a full, well-trimmed beard, both which were a dark brown with a grey tint to it. His eyes were a light blue color, with a permanent, stern borderline glare.

His armor was appropriately cold-looking for such a hard man, a solid plate armor made of icy blue and aquamarine materials with steel lining along the chest and upper arms. The pauldrons were tall, nearly creating a barrier on each side of the hunter's head, but just low enough to provide decent visibility to the left and right. The faceplate on the helmet he held in one hand was closed, as opposed to Rey's own open helmet, having only an inch-wide slot allowing him to see out. He had a gunlance slung across his back, folded in half to keep the chamber open to the air. It was a long, solid-looking weapon, with the main shelling cylinder made of solid metal. The 'lance' of the weapon wrapped around it, made of what appeared to be a near rock-like material, colored an ashen grey color and sharpened to a jagged point. A wide tower shield hung from his left arm, made from the same stony materials, with red and orange orbs attached as decorations.

Rey grinned and turned at the sound of the voice. "Better a bright and friendly voice that never stops than one that's all gravely and rough and only utters insults, don't you think?"

"Pah, even my voice would be a welcome relief after listening to you prattle on for an hour or two." As he strode up to stand next to Reynardine, he glanced up at the Therian hunters, taking note of Bram in particular. "A switch axe user, huh? No wonder you're all riled up, Rey… Who are these brats?"

"They're the Therians that came into town a couple months ago! The ones that were guarding Stellazzio."

"So you're the ones Tapio hoisted onto Tuulikki?" the man asked, staring between the two of them. "The ones that couldn't kill a Seltas? Hmph. No wonder the old dog foisted escort duty on us."

"You were guarding Stellazzio?" Bram asked, glancing up towards the top of the ravine. "The caravan's returned, then?"

"That's right," the gunlancer grumbled. "Returned to pick up their wayward hunters, though I don't know why they're bothering. Neither of you look that impressive, and if you can't even kill a Seltas…"

"Hey, we've killed a Seltas!" Sonia snapped back. "Over half a dozen by now!"

"How _impressive_ ," the man scoffed. "Don't act all high-and-mighty, girl. I've killed more Seltas than that by _accident_. Get some real skill under your belt before you try and brag to me."

"Oh, don't mind him," Rey chuckled as Sonia huffed indignantly. He swung his switch axe over his back again before sliding over to the gunlancer's side and wrapping his arm over the other man's shoulders, much to the gunlancer's disdain. "Let me introduce my friend here. This is Ysengrim, Grim for short. A fitting name, right?"

"It really is," Sonia muttered, earning a glare from Grim and a laugh from Rey.

"He's just a big old grump who's angry because his hair's greying and he's not even thirty years old yet. Also, I told him when we were kids that his face would get stuck that way if he frowned so much, and sure enough it did! And he likes to think he's _always_ been as skilled as he is right now, so he forgets to show rookies respect."

"Get off me," the man growled, pushing the switch axe user away from him. "Say what you want about my personality, I've still got no reason to be nice to these kids. They're the reason we had to babysit a caravan the last couple months. Why should I pretend to be impressed by them? If they can name one thing that they can do that I'm not capable of doing myself-"

"I can swim underwater in full armor and can kill monsters who spend their whole lives in rivers and oceans," Sonia replied quickly. Bram glanced over in surprise at the assertion, and Grim's eyes widened as well. Rey whistled, impressed, and Sonia puffed out her chest a little.

"Well, can you do that?" Rey asked with a smirk. "Can you even swim?"

Grim turned and glowered at the grinning switch axe user before huffing and shaking his head. "Fine. No, I can't swim. You proud of yourself, girl?"

"A little," the huntress admitted.

"Girl's got attitude, if nothing else," the gunlancer muttered. "You still haven't earned my respect, though… but having another couple hunters around with the Progress mindset isn't so bad, even if they are only a couple of wet-behind-the-ears rookies."

"See, he can be nice!" Rey chuckled. "Sort of. But you've got some spunk, little huntress! Bet you made little Tuli's life fun the last couple months."

"Are you friends with Tuulikki?" Sonia asked.

"Has she said more than four words to you lot?" Grim grumbled.

"No no, she _hates_ us," Reynardine replied with a sharp laugh. "Her disdain for us burns with the fiery passion of a thousand suns. It's a little frightening… but kind of cute. She's rather adorable when she gets huffy."

"That girl's got a foul dislike for people that are members of the Progress faction, or folks that just want to use the more technological weapons." Grim motioned sharply to the gunlance slung over his back, and Reynardine spun about, showing off his switch axe again. "Reynardine and I both fall squarely into that ideology, and aren't afraid to hide it. Top that off with a few… _other_ reasons, and needless to say, we butt heads if we get close enough to talk."

"Ha, that's half the reason old Tapio wanted us out of the village in the first place."

Bram raised an eyebrow at the words. Tapio had intentionally picked these two out because they were rabble-rousers in the village? Now that he thought about it, Tuulikki _had_ become more compliant about training the three of them after Tapio had offered Steward their services in exchange for the Therians… But did that mean Tuulikki had such a feud that she wouldn't have considered taking on the Therians unless these two hunters were out of town? No, wait… there had been _three_ hunters assigned to Stellazzio in their place, hadn't there? So who was number three?

Bram paused his thoughts as Ysengrim scoffed. "Hmph. What a cowardly guy. But that reminds me: we need to go. Come on, Rey, we need to speak with Tapio, and Rikki will be waiting for us."

"Hmm? Oh, right, I'd nearly forgotten," the switch axe user replied, before reaching up and stroking his chin. "I wonder what the old dog will have us do next to sweep us back under the rug?"

"Pah. If he keeps pulling this crap, people are going to talk more than if we'd just stayed in the village," the gunlancer chuckled darkly. "Let's go."

With that, Ysengrim turned, barely sparing a glance at Bram and Sonia before striding out from under the awning with hardly a care about the rain pouring down on him. Reynardine sighed and shook his head.

"You'll have to excuse him. He acts like a jackass… well, actually, he _is_ a jackass, but he's a pretty good person inside. Really, _really_ deep inside." The switch axe user turned, smiling cheerfully. "But it was nice to meet you. Both of you."

"You as well," Bram replied. "Maybe next time we meet, we'll will be able to get a word in edgewise."

"Ha! Fair enough. You can talk my ear off if you want. If you manage to survive Tuli's training, we should go on a hunt together. Once you're legally allowed to, of course. I want to see what you Therians are really like."

"Rey!" Grim's voice barked through the rain.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" the switch axe user snapped, before returning to grin at the two apprentices. "Well, see you two around, hopefully."

With that, the man gave an overly dramatic bow before darting after the gunlancer, holding his arms over his head as he slipped between awnings. As the two men disappeared up a ramp leading towards the longhouse at the village's center, Bram turned back to face Sonia.

"Well, that was an odd interaction."

"No kidding. I could barely say a thing… Did we even give them our names?"

Bram tilted his head for a moment before shaking his head. "No, we didn't. I'm sure if they want to find us again, it won't be that hard. How many Therians are there in this town beside you, me, and Logan?"

"Hm, good point."

Bram glanced out the side of the cantina and up towards the top of the ravine. He couldn't see the wagons from this angle, of course, but there seemed to be a few villagers making their way outside the walls of the gully. "Want to head up and visit the caravan?"

Sonia hesitated for a moment, before nodding and smiling. "Yeah, let's. At the very least, we can talk to Steward and Selene…"

"Hoy, there you two is." Bram turned at the sound of Logan's voice, to find the great sword user striding towards them. The man shook himself off as he pulled to a halt under the awning with them, before giving them an eager grin. "You two heard the good news yet?"

"Which good news?" Sonia asked. "The fact that Stellazzio's back, or something different?"

"Actually… wait, what?" Logan muttered in confusion. "How you two know that already? They only been here fifteen minutes."

"Bram's latent psychic powers awoke yesterday night and he predicted their arrival."

"...What."

"Yes, it's true," Bram sighed, pressing his fingers against his forehead. "I'm clairvoyant now. I've also foreseen plague and calamity, war and betrayal, and the increase in the price of dash juice."

Logan stared blankly between the two apprentices before shaking his head. "Where you two get this stuff?"

"Stage shows at the theatre in Perir," Sonia replied.

"And a couple books I've read," Bram added.

"Hoy… Whatever. You two wanna head up or what?"

"Yes, let's," Bram replied, but winced slightly as the sky flashed and a roll of thunder sent shudders through the wooden walkway. "Hmm… Perhaps we should wait until the storm lightens up a little bit first? I'm sure Steward wouldn't mind us waiting a little bit before coming up to see him…"

"He fights beasties twenty times his size but gets jumpy 'round thunder… Eh, fine, we wait for it to let up a bit."

Thankfully it didn't take too long for a break in the storm to come, and within half an hour the rumbling in the sky began to fade. It was still sprinkling, but it was light enough for the three hunters to make their way up the ravine without getting completely soaked. As they reached the top of the ravine, sure enough, Caravan Stellazzio was sitting there just over the edge, though the shops and stalls weren't being set up quite yet, thanks to the rain. The skies had calmed down somewhat, but the dark clouds threatened to unleash another torrent at a moment's notice, and none of the caravan members wanted to ruin their wares by soaking them.

Bram couldn't help but feel uncomfortable as they approached the wagons. As glad as he was to see that Stellazzio had really returned for them, he wasn't sure how well they'd be received. They must have been a terrible disappointment to the people of the caravan after their poor job defending them against the Seltas. Would they even trust the Therians? Would they be getting uncertain and untrusting looks the entire time once they did join up as the guards again?

"Oh! Hello!" The archer glanced up to spot Selene leaning out the side of her wagon, smiling at him enthusiastically. The Guild rep leapt to the ground, her taloned feet splashing against the wet earth as she strode over to them eagerly. "It is good to see you all again! You are looking well! Or, I hope you are doing well. These last couple of months have not been too hard on you, have they?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Sonia replied emphatically.

"Then you have your hunting master's approval?"

"Eh… not yet," Logan growled with agitation. "That girl set us up with a really rough test we gotta pass 'fore she says we good. We ain't quite there yet… but we gonna have this beast beat 'fore you guys take off again, hey?"

"Ah, that's wonderful," the Wyverian replied, clasping her hands together. "We planned to stay for about a week, depending on how much business there is… You'll want to speak to Steward, won't you? Allow me to find him for you, and you can-"

The Guild girl paused, however, and looked up. Bram followed her gaze, and flinched as a spatter of rain fell against his face. A swift gust of wind and rushing sound caught his ears, and glancing towards the village, he saw a wall of rain sweep over the Lintukoto ravine, enveloping the caravan in seconds. Instantly the four of them were soaked through, and Selene yelped, turning to dart back towards the caravan.

"Yeep! Quickly, into my wagon!" The hunters didn't need any further prodding, darting after the Wyverian girl as she pulled open the door to her wagon, leading them inside.

It took a few moments for Bram's eyes to adjust to the dark interior while he wiped the water off his head. By itself it seemed rather spacious; the left side was open, while the right side had a wide desk and dresser that were bolted to the wall, and a long fold-down slat seat in the back which stretched across the entire rear of the wagon. He didn't see any bed though, until he realized that the ceiling over the left side of them had a cloth strapped up, which Bram figured was a hammock. All in all, a very efficient space.

What caught Bram off guard was that Selene's wagon was far more cluttered than he would ever have imagined. Not just general mess like Sonia's living spaces tended to become if Bram didn't pester her to keep things clean, but organized chaos. Papers, notes, books, and maps covered nearly the entire wagon, except for the floor. Almost everything had something to do with monsters or the Guild in general, with scribbled notes and half-written memos all over them. The books that weren't set out had dozens of pages bookmarked or dog-eared. The only items that were more personal in nature were a couple stuffed toys sitting on the seat in the back, a collection of personal knick-knacks sitting on top of the dresser, and a large box under the desk filled with what Bram thought were chessboards, as well as small monster figurines, blocks, and dice.

The entire left wall was covered in a large map of the whole country, with thin strings of thread pinned to the board. One bright red thread following what Bram realized was the path that Stellazzio had taken and was planning to take. It looked as though Steward had led the caravan up along a northern path over the last two months, looping through several small villages that were scattered through the forests. Several large nails were pinned to the wall, with large monster images glued to their heads. More threads connected from those nails, pointing in various directions, some of them crossing near or through the path of the caravan. Bram took a moment to search for where he thought Lintukoto was, and saw several pins surrounding the village, mostly Seltas, Great Jaggis, and the occasional Rathian. There was one orange-colored image that had string that actually _followed_ the road the caravan had returned here from…

Selene slipped her way over to the tall dresser, opening it up and digging through it before pulling out some towels. Unfortunately, with all the papers and books and maps lying around, the hunters couldn't really wipe themselves off easily without worrying about getting some of the documents wet.

"Ah… ah, I do not believe I thought this through properly," Selene muttered, fidgeting about as her pointed ears drooped slightly in embarrassment. "It is perhaps a little more cramped than I thought it would be with four of us in here. Please try not to get anything wet."

"It's not… that bad," Bram replied. Admittedly, the ceiling was a little low for his height, with his head only a couple inches from grazing the ceiling and giving him a mildly claustrophobic feeling, and there truly wasn't much space for four people to stand up. "There's much more space in here than I would have guessed, looking at it from the outside."

"Nicer than mine… And you have a hammock?" Sonia asked. "I didn't take you for the type to use one of those."

"It's efficient," Selene replied, puffing her chest slightly. "And much less likely to wake you up if your wagon must cross over a large rock or short ledge."

"Huh… maybe I should rig one up for myself… I kept hitting my head on the shelf over my bed back before the Seltas…"

"May I suggest Lagombi fur if you should do so? I would not go so far as to consider myself a hammock connoisseur, but I am rather confident in-"

Selene paused as a strong gust of wind made the wagon shiver, and a sheet of rain struck against the windows. The room grew a little darker as the storm raged outside, and soon the light from the glowstone perched over the desk was providing more light to the room than the light from outside.

"Such a fierce storm…" the Guild rep whispered. She frowned and looked curiously towards the hunters. "Can you appease your hunting master if this rain continues for the rest of the week?"

The three hunters looked at each other in concern. Bram hadn't considered that… The rain had been coming down almost constantly for the last couple days; what would they do if it continued to pour for as long as Stellazzio was in Lintukoto? Tuulikki was barely willing to let them leave the village in this weather, much less hunt anything or even train themselves on the Training Hill.

"We figure something out," Logan replied stubbornly. "They's gotta be something we can do…"

Selene looked nervously between the three Therian hunters as a slightly gloomy atmosphere filled her wagon. The Guildie abruptly clapped her hands together, drawing the attention of the hunters. For a moment she didn't speak and presented an uncomfortable smile as she attempted to think of something to say, before finally speaking in a nervous stutter.

"I… I, I am certain you've all improved dramatically over the past month, yes? The… the Seltas! Surely you have handily defeated one or two since last we met?"

"Ja… ja, we done that," Logan replied with a small smirk. "You interested in hearing 'bout it, girlie?"

"Yes! Yes, please! I am sure it was quite the exciting battle!"

The Therians needed no further motivation, and both Sonia and Logan got into the swing of it. Soon enough the hunter and huntress were deep into going into great (and mildly exaggerated) detail about their first successful Seltas hunt. Bram stood back and let them talk, however, only interjecting when their hyperbole got a little out of hand. For the next twenty minutes or so, as the rain drummed against the roof and windows of the wagon, the hunters cheerfully regaled Selene of their victory against the first Seltas they'd managed to defeat. Selene reacted appropriately, gasping and cheering at all the right times.

Bram glanced out the window as Sonia and Logan began telling about their first tussle with a Velocidrome. The rain had abated, and though the sky was still quite dark, the downpour seemed to finally be coming to an end, fading away into little more than a light pattering against the windows. Bram hoped it was finally done; several days' worth of rain was more than enough, and the Therians needed to get back to training. The archer sighed, returning his attention back to the others.

"So what should we tell next?" Sonia asked, looking at Logan.

"That one Velocidrome we killed down in that creek bed was a pretty nasty customer, hey? Or that one Seltas that was real small-like?"

"Right, that one. It had to be at least _twice_ as fast as the first one we fought. It shot around so quickly that it kept ricocheting off the trees in the area. Oh, and Bram did that really cool thing with his arrow-"

"That Seltas also managed to escape," Bram cut in. "Not exactly the most valiant finale to a tale of derring-do, Sonia."

"Oh, right… Kind of unfair for it to be so quick and use all that speed to escape."

"There's more to survival than being able to overpower anything that threatens you, Sonia. Any monster that wishes to live longer than its peers needs to know how and when to run away just as much as it needs to know how to fight. Its speed and aerial maneuverability certainly made it a threat during our fight, but it also allowed it to make its escape when it realized the odds were against it."

"Still feels a little cowardly."

"I believe Bram is right, Sonia," Selene noted. "I am no hunter, but a living being must know when is best to run away, and live to fight another day. Judging from Guild reports and analyses, the monsters that are wise enough to run are usually the ones that grow to be the most dangerous, provided they live long enough."

"That's what makes Goliath so dangerous back in Theron, hey?" Logan laughed.

"Goliath? But he's huge! Or… so I've heard. He's supposed to be a really nasty customer. Why would he need to run?"

"That's true. He really is a big boy; seen him myself in passing once few years back, and I think I was the size of his flipper. Could crush a hunter into a flapjack with its tail. But that big beastie ain't all strength and power, hey? He smart, too. The Guild sent they best hunters after it a few times, but when things looking sour for him, Goliath runs off. That's why he's lived so long: he knows when to book it. And any monster that survives a fight lives long enough to learn what it did wrong and get stronger."

"Huh… I guess so…"

"I… I apologize," Selene cut in. "But who is 'Goliath'?"

Before anyone else could respond, however, there was a rapping on the door and a moment later Steward pushed his way into the wagon. The weather had grown less torrential in the last couple minutes, but the older man was still dripping wet from the rain and wiping his hair out of his face. As he looked up, however, he grinned broadly at the sight of the Therians.

"Daguerreo said he'd seen you three coming in here. You're looking well, my friend!" Steward laughed, stepping forward to pull Logan into a tight hug. The man was still sopping wet, however, and the great sword user found himself soaked once more. Bram, Sonia, and Selene were forced backwards to make room in the tight quarters of the wagon, and Bram found himself and Selene getting pushed back to the other end of the wagon. Logan awkwardly patted the Caravan Master on the back before pulling away from him. "You have been successful in your training, I assume? You do not carry yourself in the manner of a broken or defeated man, so you must have overcome the challenge, yes?"

Logan sighed, scratching his head sheepishly. "Eh… we ain't quite there yet. We almost got it though. Just need a little more work and we there, hey? Been training hard getting better, taking down Seltas and Velocidrome as much as we can."

"Ah, very good then. I have the utmost faith in you three."

"Don't think we've really earned that trust you got in us…"

The caravan master smiled wryly. "I like to believe that my eye for the potential and personality of those I ask to join this caravan is rather exceptional. Since I brought together the first members of Stellazzio, this caravan has fostered a number of exceptional hunters and huntresses. Even if you three are here only for another few months, I am certain that all of you have the potential to prove yourselves, even by Gahiji's strict standards, and I am very rarely wrong about these things."

Logan chuckled sheepishly at the praise, and both Bram and Sonia felt a little embarrassed at the words. However, behind them, Selene cleared her throat quietly. "Ah, Master Steward… far be it from me to question your judgment, but there was that one hunter from Triptile Village you hired for a few months…"

The caravaneer's face soured slightly at the words. "Ah yes… I had nearly forgotten _him_. That was a rather poor appraisal of talent and personality on my part… I admit I was not averse to seeing him leave our company. But I suppose my track record is not entirely unblemished…"

"And there was the huntress that joined us between Jurian Village and Gargantola."

"Who…? Forgive me, my dear Selene, but I don't recall…"

"That would be because of the concussion. The doctors in Gargantola said it caused some memory loss."

"Ah… yes. I vaguely remember that. She was a… hammer wielder, wasn't she? How did-"

"The rest of the caravan has agreed that it's probably best you _don't_ recall the details, Master Steward," Selene replied, shaking her head apologetically. "We made sure she was gone before you recovered."

"Hmm… right." The caravan master glanced at the Therian hunters, realizing they all had flabbergasted expressions before clearing his throat. "Selene, my dear, I do think you need to work on your tact…"

"Oh? Oh! Oh, I apologize…"

"Well… I did say that I was _rarely_ wrong. However, aside from a few uncommon instances, my intuition of an individual's character and skill are generally quite accurate. Nine out of ten times, at least."

"That's still a thirty percent chance about you being wrong about at least one of us…" Bram muttered.

"And, uh, when exactly was the last time you chose poorly?" Sonia asked.

"Hmm… well… It would have been going on about three or four years now since the last incident…" Steward replied, scratching his chin. "Ah! However, I'm certain you three are not among those numbers. I am utterly confident that you will meet the expectations that have been set down for you."

The hunters looked at each other uncertainly for a moment, but before they could retort, there was another rapping against the door to the wagon.

"Is Master Steward in there?" a familiar voice shouted.

"Is that Tuulikki?" Bram asked.

Steward reached for the door and pulled it open, and sure enough, on the other side of the frame stood the glaive wielder, pressing tightly to the wall of the wagon to protect herself against the light rain coming down. As per usual, Ketrak was with her, through the Kinsect had perched itself to the wall of the next wagon, which remained unprotected from the rain. He seemed to be actively enjoying the weather, however, spreading its wings and allowing the water to patter against the translucent film. Leon was standing next to Tuulikki as well, wiping the moisture from his face and hair as he tried to dry himself off a little.

"Aha, the hunting master herself," Steward said, nodding politely.

"It's nice to see you again, Master Steward," the huntress replied, nodding as well. "How was your journey?"

"Profitable and uneventful, which is just the way it should be. There was a small nuisance during the last few days, but it is nothing to worry yourself over."

"A nuisance?" Tuulikki asked with a slight edge. "Was it the hunters that my father sent with you?"

"Nothing like that," Steward replied with a smile. "Those three were nothing but helpful and courteous. They were exceptionally efficient at their work, even if only young Reynardine was any at all sociable."

"I… see…" The huntress glanced into the wagon, catching sight of the Therian hunters. "Ah, you three are here already. That makes things easier. We need to discuss-"

The glaive wielder jolted, however, as a flash of light and crack of thunder ripped through the sky. Bram inhaled sharply and felt his fists clench, and the archer instinctively pressed himself tighter up against the wall of the wagon as the rumbling shockwaves echoed through the caravan. He felt a tug against the lapel of his vest as Sonia pulled slightly on it, and allowed himself to relax slightly. As the last shocks of the thunder faded, however, there was a rush of wind as the sky opened up once more, unleashing a deluge down onto the earth which struck the roof of the wagon with a sweeping roar. Outside the door, Tuulikki shrieked and Leon cursed in shock as a cascade of rain crashed against the caravan, soaking her and Leon through.

"Can we enter, please?!" the huntress asked desperately.

"Yes, hurry!" Selene replied quickly, and the two hunters slipped through the door. Steward made to close the door, but Tuulikki caught the edge and turned back towards the outside.

"Ketrak!" Tuulikki shouted, but the bug had perched itself happily on the peak of the next wagon's roof, and was skittering around in small circles under the torrent of rain. The huntress groaned and waved her hands. "Fine! Don't blame me if you get blown away!"

As Tuulikki and Leon slipped through the wagon's door and closed it behind them, brushing off the water that clung to their clothing, everyone else in the wagon was forced even further back. Bram, Sonia, and Selene were pushed back until they had to sit down on the slat at the back of the wagon to give room to everyone else. It wasn't exactly a spacious seat either, and the archer found himself tightly wedged between the Guildie and his best friend. Selene was more focused on the glaive wielder and lancer as they wiped themselves off, however.

"Please don't get my papers or books wet!" she cried, reaching over to her wardrobe and pulling another few towels out to hurl them across the wagon.

"Ah… my apologies," Leon replied, trying to keep away from the desk and the map on the wall as he gratefully wiped himself off. "We meant to come here when the rain was less fierce, but we were caught off guard as we were leaving the gully."

"It… It is fine. Just… be careful please." The Wyverian fidgeted nervously in her seat, her ears twitching slightly every time a drop of water fell uncomfortably close to some of the papers that littered her wagon. "I hope it stops raining soon…"

"We all do, girlie," Logan grumbled.

As Tuulikki and Leon managed to wipe off their heads, Steward smiled politely at them. "I'm glad to see you here, young Tuulikki. There was something I wished to speak with you about."

The caravan master motioned to the Therian hunters behind him. "My friends here have been telling me that they are getting close to meeting the goals that you've set for them. Do you think they'll have met your standards by the week's end?"

"No, I don't," Tuulikki replied. The Therian hunters groaned in dismay at the words, but the glaive wielder simply shook her head. "I don't say that out of spite or cruel intentions. While you three are close to accomplishing your goal, I do not believe you three are capable of overcoming the Training Hill within the week… at least, not all three of you. You, Logan, still have much room for improvement, and there is not enough time for you to succeed between now and then, especially with the weather as it is, and I will _not_ trust you three with the defense of the caravan until you do so."

"I suppose that brings up another point I must discuss with you," Steward asked seriously. "During the initial… issues we had upon our arrival in Lintukoto, I neglected to think of how we would handle our return. Should these three pass your… hill, how would the caravan proceed from there?"

"What you talking about?" Logan asked. "If we pass, it means me and these two can… aw, hell."

"What?" Sonia asked.

"Even if we pass the hill, we can't guard the caravan," Bram groaned in realization, covering his face with his hands. "Passing the hill doesn't mean that we're official Gahin hunters or anything, so we can't guard the caravan as we are either way. I never thought of that…"

"Exactly," Steward replied. "It shames me to admit it, but the thought didn't occur to me until after we'd left Lintukoto two months ago. Young Tuulikki, though I'm certain you have your own business to conduct here in your village-"

Tuulikki cut in, however. "If you are planning on asking whether I would be willing to accompany the caravan once you leave Lintukoto, Master Steward, then I can certainly oblige that."

"But surely you… You can?"

"Yes, I can."

"Wait, really?" Sonia asked. "I didn't think you'd…"

"I am not as obstinate as you three seem to think I am. That being said, I do have ulterior motives. Master Steward, I assume Stellazzio will be passing through Dundorma Town before the next hunter's exam?"

Steward immediately nodded. "We are indeed. In fact, we plan to arrive there about two weeks beforehand, and remain in the area until after the exam is completed. The hunter's exam is a fine time to be in Dundorma, _very_ profitable for caravans. The causeways around the city proper will likely be filled with wagons, on a scale matching Val Habar."

"Excellent. In that case, I would be more than happy to accompany you." The glaive wielder reached up and patted Leon on the shoulder. "My friend Leon is planning on participating in the exam then, and Violetta and I want to be there to see it. If your caravan is traveling to Dundorma, then it would be convenient for us to join you."

"But what if we don't pass the Hill before then?" Sonia asked.

"Then you will be given minimal tasks while we are journeying. You will be able to hunt the weaker monsters we come across, but nothing more."

"But-"

"As I have said before, it's a matter of trust," Tuulikki said sharply. "Until you prove yourselves capable, I cannot and _will_ not trust you to defend the caravan, and the only way to earn my trust is for you to meet the Training Hill's time trial. That has always been my price, and the _bare minimum_ of what you must do to earn it, and I cannot in good conscience consider you skilled enough to act as Stellazzio's guards before then."

"But they are close?" Steward asked.

Tuulikki sighed, crossing her arms. "Much closer than they were at the start. However, as to whether they will pass before Stellazzio must set off again, I will say again that I do not think they will manage such a task…"

"Why not give them a new challenge?" Steward suggested, and Tuulikki blinked in surprise.

"A challenge? What kind of challenge?"

"Give them something more dangerous and wily to test their mettle against. They've told me that you have sent them against little more than Seltas and Velocidrome at worst. I have heard countless stories from hunters over the years, and one of the many themes in the tales laid before me was the idea that a new, unfaced challenge could enable them to drastically improve themselves, or overcome a skill block that was formerly hindering them. It is rather cliché, perhaps, but such a thing might aid their growth, no?"

"Hmm… yes, I recall hearing such tales before. But verifiable truth rarely walks hand-in-hand with hunter's stories. This isn't a fireside tale told to entertain a crowd, Master Steward."

"I don't know, Tuli, there might be some merit to the idea," Leon chimed in. "It's nothing so dramatic as magically overcoming your failings, but I recall having trouble figuring out how best to carry myself when blocking until I first battled a Tetsucabra. While being forced to deal with its charges didn't exactly spark an _epiphany_ about how to bear my shield, protecting myself from its attacks over and over again did help me figure out which stances allowed me to keep my ground better than others."

"I suppose you may be right… the three of them did hit a wall some time ago, which they managed to push pass after challenging Seltas and Velocidrome… But there is the matter of finding a suitable challenge for them to face within the next week-"

Steward raised a finger. "Aha, well as it happens, a Kecha Wacha has pestered Stellazzio for the last few days before our return to Lintukoto Gully. Perhaps you could send these three out to deal with it?"

"A Kecha? Really?" Leon asked. "I didn't think their kind attacked caravans. They're supposed to be more curious than aggressive."

"That is correct, they usually are," Steward nodded. "They are quite the playful species. Most of the time, they only get close enough to the caravan to take a look at the colorful wagons rolling through their territory, and once they realize we're not a threat, they usually leave us alone. The children in the caravan enjoy watching them when a Kecha Wacha follows us for a mile or two. Some may try to steal food, but some light dissuasion, courtesy any hunters that guard the caravan, is usually enough to make them run away."

"But this one is different?" Bram asked.

"Precisely. This one seems to be more aggressive than its brethren. It attacked us without warning, and left several long claw marks in Daguerreo's wagon before the hunters caught up and chased it away. It has been hassling us the last couple days, screeching at us from the trees and lobbing mucus at the wagons, but never getting close enough for the hunters to attack again. The three of them used sonic and flash bombs to try and stun it, but the Kecha would simply flee the moment it recovered. Needless to say, the beast became quite an agitation to us. If we are to return to that path once we leave Lintukoto, I would greatly prefer that particular Kecha Wacha to be out of our hair."

"A Kecha Wacha is certainly a step up in difficulty from Seltas and bird wyverns. However, fighting one _would_ be a good test to see how far they've come in the last month," Tuulikki noted, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"Then you have no qualms with them fighting this Kecha?"

"No… However, there's something I want to add to this hunt," Tuulikki replied, before turning to face her friend. "I want you to join the three of them on this hunt, Leon."

"Hmm? I don't mind, but why the sudden desire for me to join them?"

"I'd like you to get accustomed to working together with other hunters at your skill level." The glaive wielder crossed her arms. "Most of your hunts have been with myself or Vi, or with hunters that are less… teamwork oriented. These three work together well, and I'd like to see if they can maintain that teamwork with a fourth hunter joining them."

"I'm alright with that, as long as the other three don't mind."

"Of course you can join us!" Sonia replied enthusiastically. "The more the merrier."

"Since you seem so eager, it should be an appropriate challenge," Tuulikki said. She glanced up, staring intently at the Therian hunters. "You may have thought a Seltas was challenging with its ability to fly. A Kecha doesn't have the same gift of flight, but its speed and mobility are unmatched by few monsters in this area."

Sonia's eyes lit up, however. "So, this Kecha thing doesn't fly?"

"No, not at all," Tuulikki replied. "It can glide, but true flight is outside of its capabilities."

"Great!" The huntress clenched her fist and grinned eagerly. "I'm sick and tired of having to stand back and wait while Bram tries to shoot our prey out of the sky, or for Logan to stop it in its tracks. I want to fight something on equal footing for once!"

"Velocidrome don't count?" Bram asked.

"No, they don't count. They're just skinny Jaggis, and I want to fight something _new and unique_."

"A Kecha Wacha will certainly offer you that much," Steward nodded. "It is a rather unique creature, even here in Gahiji. Now then, Selene, do you have a guess as to where our friends may find the Kecha Wacha?"

"Ah… ah, yes, one moment please, Master Steward." Selene stood up from the slat seat and slipped between the others standing in the wagon, muttering quiet apologies and pardon-me's until she reached her desk. She dug through a stack of papers, eventually plucking a small notebook out. She flipped through the first few pages, glancing back and forth between the notebook and the large map on the opposite wall. "Let me see… Judging by the frequency and location of sightings, I assume that the Kecha's territory is located a couple miles north of the road… Are there any thick, forested areas in that location?"

"Indeed," Tuulikki replied. "There is a willow grove off in that area which would make a fine home for a Kecha Wacha. It is a rather notable distance away from the village, however, and will take the better part of the day to travel there. We will need to bring supplies to camp out if we can't track it quickly."

"That shouldn't be too much of an issue," Leon replied. "If this Kecha is really as aggressive as Master Steward has claimed, we won't need to track it down: it'll come to us."

"Hmm… You may be right, but it would be better to get the drop on it. These three need to learn how to be properly stealthy sooner or later. I don't think Vi's lessons are sinking in…"

"To be fair, I don't think Vi's lessons make sense to anyone other than her," Leon sighed. "I've known her since we were kids and I _still_ don't get it."

"I need to learn how to tie a chain hitch knot…" Sonia muttered, getting an odd look from Selene and Steward.

The glaive wielder shook her head in dismay before glancing out the window as a gust of wind sent a spattering of raindrops against the glass. "Hmm… we may need to wait until tomorrow. This storm doesn't look like it'll be letting up today."

Logan smirked and laughed darkly. "What, afraid you gonna melt if you get wet?"

Tuulikki only blinked and frowned in confusion at the words. "Why would I melt if I get wet?"

"It's 'cause you-" The great sword user petered to a halt, however, looking around the room. Nobody else in the wagon seemed to understand what he was talking about. Bram thought the concept sounded familiar, maybe something he'd heard in passing, but he couldn't place it. Logan shifted uncomfortably where he stood, his face reddening slightly. "Is just… eh, forget about it…"

Tuulikki gave him a distrustful look before shaking her head. "Whatever. That's the plan then, we'll hunt down this Kecha whenever the rain stops."

"I'm looking forward to it!" Sonia said eagerly, and Bram nodded in agreement.

However, next to him, Selene grumbled in agitation. "Yes, wonderful. You're going to fight a Kecha Wacha. Now that this is all settled, can you all please get out of my wagon?! It's much too cramped in here for this many people!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about poor weather conditions!**

 **And thus we reach the first chapter I had to break into two. I was intending for this chapter to go all the way through the Kecha hunt, but the words kept piling up. So, short chapter here, longer chapter coming up. Also, I hid a pretty major spoiler about one of the characters in this chapter. I wonder if any of you can figure out what it is…?**

 **Also, I had to struggle to make this Kecha a bit of a bastard. If I hadn't, I'm not sure I could have properly written a hunt against a Kecha Wacha. They're just too… playful a monster, and they really don't seem like really nasty monsters. There's a Youtuber/Twitch streamer I like called RisingFunGaming, who tries to never kill Kechas, only to capture them, and the one time he messed up and killed one he gave it a funeral and did a three bowgun salute. I'm not quite that bad, but Kechas are generally playful enough that I'm almost to the point where I'd consider capping them instead of killing them.**

 **I've been on a bit of a web novel kick recently. For those that don't know, 'web novels' are stories written in Japan that are released online, usually slightly altered versions of officially printed light novels that are sold as books. I've been reading several translated versions recently that have held me good and captivated recently, most of them with the theme of 'someone from our world is summoned/reincarnated in a world with magic'. Sounds familiar, huh? Anyway, a few good ones are Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (a.k.a. Shieldbro and Friends), Tensei Shitara Slime datta ken (guy reincarnates into a slime of all things), and Overlord (screw being a hero, let's be a villain). Just started another one called Knight's and Magic (about… magical robots? idk), so we'll see how good that one is. The Shieldbro web novel was really great (slightly bland ending, tho), but the light novel apparently branches off pretty significantly after the second story arc, so I've been searching for a translated version of that. If all else fails, I might need to see if I can buy a translated version from Japan. I don't really have the capacity to learn Japanese, unfortunately. All the ones mentioned have mangas available to read as well, if any of you readers are interested.**

 **Playing: MH4U (I… should probably start playing other games again), Bravely Default, Batman: Arkham Knight, GTA5  
Listening: Mystery Skulls, Roman Candle, Owl City, Plain White T's, Pet Shop Boys, Silversun Pickups, The Decemberists, Rainer Maria, The Divine Comedy, Wilco, The Album Leaf, My Morning Jacket  
Watching: Overlord, Gate, Kekkai Sensen  
Reading: **_**Overlord**_ **by Maruyama Kugane,** _ **Gate**_ **by Takumi Yanai,** _ **Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Den**_ **by Fuse**


	10. Monkey Business

Monkey Business

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

"Careful… careful… care- oh, sh- urk! Dang it, not again."

"Hold up, guys! Bram slipped again."

The archer grumbled in agitation as he worked back to his feet. It wasn't exactly easy to do so, as his entire left leg was dangling through a gap between intertwining tree branches. Sonia appeared next to him a moment later, grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto his feet. Bram just couldn't figure out how the huntress was able to keep such steady balance on such precarious footing; she looked completely unfettered as she planted her feet firmly on two different branches.

"Mercy, how are you so bad at this, string bean? Even Logan's got better footwork than you."

"The branches are still wet…"

"They're not _that_ wet, Bram; they've been drying out all morning. And everyone else is dealing with the same thing, but you're the only one that's gotten stuck. _Four times now_ , for that matter."

"Erm. Well, I've got a full quiver of arrows rattling around on my belt-"

"Sound like excuses to me. You know, for someone who's so good at climbing, you kind of suck at balance."

"My balance is perfectly acceptable. I simply feel most comfortable with solid earth under my feet, or at least decent stability, not wet branches-"

"Damp at best."

"...Fine, _damp_ branches that are swaying in the wind. I can't exactly aim accurately when my foothold is undulating beneath my feet."

"Didn't we do that one mission back home where we rode that riverboat and they had you shooting Ludroth that got too aggressive with the rudder? Should I have been worried about getting shot in the back, Mr. _Undulating Foothold_?"

"This and that are two different things, Sonia. The deck of a ship has good stability. And you were standing behind me."

"Hmm. Violetta said Kechas make their homes in places like this. What do you plan to do if you fight a monster on top of branches like this while they're… _undulating_?"

"...Cry. And stop using that word."

"Wonderful. Is it too late to take up bowgunning? 'Cause I feel like I should stand behind you as long as we're hunting in this country."

"Hurry up, you two!" Tuulikki called from ahead. "We still have a couple miles to go, and I'd like to meet this Kecha before nightfall."

"Yeah, we're coming!" Sonia replied. "Want me to hold your hand, string bean?"

"I'll be fine, Sonia. Though… stick close to me."

"That's what I thought. Oh, yeah… _undulate_."

"I'm going to push you out of this tree."

"Haha!"

Turns out, the stormy weather hadn't let up for another couple days, leaving the hunters to spend their days watching the skies in hopes that the clouds would part. The skies remained grey and desolate as if in defiance of their desires, however, and rain continued to fall until the water of the gully was only a few scant feet below the Therian hunters' huts.

Caravan Stellazzio did their best to sell their wares, unfolding wide awnings to protect their goods, but it was a mostly futile effort. Only a few bold Lintukoto locals wanted to brave the downpour for the sake of what the troupe was selling. Bram did manage to get to Cleyra and ask about a switch axe upgrade, but was told that Seltas and Velociprey materials were not suited for switch axes: Seltas materials lacked maleability, and Velociprey materials tended to deteriorate when phial energy were sent through it. Kechas, however, did have rather compatible materials, giving the archer an even greater desire to see the rain come to a halt.

They finally managed to set out on the third day after Caravan Stellazzio returned. The earth was wet, the trees were moist with droplets of water, and the sky was still mostly overcast, with dark clouds blotting out sections of the sky like patchwork. However, flashes of warm sunlight occasionally filtered down to dry the earth, and the haze in the sky was ever so slowly fading away. It wouldn't be truly clear for another day or so, but that was enough for the hunters, and the six of them set out just after breakfast. They weren't the only ones leaving the village, either: at least half the hunters in Lintukoto set out that day, eager to get back to work.

Their party was a little large with six people, and it didn't help that traveling was a bit tricky; the earth was completely soaked from nearly a week's worth of rain, and the hunters had to watch their footwork as they worked their way across the uneven terrain. Two months of training didn't help much when slick mud covered every square inch of the forest. The muddy earth made climbing some of the slopes an act of slow and steady patience above all else.

On the bright side, the area to the northeast of Lintukoto had less drastic changes in elevation than usual. That area of the wilderness replaced the wild crags and ledges with tall hills covered in thick, sturdy trees. This would have posed no challenge to the Therian hunters; the Flooded Forest back home was much the same. However, the roots of the trees often stretched out of the dirt in large tendrils, forcing the hunters to climb over them or duck beneath them. Sometimes the roots twisted themselves between the trees so thickly and tightly that the hunters were forced to climb up the upper branches and balance their way across the intertwining canopy.

The archer sighed in relief as he dropped down from the third treetop pathway they'd needed to traverse in their search for the Kecha. They'd reached the edge of a narrow valley, circling around a small pond that had been created by the intense rain. While walking, Sonia sidled up next to Leon, eyeing him up and down a couple times. The lancer returned her gaze uncomfortably as the huntress smiled up at him.

"So… I've never asked before, but what kind of armor is that? What monster did it come from?"

"Oh… is that all? This is Gendrome armor," Leon replied, holding out his arms to show her. The set consisted mostly of brown scale mail with slight green tint, wrapping around a solid iron cuirass and plating.

"Gendrome? Is that like the Velocidrome?"

"Similar, yes. They're essentially the same except for color and the shape of their frills, and the Gendrome has long fangs with paralyzing venom."

"Ugh… that sounds nasty."

"It can be, but as long as the creature's fangs don't pierce your skin you should be fine. If you don't get a set of sturdier armor before confronting one yourself, you're going to have to show caution; the Gendrome's fangs cut through low-rank leather like butter. It doesn't spit its venom like an Iodrome does, thankfully, so speed and distance will keep you safe."

"Iodrome?"

"Yes. A red-colored variant that spits globs of poison."

"So those ones are like Wroggis? How many of these things are there? Are you going to tell me there's one that spits sleep mucus like Baggis too?"

"Sleep mucus? That sounds agitating. No, there's just the three. I've heard that Schrade has another kind called a Giadrome, but I don't know anything about it other than its name."

"Hmm… Well, what about you, Vi? What's a Pink Rathian like?" Sonia asked eagerly, looking up and down the horn wielder's armor. "There's a lot of them back home, but I've never seen one, not even in the Orage arena."

"Oh…" The pink-armored huntress shook her head in embarrassment. "Actually, I'm afraid to admit it, but I've never actually fought a Pink Rathian before."

"What? Then… that isn't your armor?" Bram asked, and Violetta shook her head.

"Sorry, no. It was actually my mother's, and she passed it down to me when I got my license. I didn't think anything of it at first, but I got quite a few upturned noses when people realized I was wearing armor beyond my rank." The huntress shifted uncomfortably. "Other hunters tend to be callous when you're wearing armor they don't feel you've _earned_."

Bram glanced down at his own armor, tugging at the dull yellow sponge, and Sonia did the same for her Jaggi armor. "I can understand where they're coming from, I suppose. Sonia and I worked rather hard to defeat enough Royal Ludroths and Great Jaggis to make our armor, and we're proud of it. There's something to be said about earning what you have."

"Kinda feels like cheating, getting something nice without any effort," Sonia agreed. However, the dual blade wielder shifted guiltily when she realized that the Violetta had hunched over and was wringing her hands. "B-but I mean, that's just for people that, like, _buy_ their way into good stuff. It's completely different when it comes to heirlooms or things that are bequeathed, you know? I mean, if my mom had offered to pass down that glowy green sword she used to use, I… well, I don't think I would have accepted it, but…"

"Ain't nothing wrong with heirlooms," Logan spoke up in front of them. He grinned at Violetta and pulled out his hunting knife. It was a bulky, heavy-looking kukri blade that had clearly seen more use than Logan himself could have put into it. "This was my, eh, my poppa's old hunting knife. Momma gave it to me long time ago, and I been using it since I became a hunter, hey? Is an old thing, and ain't as sharp or precise-like as some of the newer ones, but I ain't gonna replace it. It's got meaning for me and for her.

"Ain't just this either. Back when I first hit high rank, Momma even gave me his old great sword to use, big ol' knobby thing made outta Uragaan bits, and I was _proud_ to wear it. Had some folks talk bad 'bout me once or twice, but those that did got they lights knocked out, hey? Used that blade for a couple years while I worked my way through the ranks. Eventually replaced it with the Zinogre blade I got now, once I carved the bits I needed to make a better weapon than Poppa's. But that was still a _real_ good sword for as long as I had it, and I was real sad to give it up… Thinking when we go back to Theron, I might try and improve it a bit, take down some of them Steel Uragaans to get the parts. Erm… ain't gonna be fun… heard some nasty stories 'bout them stinky beasties…"

The hunter paused, scratching his head. "Eh, point is, ain't nothing wrong with using you momma's old armor, girlie, far as I'm concerned. Isn't like they bought the armor or made it _'specially_ for you. Was something they used theyselves, something that they put they trust in and passed on to you. Thing 'bout stuff like that is like, that armor protect you momma, and now it protect _you_ , hey? Ain't any _real_ effect or nothing, but is something that someone can be proud 'bout, like they strength is you strength now. Ain't nothing wrong with wanting to earn things youself, but there ain't nothing wrong with using something you family passed down either.

"'Sides, truth of the matter is, is _skill_ that makes the hunter, not just equipment," Logan said as he grinned at the horn player again. "Sharp blade and sturdy armor is nice, ja… some of the nastier beasties ain't gonna die if you don't got something sharp to stab them with. But if the hunter ain't got skill, is easy to see what they _really_ worth in a fight. All the nice armor and weapons in the world ain't gonna make up for someone if they ain't got the experience to use them right. Ain't seen you fight for real yet, girlie, but I thinkin' you probably good enough to have _earned_ that armor by now."

Violetta was beaming with delight as Logan finished speaking, and the great sword user flushed slightly at her pleased expression, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "Eh… that's just my two zenni on the matter, hey?"

"I wouldn't have thought you felt so strongly on the subject," Tuulikki noted.

For a moment Logan was quiet, before crossing his arms and returning his attention to the path ahead of him. "Ain't a big fan of the way people do 'lotta things here in Gahiji, but if they's one thing I like about this place, it's how important family is to folks. Folks here put lotsa emphasis on where they come from and the folks that made them who they is, hey? Is in they names, is in what they do… Can't say I don't like that."

"Well, that scores him some points in _my_ book," Violetta said cheerfully. Tuulikki didn't reply, but nodded and pressed on through the forest.

Soon enough, they reached the willow grove, which sat in a relatively flat, wide valley filled with thick buttes shooting up from the earth, rising like pillars into the sky. Bram found the area quite beautiful as they passed under the intertwined boughs. The branches of the trees stretched out over their heads, binding into a thick mesh which cast dark shadows onto the forest floor. Strings of leaves hung down, creating green curtains that the six hunters were forced to push through. It was relatively easy to traverse, and the only trouble came from the thick, knobby roots crisscrossing the ground and the slick leaves that had fallen during the rainstorm.

"This grove should be the nesting ground of the Kecha Wacha," Tuulikki told the Therian hunters. "With fortune it should not take us long to find its trail."

"Keep your eyes open for long vertical claw marks on the sides of trees," Leon said. "That's how Kechas mark their territory."

"I'm just pleased that the ground is more stable," Bram noted.

"I bet you are," Sonia laughed. "You sure you don't want to walk across the canopy, just for fun?"

"I'd rather not."

"I would almost say it would be wiser for us to do so," Tuulikki muttered. Bram gave her a hopeless expression, and the huntress motioned towards a nearby shrub. "You see that?"

"Is a shaker bush," Logan replied, though the other hunters looked at him curiously. "Eh… scatternut bush. Momma used to call 'em shaker bushes…"

"They've got a few fields of them near Nastre that they sell to the Guild for bowgun ammunition. So what?" Sonia asked.

"So, do you know anything about scatternuts?"

"They're somewhat fragile," Bram replied. "If a nut bursts, it'll 'scatter', and that it likely to set off the rest of the bush. Sonia knows _that_ from experience."

"That was _not_ my fault."

Violetta's eyes lit up in interest. "Ooh, what did you do?"

The dual blade user groaned and covered her face with her hands. "When I was small we visited Nastre to see Bram's family. There's a scatternut farm - Orchard? Grove? - whatever it was, just outside of town. Some of the other local kids told me that scatternuts were edible… and that to get them out of the bush you needed to hit it with a walking stick."

"Ah… I bet the farmer wasn't happy about that."

"He wasn't."

"Hmm… well, Bram is correct," Tuulikki told them. "If you are going to try to take this Kecha by surprise, it will _not_ help if we set off a scatternut bush and let every living creature in a half mile where we are."

"Also, avoid those bushes too," Violetta said, pointing at a thick shrub that clung to the sides of the trees.

"What is those?" Logan asked.

"Bomberry bushes. They're… worse. If you find yourself in a situation where you're either going to fall into a scatternut or bomberry bush, fall into the scatternut bush. It'll make less noise… and won't hurt as much."

"Eh… Noted. So we gonna climb up or what?"

"Perhaps it would be best if we don't," Bram replied. Sonia opened her mouth to comment, but the archer quickly pointed towards the sky. "You may not have noticed, but the sky has been growing darker in the last hour or so."

"Hmm… That's not good," Leon muttered. "Do you think it's another storm?"

"Hold on, allow me to check," Tuulikki replied. The huntress leapt up one of the nearby trunks and quickly pulled herself through the branches. A few moments later the shuffling ceased, and a few moments more after that the huntress called down to them. "There's clear sky on the horizon! This may just be the trail end of the storms we've had."

"Either way, it could be trouble," Violetta replied as the glaive wielder worked her way back down to the ground. "We should try to find the Kecha quickly, before there's a cloudburst. It may run off to hide if there's a downpour."

"We aren't going to just leave if it rains, are we?" Sonia asked dejectedly.

"At this point it might be best to find a cave or hollow to wait out the rain in, should there be a downpour," Tuulikki replied. "But we should seek out the Kecha even if it does rain. We've come this far already, returning to Lintukoto would only take time, and we could be caught up in the rain. This area is fairly stable, so staying here would be safer than trying to make our way back."

"Then let's get going!" Sonia said eagerly. "The faster we get the Kecha, the better."

The hunters carefully and quietly made their way through the willows, searching for signs of the Kecha Wacha while trying to keep themselves discreet. At first it seemed as though there wasn't anything particularly dangerous living in this part of the forest, save for a few Konchus and Altaroth that skittered around eating mushrooms. Signs of the Kecha's passing appeared deeper into the grove, though: large gashes were sliced through the bark of the trees, several branches had notches cut into the upper sides, and some trees had large hollows carved away which revealed destroyed insect hives.

However, as they journeyed through the trees, Violetta brought them to a sharp halt and motioned ahead. Bram braced himself for combat, but was surprised when he spotted a few black-furred Felynes slinking through the trees. There were four of them, armed with paw-shaped clubs across their backs, small reed satchels slung around their waists, and green bandanas covering their lower faces.

"Ah… why, pray tell, are we being cautious about Felynes?" Bram whispered.

"Those aren't regular Felynes," Violetta replied. "Those are Melynx. _Rogue_ Felynes. They're not that dangerous, but they're notorious theives. If you're not careful around them, you could find your entire pouch empty before you blink."

"So… what do we do? Wait for them to pass us by?" Bram frowned slightly as the Melynx paused in their movements and began to sniff around. Had they caught the hunters' scent? What would happen if the cats realized they were there? These weren't exactly fierce monsters, and Bram didn't want to hurt them…

"No… let us simply scare them off," Tuulikki sighed. "We outnumber them, and seeing that the odds aren't in their favor should make them flee. They are not killers, just thieves, and they won't take big risks just to pick our pockets."

The huntress stepped forward, walking slowly towards the Melynx but not attempting to hide herself, and the other hunters followed. There was a sharp hiss from one of the cats, and all four of the creatures turned to face them as they swept out their clubs. At first it looked as though the Melynx were going to charge the huntress, but they paused when they realized that there were six hunters there. Bram met eyes with one of the Melynx for a moment, and the creature eyed him up, probably trying to determine if he had anything valuable. However, one of the others yowled at the rest and they turned tail and ran, vanishing into the thicket.

"You see? They all fled," Tuulikki said. "They're not bold enough to attack when the odds are against them."

"I don't get it," Sonia muttered, looking in the direction that the Melynxs had fled. "How come they're stealing things? How come they don't live in cities like the rest of the Felynes?"

"The reason they steal is the reason that any other living creature does so: because they're greedy, and would rather take from others rather than working for themselves. As for why they don't live in cities or villages… I'm afraid I can't answer that."

"Some Felynes like to live away from the cities," Violetta said. "Sometimes they build entire villages out in the wilds, hidden away from the world. Those types usually aren't bad, but Melynx are a different breed altogether… I guess every species has their collection of bad eggs."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of them before. Melynx are quite common in Gahiji," Tuulikki noted. "Do you not have any in Theron?"

"I've never seen any," Sonia replied.

"You just ain't seen 'em," Logan interjected, shaking his head. "There ain't many in the area 'round Perir, but you can find some most places. Desert's got a lot of them, and they's a good number of them 'long the coast. You see a Felyne outside town, just watch you pockets, hey? 'Specially if they wearing a mask. And if they get too pushy, give 'em a good smack and that'll usually get 'em to buzz off."

"Only outside?" Bram asked. "They don't try and steal things inside towns?"

"Not usually," Violetta replied. "I've heard of some hunters getting their pockets picked by Melynx in towns, but it's pretty rare. I think city Felynes crack down on them or something so they don't get a bad reputation. It doesn't stop Melynx from robbing people blind out in the wilds, but villages and towns are generally safe places…"

"That's rather strange. I don't understand why-"

Bram paused, however, as a flicker of motion through the trees caught his eye. He turned, looking intently through the trunks, and caught it again a moment later: a flash of orange and yellow loping up and down through the trees. He gave a hushed call to the others, sliding behind one of the nearby trees as the rest of them followed his lead, leaning around the edge to try and catch sight of the creature once more.

Bram recognized the Kecha Wacha instantly. He'd seen drawn pictures in the Gahin Guild bestiaries he'd bought, though the artist's rendition certainly didn't do the creature justice. It had a very monkey-like appearance, with a long, floppy trunk, wide, pointed ears, and a long tail that was barbed at the end. Of course, the bright orange and yellow fur was certainly a giveaway of its own; not many monsters in Gahiji sported colors like that, if the guidebooks were to be believed.

"That's our boy," Leon said quietly, leaning up against a tree and peeking his head around it. Bram nodded; he could see the cuts in the creature's ear, and the singe marks along the fur of the creature's forearm. Both fit Steward's descriptions of the wounds left behind by the hunters that had chased it away from the caravan.

As the Kecha swung through the trees, it paused near the trunk of one of the thicker trees in the area. The creature cocked its head back and forth a couple times before twisting around and hanging upside-down by its tail in front of the willow. The Kecha leaned forward, planting one of its large ears against the trunk and sliding its face around. Eventually it paused, its mouth splitting open in a wide smils, huffing excitedly and pulling back. It reached its long, hooked claws forward and tore into the side of the tree, peeling away at the bark and chipping into the trunk beneath. A few moments later there was a sharp splintering as a chunk of the trunk ripped loose, revealing a dug-out hollow within the core of the tree. The Kecha Wacha bounced around excitedly as it reached into the hole and dug around. Soon it pulled its hand back, revealing a handful of plump insect larva, immediately stuffing the grubs into its mouth and reaching greedily for more.

"I don't suppose seeing that thing eating bugs sets you off, hey?" Logan asked, smirking at Tuulikki.

"I am not as obsessed with insects as you seem to think I am," the glaive wielder growled.

"I don't know…" Violetta giggled. "I remember you being particularly brutal towards that one Kut-Ku after seeing it swallow a bunch of Konchu."

"That-! Vi, you're supposed to be on my side!"

"Haha!"

"Come on, let's go get it while it's distracted!" Sonia said eagerly, grabbing hold of her dual blades.

"Hold on…" Tuulikki started.

"Are you going to ask us to try to sneak up on it again?" Bram asked, but the glaive wielder shook her head.

"No, not this time. Actually, I was going to ask Vi to do it instead. I want you to see what a true master of stealth is capable of."

"Hmm? Yeah, that's fine with me," the hunting horn wielder replied. "You just want me to sneak up on it and give it a good wallop before backing off?"

"If you could. After that we'll leave the rest to the apprentices."

"Okay, got it. Stay on your toes, kids, and watch closely."

With an encouraging smile, the pink-armored huntress slipped through the foliage. Bram had to admit that he was impressed; he was straining his ears, yet not a single jingle from the dozens of bells could be heard as she weaved through the brush. The way the huntress slinked hardly had any unnecessary movements, and it just seemed so natural for her. No matter how silent she was, however, it still didn't explain how a woman in vibrant pink armor would be able to sneak up on anything that wasn't completely blind…

However, as Violetta passed behind a tree, she vanished. Bram blinked in surprise, waiting for her to reappear on the other side, but she didn't, and as he craned his head to try and see around it, he couldn't spot the pink armor standing out against the greenery.

Sonia leaned over to him and whispered in confusion. "Where'd she go?"

"I don't know," Bram admitted. "I was hoping you had seen her. What about you, Logan?"

"Don't look at me, I ain't got a clue."

"Now do you see why she has so many bells?" Tuulikki asked with a haughty smile. "Even the sharpest eyes can lose sight of her in a moment."

"Then where is she?" Logan asked, and Tuulikki's smile faltered.

"Ah… well, she is… Most likely…"

A quiet chuckle drew their attention to Leon, who grinned in amusement. "That's what Vi can do. If she wants to disappear, she'll disappear. Monster and human alike, if she doesn't want you to see her, you won't. She's showing off a little right now."

"That's right," Tuulikki nodded. "Though we may be similarly skilled at hunting, even I can't follow her movements when she is being stealthy."

"So none of us know where she is?" Bram asked, and Tuulikki shook her head with a sigh.

"No, I can see her." The other hunters turned in surprise at Leon as the young man stared across the forest. "She's over there, by that tree with the split down the middle."

The lancer pointed off further into the trees, and the Therian hunters - and Tuulikki - stared in that direction. Bram spotted the tree sitting only a dozen yards from the Kecha Wacha, but didn't see anything.

"Did she move?"

"No, she's still there," Leon replied. "She's sort of half-behind it."

Bram squinted slightly, but still couldn't see anything. Beside him, he heard Sonia growl in frustration. "Is she _really_ there?"

"Yeah, of course."

"How can you see her, then?"

Leon scratched his chin thoughtfully and shrugged. "Because she _wants_ me to see her, probably. I don't really understand how she does it, but if she doesn't want you to see her, you won't, and if she does, you will. Chances are, she's letting me see her so that I can tell the rest of you where she is."

"Then why can't Tuulikki see her?" Sonia asked. Bram looked towards the glaive wielder, who was pouting and trying to hide it under her cap. Leon just shrugged again.

"Like I said, she's just trying to show off… Oh, she's approaching the Kecha now."

Bram returned his attention to the Pelagus and searched around for Violetta, but still he couldn't see her! A moment later though, the huntress materialized out from behind a tree a few yards away from the Kecha Wacha. Bram almost couldn't believe his eyes as such a glaring vision of pink popped into existence amidst the lush greenery.

"How the hell are we supposed to replicate that?" Sonia muttered. "I didn't even see what she did!"

"I don't expect you to meet that standard," Tuulikki replied. "This is just an example to show you that she does know her stuff."

"Well, I'm convinced."

The pink-armored huntress turned and waved at them with a wide smile on her face before pulling out her hunting horn, all without getting the Pelagus' attention. Before it knew she was there, she pulled her horn behind her head and swung it down, cracking it against the Kecha's head. The Kecha Wacha screeched in shock and pain at the sudden assault and lost its grip, crashing to the ground.

"That's another bell for her," Leon muttered, before pushing himself to his feet and swinging his lance forward. "Come on, now's our chance!"

With a grunt, the lancer charged over the twisted roots towards the fallen Kecha Wacha. Sonia was grinning excitedly as she dashed after him, with Logan close behind them both. Bram merely stood up and drew his bow, stepping to the side to get a clear shot at the orange creature. He'd grown rather fond of the tactic he'd used against the first Seltas they'd beaten, and would try to pester the Kecha with surprise arrows until the creature managed to figure out where he was.

Violetta pulled away as Leon and Sonia closed in, slipping into the shadows of the trees. Bram watched her carefully, but the huntress vanished again as she passed behind the trunk of a tree. The archer tried and catch sight of her again, but returned his attention to the Kecha as Leon was nearly on top of it.

The Kecha was just rolling back to its feet as Leon crashed into it, his lance catching the creature's side and tearing a shallow gash across the creature's lower back. The Pelagus shrieked and lashed its talons against Leon's shield, but the lancer stood firm, jabbing his lance at the Kecha Wacha's chest and piercing its orange fur and hide. The Kecha howled angrily and pulled its arm back to smash it against the lancer's shield again, but Bram slipped out from behind his tree and fired an arrow at it. The shaft pierced the creature's forearm, making it wince and allowing the Leon to jab it in the shoulder once more before hopping away.

The creature looked in confusion at the arrow protruding from its arm and tried to figure out what happened as Sonia slipped behind the beast, ducking in and attacking the Kecha Wacha's flank. The Pelagus shrieked as Sonia's dual blades sliced into its hind leg and lower back, and sharply snapped its hooked talon at her. The huntress slid under its arm, however, getting in close before lashing out at its belly and leaving a long gash across its gut. As the Kecha winced backwards, the huntress slipped around it once more, slicing into the creature's other leg with her right blade while spinning the one in her left into a reverse grip and preparing to drive it down into the Kecha's back.

However, the Pelagus twisted its long tail low to the ground and hooked the barb around Sonia's leg, and with a sharp tug the Kecha Wacha yanked the huntress' feet out from under her and dropped her onto all fours. It twisted around, backhanding the huntress and flipping her onto her back before raising its forearms to smash them down on her. Bram cursed, pulling back and shooting another arrow which pierced the Pelagus' chest, staggering the creature and making it take a step backwards, but not stopping it from continuing its attack.

Before the Kecha could smash its claws down on the huntress, Logan barreled in from the side and swung his weapon down towards the creature's head. The Kecha shrieked in shock, but leapt backwards to let the sword splinter the intertwining roots along the floor of the grove. Logan wrenched his weapon loose, but the Pelagus' trunk suddenly swelled up before spraying a goopy blob of viscous mucus at the great sword user. The hunter couldn't bring his weapon around to block and quickly turned his head, taking the splatter of fluid into the side of his helm. Some of the gunk still trailed across his face, and while Logan sputtered in disgust and wiped the mucus off, the Kecha backflipped upwards, hooking its talons over a couple of thick branches and yapping menacingly at the hunters.

As the three blade wielders slowly circled in on the Kecha, shouting tactics at each other, Bram slipped from tree to tree, waiting for a chance to shoot. He was hoping to shoot the Kecha's arms and knock it to the ground, but he needed to wait for the creature to have its back turned; the Kecha Wacha had yet to catch onto him, and he wanted to keep it that way for a little longer.

He was caught by surprise when the Kecha suddenly lowered its wide ears, however, dropping them over its eyes. The guidebook he'd read said that this was a defense mechanism to try and frighten predators, and Bram would've agreed with the sentiment if he didn't know better: the illusion gave the impression of wide, yellow eyes, and the barbs along the edges of its ears made the Kecha look like it had long, curved fangs. But Bram _did_ know better, and realized that lowering its ears would only blind it and make it easier for him and the others to attack it.

However, the creature took a deep breath and snapped its head forward to unleash a powerful screech that ripped through the grove like shattering glass. Even at the distance he was at, Bram winced in pain and raised a hand to block out the sound. That had been _loud_. He'd never suspected that the Kecha would've had that kind of vocal capacity… had it used its ears as some type of amplifier? _That_ certainly hadn't been in the guidebook. Perhaps this Pelagus was a craftier monster than he'd first believed.

Bram watched carefully as the Kecha Wacha's head snapped back and forth, trying to search out the hunters around him. Sonia, Logan, and Leon were all trying to press towards the Pelagus, but the Kecha seemed to have acute enough ears to hear them coming and push them back with a swipe of its claws. Bram would have an easy time pelting the monster with arrows with its eyes covered, though. He snapped around the tree and fired at the Kecha, feeling satisfied as the arrow sunk into the creature's shoulder. He was on Sonia's side with this one: after a month of fighting Seltas with their hard shells, it was nice to hunt a monster that his arrows wouldn't bounce off, and drawing blood from a monster without needing to make pinpoint shots made him feel less ineffective than he had been recently.

He quickly darted between a few trees to circle around the Pelagus as he prepared his next shot. However, as he twisted around the side of the tree and drew his arrow, the Kecha Wacha's head snapped his direction and one of the creature's ears lifted up to show the Pelagus' bright yellow eye staring directly at him. Bram's heart sank; how had the creature known he was there?

Bram cursed as the Kecha immediately turned and swung through the trees towards him. He fired his arrow at the creature's chest, but the shot was poorly released and the Kecha simply swung to the side and let the arrow sail past it. The archer tried to dash away, but the Kecha tailed close behind until it was right on top of him. It released its grip on the branches above it, hitting the earth and snapping a talon around Bram's leg, yanking his feet out from under him and dropping the archer onto his stomach. With a screech, the Kecha raised its arms to smash them down on the fallen hunter.

However, there was a loud clang as a green and tan shape appeared between Bram and the Kecha. Leon had appeared and planted himself between the Pelagus and the archer. The Kecha shrieked in fury, but paused in confusion as Leon thrust his shield forward; the metal- and bone-reinforced Kecha Wacha shield seemed to confuse the Pelagus, resembling one of the Kecha's own ears. Leon used the opening to thrust his lance into the Kecha's chest, and the creature yelped in pain, leaping backwards and swinging several yards away before turning and howling at them.

"You need to be more careful," Leon told him, stabbing his lance into the earth and offering his hand to the archer. "It may cover its eyes, but its ears are sharp; pointing down at the ground like that, it can pick up on your footsteps."

Bram nodded, grabbing the lancer's hand and pulling back to his feet. "Wish that guidebook I'd bought mentioned that. Thank you for the information though."

"Was it written by someone named Professor Flam?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Don't buy his stuff for hunting information," Leon sighed. "His books give good bionomical data, but he intentionally keeps all the useful hunting information out. I think he figures that a hunter should learn things the hard way rather than getting their information ahead of time. One of those 'run before you walk' kind of people."

"Wonderful…" Bram muttered. "I suppose I should thank you for that information as well."

"Don't mention it."

Back near the Kecha, Sonia had slipped under it and was attempting to slice at the Pelagus' hind legs while avoiding the creature's long-reaching claws. The Kecha flipped in the air, latching onto the branches with its tail and using both hands to slash at the huntress, forcing her to stay at out of reach. The huntress was pressing in closer and closer though, so the Kecha sent a spray of mucus towards her, forcing her to leap behind a tree to avoid being hosed down.

Logan tried to strike while its attention was on Sonia, but without even turning around the Kecha pulled itself upwards, dodging the metal blade before striking Logan in the chest and throwing the hunter into the dirt. As the hunter struggled back to his feet, the Kecha bobbed up and down in gleeful amusement before swinging back and throwing itself towards Logan. The great sword user cursed, rolling out of the way as the beast's long claws chopped into the tree roots. Bram prepared to fire at the Kecha's back, but the Kecha Wacha snapped its head around to face him as the bow creaked. The archer grumbled in frustration and fired, but the Pelagus ducked under the shot before charging towards him.

"How good of hearing does this thing _have_?" Bram muttered, leaping behind a tree. He tried to juke back the direction he'd come from to catch the Pelagus off guard, but the Kecha swept around the same side and nearly clipped Bram with its claw. As Bram stumbled backwards, he awkwardly drew an arrow, and the Kecha hesitated at the sound. The moment's pause allowed Bram to fire at the Kecha's shoulder, though the arrow only pierced deep enough to draw a trickle of blood before falling loose.

Deep footsteps thundered towards the Kecha from behind, and the Pelagus turned sharply as Leon bore down on it with his lance. On impulse Bram grabbed the string of his bow and pulled it taut as the beast spun to leap out of the way, and sure enough, hearing the bowstring stretch made the Kecha cock its head in Bram's direction. The distraction was enough for Leon to cover the last few yards and punch his lance into the Kecha's upper arm. Blood poured from the wound, but the creature quickly recovered, shoving against Leon's shield to push the lancer away before leaping up to latch onto the canopy with its tail. The creature raised its left arm up to touch its wound, and visibly shivered with rage before unleashing another screech.

Logan recovered first and charged, but the Pelagus snapped its arm out and forced him to step back to keep from being struck. Sonia rushed in even as the Kecha was in mid-swipe, kicking off a thick root to try and get some elevation, but the orange beast snapped its feet up and kicked her in the shoulder back to the ground. It dropped to the earth and rushed her while she was recovering, but ducked back as Leon slid in front of her, leaping away before the hunter's long weapons could pierce it.

Bram snapped his bow up, aiming towards where the Kecha would land from its leap, but again the Kecha's head snapped in his direction at the sound of the bow creaking. While in midair, the Pelagus opened its arms wide, and a thin membrane of skin and fur stretched out from its wrists down to its knees, its gliding patagium. With a swing of its arms the Kecha pushed its membrane down like wings, launching itself backwards through the air another few yards and out of the arrows path, letting the projectile sink harmlessly into a tree.

Bram cursed and nocked another arrow. He'd known that Kecha Wachas could glide, but he hadn't thought they would be that versatile in using their patagium. He could already see the Kecha's head tilting in his direction, his footsteps and the creaking of his bow giving him away. He fired anyway, but the Kecha leapt up and grabbed the limbs to swing out of the way.

"How can its ears be so good?!"

"You think you got it bad? This thing's dodging me 'fore I'm close enough to swing, hey?" Logan snapped back. "Least you arrows don't make noise in the air!"

"Hey, Leon!" Sonia shouted. "You got any tricks for getting around this thing's stupid hearing?"

"Now that he knows we're here, that might be challenging," the lancer replied. "I doubt any of us are stealthy enough to get him to lose track of us. Rushing it all at once is a possibility, but with four of us that would only end in a mess. The only thing I can think of is if we make enough noise to drown out our footsteps."

"Like a sonic bomb? I've got one of those."

"If its ears were up, that would probably stun it for a while, but while they're down? It might lose track of us for a second or two. If we had something that lasted longer, that'd be better, but…"

"How 'bout them shaker bushes? The scatternuts?" Logan suggested. "They supposed to be noisy, ain't they? Just kick one of them."

"That… that could work."

Bram looked around, and sure enough there was a scatternut bush about six yards behind the Kecha. "Get ready!" he shouted, drawing an arrow and aiming towards the bush. The Kecha tensed at the sound of the bow creaking and swung to the side as Bram fired, but this time Bram hadn't been aiming for it.

The arrow flew into the bush and must have hit one of the scatternuts within, as there was a loud cracking sound and the clattering of seed pots. The Kecha Wacha's head turned sharply at the sound for a moment before returning its attention towards the three blade wielders closing in on him. A moment later, however, there was another crack and more clattering as the seedpods struck and set off other scatternuts within the bush, and those burst to set off even more. In a couple seconds, the entire underbrush was filled with cracking and popping, and the Kecha Wacha's head snapped back and forth as it tried to get its bearings straight over the noise.

"Now! Attack it!" Bram shouted over the din. "While it's confused!"

The Pelagus' head turned in Bram's direction at his shout, but Sonia had lunged at the creature from behind, slashing her dual blades into the hide just over its tail. The Kecha screeched in shock, losing its grip on the branches and crashing to the ground. It was on its feet in a flash and twisted around, but tilted its head back and forth to try and get her position.

From its other side Logan charged in, and though the hunter's loud footfalls and rattling armor warned the Kecha that he was coming, the Pelagus wasn't able to get out of the way in time. The hunter's great sword dropped down as the Kecha raised an arm to block, but the heavy blade smashed into the Pelagus' arm and cleaved into the creature's shoulder. The Kecha shrieked in pain as it was thrown across the ground, painting the roots beneath it red with blood. Bram thought the attack had been a killing blow, but a few moments later the Kecha rolled over, pushing itself to its feet while clutching its bleeding arm.

"Damn it!" Logan cursed, glaring at his weapon. "I should've cut its whole arm off!"

"Kecha bones are very hard!" Leon shouted. "The higher-quality ones are called 'leadbones' for a reason! Be glad you did as much damage as you did!"

"Hoy, you gotta be kidding me… First the Seltas' shell, now this thing's bones made of steel? Why everything in this country gotta be so hard to cut up?"

Though it was still alive and kicking, the Kecha Wacha was clearly suffering. Its fur was already matted with blood on its arm and shoulder, and the creature was holding its wounded arm tightly. It was still able to move the appendage, and without a thought the Kecha reached down and picked up some mud off the ground before slapping it over its wounds, stopping the bleeding for a moment before howling at the hunters angrily. It was still treating its arm gingerly, though.

"Keep your focus on its left side!" Bram called out. "No matter what it does it won't alleviate the pain!"

"Understood!" Leon called out, approaching the Pelagus slowly.

The raucous noise from the scatterbush was still going, so the Kecha only turned its head slightly towards the hunter before he got close enough to jab at the orange creature just below its left shoulder. The Kecha shrieked and twisted its left side away from the lancer, staggering backwards and swiping out with its right arm. Leon let the claws scrape harmlessly against his tower shield before jabbing repeatedly the Kecha's chest, slowly pushed the creature back. The orange beast kept trying to figure out the lancer's attacks, but with the noise still echoing it just couldn't do anything.

Finally it had had enough, and as Leon pulled his lance back to deliver a powerful strike, the Pelagus' ears lifted up to reveal its wide and furious yellow eyes. As Leon thrust forward, the Kecha grabbed the side of the shaft and pushed it down into the dirt. Leon staggered slightly at the sudden change of momentum, and the Kecha released the lance and swung its paw forward, backhanding Leon against his helmet, knocking him back a step before leaping in the air and kicking its hind legs against the lancer's chest. Leon was thrown onto his back, coughing in pain, while the Kecha backflipped in the air and latched its tail barb onto the limbs above it.

Bram cursed and nocked his bow, but the Kecha spotted him and pushed itself through the branches and up over the canopy before the arrow could hit it. Bram stared worriedly up at the bobbing limbs above him as the Kecha darted around, only being able to see the creature's shadow and hear its panting breaths. Bram frowned, trying to follow the creature. The partially overcast sky made it hard to follow the Kecha's shadow, and its huffing breaths weren't easy to get an exact pinpoint on.

About a dozen yards away, the Kecha's head broke through the branches, and Bram turned to fire an arrow. Before he could, the Kecha's nose swelled and sprayed several blobs of mucus towards him. The archer dived behind a tree as the wet globs splattered against the trunk before swinging around the side to fire an arrow, but the Kecha had already withdrawn over the canopy. There was a flash of orange to Bram's right as the Kecha burst its head through the canopy again, unleashing another spray, and Bram leapt to the side as the mucus splattered against his feet.

The other hunters were closing in again, trying to get a bead on the creature's location above them. The shaking of the branches made a wide stretch of the canopy shiver over them, dropping dead and dying leaves down from above. The spiraling leaves made it even harder for the hunters to catch sight of the Kecha, and soon they could only rely on the creature's footsteps and panting, but even with the sounds of the scatterbush fading away it was hard to make out.

"Bram!" Sonia shouted over the noise. "I know you don't like it, but I think we're going to have to climb up there!"

"I am well aware!" the archer called back. "Can we make our way over to one of those rock pillars?"

"Be careful with your voices!" Leon warned them. "The Kecha may be able to hear us!"

"But how else are me and Bram supposed to-"

The Kecha's face burst through the leaves before Sonia could finish her thought, not a couple yards in front of her. The huntress jolted in surprise as the creature's nose rolled upwards and sprayed its goopy mucus right into her face. Sonia was left completely soaked from the chest up, gasping and coughing as she stumbled backwards and tried to wipe herself off. The Kecha panted excitedly and pushed its way through the canopy, swiping its talons towards the huntress.

"Get away from her!" Bram shouted, making the Kecha turn towards him sharply. Bram snapped his bow up to point towards the Pelagus and loosed an arrow.

It missed its mark slightly, but the shaft tore straight through the Kecha's left ear before embedding into one of the branches behind it. The Kecha shrieked in shock, yanking its head wildly to free itself, but the arrow held fast and the orange beast only ended up tearing the flesh of its ear. It reached up and tried to pull the arrow free to avoid hurting its ear any further, and was forced to pull itself back under the canopy to do so. Logan and Leon rushed the Kecha's exposed back as the beast gingerly tried to free itself.

Bram was focused on Sonia, however. The huntress was coughing and gasping for air and having trouble getting back to her feet. Slinging his bow, Bram dashed over and grabbed her shoulder, pulling her behind one of the nearby trees. The huntress nearly collapsed as she leaned against the tree, her face growing pale.

"What… what's going on?" the huntress wheezed as a scared look covered her face. "I can't… I can't breathe!"

"Calm down, Sonia. You _can_ still breathe, Sonia, you just need to calm down and do it slowly. It's _only waterblight_. The Kecha's mucus filled your lungs with moisture, making it hard for you to breathe properly. Here, put this on," Bram replied calmly, reaching into his pouch. He pulled out a small leafy object, an air filter, and passed it to the huntress. "Hold this over your mouth and take slow, deep breaths. The filter will absorb the water when you exhale. Remember: breathe _slowly_."

Sonia nodded nervously, pressing the filter to her face and breathing deep. The first few breaths were sharp and ragged, but as the filter cleared her lungs and her breathing became easier, she slowly relaxed. Bram watched as several drops of moisture leaked through the green mask, dribbling down her face and onto her lap. Soon there didn't to be any more liquid seeping through the filter and Sonia had calmed down, but Bram stopped her as she started to pull the filter away.

"Keep it on for now. It should keep the mucus from doing it to you again."

"Thanks, Bram," Sonia replied, tying the mask to her face. She still looked a little pale, but color was returning, and Bram knew she'd be fine now that her breathing was normal again.

"Give it a little longer. We'll keep it distracted until then."

"R-right…"

As Bram rushed around the side of the tree, he realized that Logan and Leon, as well as the Kecha Wacha, were no longer there. The arrow was still embedded in the branches where he'd fired it, and a streak of blood seemed to indicate what had happened to the Kecha itself. He could hear the Kecha running around above the canopy, and by the sounds of things, Logan and Leon had both followed the creature up there. Bram glanced around, finding one of the rock pillars sprouting from the earth several dozen yards away and heading in that direction. He frowned nervously, however. He really, _really_ didn't want to try and fight the Kecha while trying to balance on tree branches.

However, he got lucky as the wide shadow of the Kecha Wacha flew over him, landing on the branches above him. The archer quickly nocked an arrow, aiming it up and firing it through the limbs. Fortunately, the shot went straight through the gaps of the branches, and a screech of pain could be heard from the other side of the canopy. Some thumping footsteps and a loud crash of metal signaled what he thought was Leon barreling into the beast with his lance, though Bram couldn't be certain.

"Hold it down!" Logan's voice bellowed overhead. "Hoy! Bram! You down there?"

"Yes, I'm here!"

"Nice timing with that arrow, but this thing a pain to fight up here! You better move, 'cause I'm bringing it back down!"

"How are you-"

Bram's answer came before he could even ask the question as a powerful _crunch_ ripped through the canopy, followed by a wave of snapping and cracking. The entire canopy seemed to shake as nearly half of Logan's great sword tore through the branches, severing half a dozen of them before being yanked back again and chopping the boughs once more. Bram backed away fearfully, pushing himself up against the trunk of a tree as the canopy began to sag downwards, and he could hear the panicked howling of the Kecha and the clattering of Leon's armor.

Bram winced and covered his head as whips of vines and limbs fell onto him, stumbling away from the epicenter. Then the roof of the forest opened up as the canopy collapsed. There was a shriek and a flash of orange as the Kecha plummeted from above with Leon close behind, and as the beast smashed against the earth, the lancer crashed down on top of it before rolling to the mud. Logan had somehow managed to avoid the initial collapse, but the hole in the canopy began to spread, and the great sword user found himself sliding down a knot of branches and hitting the ground with a hard _thud_.

Bram saw the Kecha starting to recover from the drop, but the collapse of the canopy had left the archer stuck behind a curtain of hanging branches that he needed to push through. Logan managed to recover enough to approach the Kecha Wacha, but by then the Pelagus was rolling upright as well. The Kecha tried to pull away at the sight of the approaching hunter, but its injured arm gave out underneath it. Logan tried to cleave his great sword down onto the creature's head, but the Kecha ducked to the side and lashed out with its good arm, knocking the hunter away. Even before Logan had hit the ground, the Kecha's ears dropped over its eyes once more, and the creature let out a shrill screech.

"Its ears are down again!" Bram called out.

"It's on its last legs!" Leon cautioned. "But be careful; you know what they say about cornered prey."

"Ja, ja… Shoot another of those bushes, Bram!" Logan shouted.

Bram searched around, but cursed under his breath; there were several more scatternut bushes within sight, but Bram wasn't sure whether they were close enough to be as effective. The archer fired a shot towards the nearest bush and managed to set the bush shaking, but all it did was make the Kecha turn its attention towards the noise warily for a moment. When Logan tried and hit the creature with an overhead swing, the Kecha reacted instantly, leaping out of the way. Just as Bram suspected, the Pelagus had to be closer to the bushes for it to be disoriented, and Bram wasn't sure if they could lead the creature close enough. He might be able to distract the beast slightly though…

However, as Bram drew another arrow, the Kecha turned to face him before charging towards him. The archer cursed and fired, but even though the head struck the creature in the chest, the Pelagus refused to slow down. As it closed in, the beast somersaulted forward and used its good arm to launch itself through the air.

Bram leapt to the right and rolled back to his feet, but froze in disbelief for a moment upon seeing that the Kecha had never hit the ground. A shadow passed over him and he looked up sharply, and there it was: the beast had opened its gliding membrane to sharply alter its course in the air. Bram tried to dodge again, but the Kecha abruptly dropped out of the air, sweeping its long talons sideways in a sharp cross-swipe. Bram couldn't dodge this one; the Kecha Wacha's reach was just too great.

The Pelagus' claws slammed into the left side of Bram's chest and right leg simultaneously. A sharp burst of pain tore through the archer's torso, but the feeling was immediately forgotten as the world spiraled out of control. Bram was hurled through the air, crashing into the ground and tumbling over the earth before slamming into the base of one of the trees, sliding down to flop gracelessly into the mud and dirt.

He might have blacked out for a moment or two before his mind snapped back into control. He might have heard his name being called, but his head was hazy and throbbing. He vaguely reached up to touch his shoulder as a spike of pain lanced through it, and he felt something warm seeping into the dull yellow Ludroth coat. His vision swam as he opened his eyes and tried to sit up, automatically reaching for his pouch to pull out a potion, but the first thing he saw was the Kecha Wacha grabbing some branches and swinging in his direction. Bram vaguely noted that the tips of the Kecha's talons on its right arm were tipped in blood…

However, there was a furious shout from the side. A lavender blur raced from the side as Sonia leapt up and kicked off one of the trees, flying through the air before crashing headlong into the Kecha Wacha and plunging her blades into its orange fur. The Kecha shrieked in pain, slipping from the branches and crashing to the ground. Sonia landed on top of the creature in a heap but immediately sat up and began stabbing her dual blades into its chest and side. The Kecha howled and tried to dislodge her, but her position made it a challenge until a random swipe clipped her side and knocked her off.

The Kecha Wacha rolled back to its feet, but Sonia's assault had left a large bloody swath along its left side, soaking its fur in red. The huntress launched herself at the creature again before it could fully recover, however, slashing her blades into the arm it was using the support itself. The Pelagus nearly toppled over again, but managed to whip its tail at the huntress, the hooked barb at the end slicing a shallow line into Sonia's arm and making her flinch, giving the Kecha time enough to leap away and grab hold of the branches above.

Sonia leapt forward again to slash at the Kecha's feet, but the creature lashed out and hooked its talon into the huntress' leather armor. With a sharp tug it yanked her off her feet and threw her into the mud. The Kecha's nose swelled as it prepared to spray mucus at her, but Leon caught up and swung up his shield to block the gush of viscous water. The hunter's lance thrust forward, punching into the Kecha's chest under its left arm, and the beast flinched and leapt backwards. Sonia was already back on her feet and shot around the lancer in a bull rush towards the Pelagus, and the Kecha spread its gliders out to push itself away further. However, its injured arm faltered and it twisted unevenly in the air before crashing to the ground only a couple yards away, only to find itself on the receiving end on Sonia's onslaught again.

A flash of pain drew Bram's attention back to his own poor condition, and the hunter quickly uncorked and drank the potion bottle he'd pulled out. He still hurt though, and pulled out another bottle to drink before reaching down to collect his bow from the wet ground. Some heavy footsteps caught his attention, and he spotted Logan rushing his direction. As soon as he reached the archer, Logan grabbed Bram and helped him around to the other side of the trunk.

"Hoy, how you feeling?" the great sword user asked worriedly.

"Not… not fantastic," Bram groaned. "I don't… think anything's broken. Mild concussion, maybe… I think there's a gash on my shoulder too."

"You need help fixing up?" Logan asked, reaching for his pouch, but Bram shook his head.

"No, I… I think I have it, just… Keep the Kecha Wacha from coming this way."

"Ja, got it," the great sword user replied, glancing around the side of the tree. "Sonia and Leon got that thing's attention now. Think you girlie's not happy it hurt you, hey?"

"I imagine not," Bram groaned, unfastening the top few buttons on his coat and pushing the left side over his shoulder. Logan winced slightly at the sight of a crooked gash curving over his shoulder and the matted blood staining the inside of the yellow materials, but Bram paid it no mind. He carefully wiped off the excess blood and covered the injury with some antiseptic before pressing a bandage over the wound and binding it. "That should hold it for the rest of the fight."

"You way too calm about this."

"It's not the worst injury I've ever had to treat, Logan."

"That's not-" The great sword user tensed, however, at the sound of rapid footsteps and shouting from Sonia and Leon. A moment later the Kecha Wacha slid around the other side of the tree, yapping angrily at the two hunters.

Logan leapt between the creature and Bram and swung out his great sword to defend the archer, but the Pelagus leapt into the air and swung over the great sword user's head. Its left arm was still wounded, but it was coming towards Bram much faster than the archer could run right now. Bram tried to push to his feet, but his legs were still unsteady. He tried to nock an arrow, but his mind was still hazy and he fumbled with the grip. He could slide around to the other side and recover, but that would only slow the Kecha down for a moment or two… and the beast was nearly on top of him!

However, before the Kecha could attack, there was a sudden gust of wind, and the orange creature paused as a rushing sound filled the air. A pattering against Bram face was almost all the warning he got before the sky opened up and a deluge of rain cascaded from the sky. In less than a second the archer was soaked to the bone as the water rushed through the canopy.

The Kecha Wacha screeched in shock as its bright orange fur was soaked through. Red-tinted water poured down to the ground, mixing with the puddles that were growing below. Its head tilted back and forth wildly, but the sudden cloudburst had filled the grove with sweeping sheets of rain pattering against the leaves, dripping down and splashing into the mud and growing puddles below. The rain was even drumming against the Pelagus' ears themselves, likely filling its head with its constant pounding.

As the creature twisted around uncertainly, Bram noted that the Kecha was sinking lower to the ground as well. Looking up, the archer could see that the branch it was hanging from was bending. Bram realized that the creature's weight was increasing as the water soaked into the Kecha's fur. The branch groaned, and the Kecha looked up a moment too late as the limb snapped, sending the Pelagus to the ground with a wet splat, spraying water and mud into the air.

Bram reached for his arrows, but found himself fumbling to nock it as the sheets of rain left the shaft slippery. He was nearly knocked off his feet by a gust of wind, and the archer was forced to concentrate on the bowstring just to get the arrow drawn. His fingers slipped as he pulled back on the string, however, and sent his arrow sailing off into the trunk of a tree. Bram cursed, pulling another arrow out and forcing himself to draw his next arrow more carefully. This time the arrow punched into the Kecha's back, and Bram prepared to fire again. The Kecha pushed itself to its feet, swaying its head back and forth, but the pouring rain was simply too loud, and Bram was easily able to fire another arrow close to the beast's neck. The Kecha snapped around as it tried to get a bead on him, and the Kecha finally raised up an ear to use its eyes, focusing on Bram.

With its ears up though, it couldn't hear the other hunters. Leon crashed into the Kecha Wacha's side, his lance tearing a long gash across the Pelagus' stomach. However, his shield caught the beast head-on. The Kecha attempted to push back against the lancer, but its feet lost their grip on the slick earth and it was pushed backwards. The lancer continued his rush, pushing the orange-furred creature through the mud before slamming the beast against the trunk of a tree. The lancer quickly swung his weapon over the creature's shoulder and punched the tip into the trunk of the tree, effectively pinning the Pelagus as it thrashed around.

"Now! Finish it off!" the lancer cried as the Kecha lashed out, trying to strike Leon's exposed back.

Bram fired an arrow, which sunk into the creature's shoulder as it tried to attack Leon. The Pelagus squealed, raising its arm to block before a second arrow punched into its wrist. The beast tried to find a foothold against the roots below, but Sonia slid in and drove her swords into the Kecha's leg, forcing the beast's legs out from under it again. With the creature pressed against the tree and both its arms otherwise occupied, Logan rushed for the creature's head, swinging his sword around to cleave it down onto the Kecha Wacha's skull.

However, the Kecha finally managed hook in its claws into Leon before Logan could bring down his sword. The curled talons caught against the hunter's greaves, and with a sharp pull, the creature yanked the lancer's feet out from under him. Leon yelped as he dropped to a knee, and the Kecha followed up by grabbing hold of the hunter and swinging Leon directly at Logan. There was a clash of steel as the two men collided and were sent sprawling to the ground. Sonia leapt towards the Kecha, sliding her left blade under the Pelagus' arm and thrusting it towards the creature's chest, but the Kecha bobbed its head down and unleashed a spray of mucus right into the huntress' face. The air filter was still strapped to her jaw, but the force of the spray made her stumble and slip on a root and falling into a puddle.

Bram prepared another arrow, and the Kecha's attention snapped towards him. It lowered its ears and reared its head forward to screech, but Sonia leapt forward and plunged the point of her blade into the creature's haunches right as the archer fired. The Kecha shrieked and dipped its head, but the act lowered the beast's head just enough that the arrow slid right over the beast's shoulder and into its throat.

The Pelagus reared back and its eyes popped open wide in pain, but its cry was distorted and twisted by a sickly gurgling sound. It clawed frantically at the arrow in its throat as a trail of blood trickled from its neck, but the efforts only snapped the shaft and twisted the steel head, allowing the blood to flow freely and staining its orange and yellow fur with streaks of red. The Kecha staggered backwards as it clawed desperately at its throat, but it was to no avail. Its panic and terror and the slick ground made it slip over a wet root, and the creature toppled to the ground. The Kecha landed flat on its back, striking a thick root with a loud crack, and let out a sickly cough that sprayed the ground next to it with blood.

Though the beast waved its arms and legs to try and push itself back to its feet, Bram could already tell it was a futile effort. The arrow had punctured the creature's windpipe; it could no longer breath, and was slowly bleeding out. As the beast struggled, Bram drew one last arrow, aiming carefully and launching it directly at the Kecha Wacha's chest. The projectile pierced straight through the orange Pelagus' ribcage, puncturing its heart. The Kecha seized up in pain, wheezed a couple more times, and slumped over dead.

There was only a couple moments of respite after the orange creature died before another sweep of rain rushed through the grove, forcing the hunters to rush towards the nearest trees and hide themselves. Bram's quiver was sloshing with water by the time they managed to get under the boughs of the thicker branches, and even with the small holes drilled into the bottom it would take time to drain.

"Hoy… that was a bigger pain in the butt than I thought it be, hey?" Logan sighed, unslinging his sword and letting himself lean against the trunk.

"Are you okay, Bram?" Sonia asked nervously, staring noticeably at the red stain on his shoulder.

"Yeah… Yes, I'm fine, Sonia. I… I'll need to visit a doctor once we return to Lintukoto, but the bandages should hold until then."

"You sure?"

"For the most part. The doctor will make sure everything's shipshape."

"Alright… If you say so."

Bram sighed wearily, slouching as he leaned against the tree. However, as he rested his back against the bark, he winced slightly as a gush of water swept down his pants and splattered against the roots.

"Hey! What gives, string bean?" Sonia yelped, sliding a little away from him. "I'm wet enough as it is!"

"It's the coat," the archer groaned, tugging at the yellow materials. He wrapped his hand around his wrist and squeezed, releasing a small collection of water that rolled off his fingers and splashed to the ground. "Ludroth sponge, remember? Good for absorbing physical damage… but it retains water rather efficiently."

"So you is a walking fishbowl then," Logan chuckled.

"Don't you Therians hunt monsters underwater?" Leon asked curiously. "How would that kind of thing be useful when swimming?"

"It didn't hinder me while underwater. Ludroth swim with fully-saturated manes, so naturally it wouldn't make sense for it not to be hydrodynamic when wet. It was rather frustrating to have to dry myself off after every underwater hunt or trip through the Flooded Forest."

"Hey, yeah…" Sonia muttered. "I don't think I ever saw you wringing yourself out after a Gobul of Ludroth fight…"

"You simply never saw it, Sonia."

"You guys did really good!" Bram jolted slightly at Violetta's voice and turned to find the huntress standing around the edge of the tree, sidled up next to it just as tightly and wiping the water off of her face. "I thought I might need to play some songs for you guys if things got rough, but it didn't seem like you needed the help. I'm glad things didn't go too sour near the end; my songs get kind of wonky when my horn is waterlogged."

Tuulikki approached the four apprentices with far less subtlety, making her way towards them from where she'd been watching the fight by darting between trees as quickly as she could. Upon reaching the same tree as them, she took a moment to catch her breath and pulled close to the tree alongside them, removing her cap and shaking it off a couple times before returning it to her head.

"Your hunt there was passable," she told them.

"I think you're not being generous enough," Violetta replied.

"...Fine. The Kecha Wacha was much more aggressive than I believed it would be, even after Master Steward's claims. For such a violent creature, you did well adapting to its attacks and using your surroundings to your advantage." The glaive wielder paused for a moment. "However, I cannot say whether this hunt has been enough to develop your skills as you so desire…"

"Thinking we learned _something_ or other," Logan replied.

"You are certain?" Tuulikki asked, though the great sword user shrugged uncomfortably, and the huntress sighed. "Either way, you have only a few more days to beat the Training Hill. If you have taken something from this hunt, you had best hope it's enough to accomplish your goal."

"We've still got a few days to train," Sonia huffed.

"So you do. Well, we shall wait for the rain to die off, and you can carve what you can from the Kecha. The Guild can send a crew to gather the rest once we return to the village and report it… Hopefully the materials aren't too waterlogged by then. Kecha fur tends to smell rather… _foul_ when wet. You have the rest of the week off; use your time as you will."

"I'm sure you already know how we plan to use it," Bram replied as he wrung out the other arm.

"Very well. Your final test will be the morning before the caravan leaves. You have until then to practice what you can."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a big orange monkey!**

 **Another chapter that had to be split in two… I wanted to conclude this chapter with the running of the Training Hill on the last day, but I suppose that will have to wait for next time. Now, since the next chapter is going to be pretty short due to being cut in half, does that mean I should release it next week, or keep to my two-week release schedule so I have more time to write? Hmm…**

 **Had another funny typo while writing this chapter; I've mentioned accidentally writing 'killed' instead of 'kissed' in TLC, which led to some amusing plot alterations. This time, instead of writing 'sonic', I unintentionally wrote 'sonia'. The idea of throwing a Sonia Bomb left me in fits of giggles.**

 **I'm trying to take more weather effects into account over the course of the story. MH tends to have very… stable weather conditions, and I hope to have fun toying with the effects of rain and hail and the like. I mean, in the Najarala intro video, the area was dusty and hard to see; just imagine what the fight would have been like if the dust cloud had actually stayed around! When the Kushala Daora is around, it always starts to snow or rain, unless you're in the desert, so shouldn't that have some sort of effect on the hunt as well? In GTA5, there's always a bit of trouble driving when it's raining; just imagine the struggle of trying to climb sheer walls and battle monsters in a downpour.**

 **Not even that, this chapter was HARD to write. Not the talking bits. Those were surprisingly easy, actually. The trouble was the fight scene. I was having a hard time figuring out how best to depict this fight against the Kecha while taking into account the rain, the scatternuts, the trees, and the elevation. It took a lot of tweaking to get everything right, so I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I know I keep track of the games I play, music I listen to, books I read, and shows I watch. But should I start writing down the kind of crap I look up while writing these chapters? Flying squirrels, pictures of willows, average rainfall for forests and jungles, the leg design of leaping monsters like toads… the list goes on.**

 **Playing: MH4U (I… should probably start playing other games again), Bravely Default, Batman: Arkham Knight, Fire Emblem: Awakening  
Listening: Mystery Skulls, Roman Candle, Owl City, Plain White T's, Pet Shop Boys, Silversun Pickups, The Decemberists, Rainer Maria, The Divine Comedy, Wilco, The Album Leaf, My Morning Jacket, Chavez, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Macha, Mad Max: Fury Road OST, Blind Guardian, Avenged Sevenfold  
Watching: Overlord, Gate, Kekkai Sensen, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pacific Rim  
Reading: **_**Overlord**_ **by Maruyama Kugane,** _ **Gate**_ **by Takumi Yanai,** _ **Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Den**_ **by Fuse,** _ **The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol 2**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **Ready Player One**_ **by Ernest Cline**


	11. Time Trial

Time Trial

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

The sun was just peeking the horizon as the hunters reached the base of the Training Hill. The shadows of the trees stretched long, crawling up the lowest walls of the hill, but were slowly shrinking as the sun crept higher into the sky. Most of the outcropping was covered in an orange-red light, however, making the whole hill appear like a beacon rising out of the earth.

Though the last couple months had been some of the toughest training that the Therian hunters had experienced, the last three days had been perhaps the most intense. It wasn't through Tuulikki's efforts, but rather through their own initiative that the three of them had been working so hard. As the sun was peeking over the trees of the forest, the three of them were just arriving at the hill, running themselves up and down the landmark until the sky was growing dark, only pausing long enough to catch their breaths, eat, and drink whenever they needed to.

Logan had done his training with an especially potent fervor, even compared to the last two months. Bram had to admit that he was worried though; his hunting master had been running himself ragged. The first night the great sword user had barely had the strength to return to their hut at the bottom of the village. The second night he'd made it halfway back before passing out, forcing Bram and Sonia to seek help from a pair of passing hunters to get him back. The only reason he hadn't done as bad or worse the previous night was because Bram and Sonia had both forced him to stop before he could overwork himself.

Today was the last day before the caravan was planning to take off, and the trio's last real day to complete the Training Hill.

Tuulikki, Violetta, and Leon were already at the base of the hill waiting for them when they arrived. Steward and Selene had both said they'd come to cheer them on, but Logan had asked them not to. The hunters didn't want an audience for this beyond Tuulikki herself, honestly, but it seemed that Violetta and Leon had still shown up anyway. Violetta and Leon both looked rather drowsy, but smiled at the Therians as they approached. Tuulikki had a solemn expression on her face as they neared.

"Do you think you are prepared?" she asked.

"Ready as we ever gonna be," Logan replied curtly.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until later in the day?" Leon asked. "You'd be fully awake, if nothing else."

"It's best to get it done and over with," Bram replied, rolling his shoulder. The heat emanating from the fire phial of his switch axe felt pleasant in the cool morning air.

"Right, let's do this," Sonia nodded eagerly, adjusting the straps that kept the practice hunting horn strapped to her back.

"Very well, if you are so certain of yourselves, let us see whether your confidence is well-deserved or not," Tuulikki replied.

"Hold on a moment, if you please," a voice called out. The hunters turned in surprise at Tapio's voice, as the village chief appeared through the trees, nodding solemnly at them. "You all are quite eager to do this test, aren't you? These old bones aren't made for waking so early in the morning."

"Father? Why are-"

"I am here to see whether or not they will succeed, the same as you. It was I that gave them this challenge in the first place, is it not proper that I should be here for their final test? I am just as curious to see what Therian hunters are truly capable of as any other within our village walls." The old man strode over to a large stone and sighed as he sat down on it. "But don't mind me. I am merely here to observe. Please continue."

"Ja, ja, let's get this over with!" Logan shouted.

Tuulikki fidgeted uncomfortably as she glanced at her father, but eventually pulled the sandglass out of her pouch, tapping it a couple times to send all the sand to the bottom before holding it up. "Are you ready?"

"Just flip it!"

"Fine! Go!"

As the huntress turned the glass over, the Therians shot towards the base of the hill. It was the same as always: Sonia reached the wall a hair before Bram did, with Logan only a step or two behind. Up they went, vaulting up each ledge one after the other. They'd done this so many times, Bram felt that he nearly had every crack and crevice in the wall memorized.

After the third tier, however, Sonia continued running straight up the middle. Bram veered towards a crooked fracture off to the right while Logan's curved to the left. Each of them had found separate paths they favored; Sonia's shorter stature forced her to find closer handholds and footholds, while Bram could afford more distance between grips. Logan favored paths that were riskier in Bram's opinion, but for some reason the fragile-looking walls that the great sword user chose never seemed to crumble.

Sonia was just tapping the side of the statue at the top of the hill as Bram was hoisting himself over the ledge. The two passed each other halfway as Bram rushed to touch the statue himself, but he jolted slightly as he turned around, not expecting to see Logan already over the top ledge. Usually the great sword user was just pulling himself over by this point… had he found a faster climbing route?

Bram couldn't afford to speculate right now, and dashed towards the ledge himself. Rather than leaping off, however, the hunter dropped down and let himself slide over the edge feet-first, landing and pushing off on the tier below. It wasn't much, but slipping over ledges rather than leaping off helped reduce the impact. Logan had figured that out when trying to speed up his recovery times, and Bram had been experimenting with it the last couple days. It slowed him down a little bit going over the side, but his recovery was much faster to compensate, shaving a second or two off of his time.

Bram continued down the side, sliding over the edges one after the other until he finally reached the bottom of the Hill. Sonia was there a few seconds before him, but as soon as his boots touched the grass at the base of the hill, his eyes snapped to the sandglass. A wave of relief washed over him at the sight of sand still trickling down, but there wasn't much left. His excitement was forgotten as he spun around to find Logan. The great sword user was still a couple tiers up, sliding over the next edge.

"Come on, Logan! You can do it!" Sonia shouted.

The hunter sprinted, dashing towards the last ledge and dropping to slide over the edge. Bram winced as the hunter twisted his body slightly wrong, and his great sword scraped against the stone, but the hunter had enough inertia to continue over the edge and down the last drop. Logan's boots hit the ground at the base of the hill, and Bram's eyes darted towards the timer as the last grains of sand slipped down into the bottom.

"He did it!" Sonia cheered, dashing towards the great sword user and flinging her arms around his neck. The hunter was still wheezing to catch his breath, however, and the tackle knocked him over onto his back.

"Hoy! Hoy… Let me… let me catch… my breath, hey?" Logan gasped as Sonia sat up next to him. The great sword user remained on his back for a little longer though, sucking in air. "Mercy… Been hunting for… nearly… a decade now… and had wyvern… hunts… that was less tiring… than this…" As his breathing evened out, the hunter slowly sat up. "But I passed, hey? I beat the sandglass?"

"You did," Leon nodded. "I saw it myself. There couldn't have been more than a few grains left when you hit the ground, but I think it still counts."

"It does," Tapio confirmed. "By Lintukoto's standards, you three are worthy of taking the hunter's exam."

"That's right," Violetta nodded. "A win's a win, and you guys won! Or, you passed. Same difference. You did it! Right, Tuli? Uh, Tuli?"

Tuulikki wasn't there, however. Bram glanced around in confusion for a moment before spotting the huntress making her way through the trees several dozen yards away and making her way back towards the village.

"Hoy! Where you going?!" Logan snapped angrily, pushing to his feet and glaring after the glaive wielder. "What the hell! After all that, you just gonna walk away? Hoy! Girlie!" But Tuulikki didn't stop walking and didn't look back and the shouts, disappearing into the foliage a few moments later.

"Dang it, Tuli…" Violetta muttered, scowling in the direction of the village.

Logan continued to glower venomously in the direction Tuulikki had taken off in before Tapio sighed and pushed himself to his feet, nodding approvingly at the Therian hunters. "Well, it seems that you truly are hunters worthy of hunting in Gahiji… theoretically, of course, if not legally."

"Thinking we gonna fix that," Logan replied, and the old man nodded slowly.

"I'm sure you will make a valiant attempt, if nothing else. But nonetheless, I applaud your dedication and hard work, and congratulate you on your success. I also hope that, despite this no doubt challenging introduction, you enjoy the rest of your time in our country. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other village business to attend to. The next couple days are certain to be interesting, as word of your accomplishment spreads through Lintukoto. Oh, yes, and good luck on your exam as well, Leon."

"Thank you, sir."

The village elder nodded his head politely to the hunters, before making his way back towards the village. As he did, Violetta quickly swept in front of the Therians.

"Hmm… well, I think that performance deserves a reward, and a celebration! At least, a short celebration; you'll need to get your stuff packed and back into your wagons. Let me treat you guys to a well-deserved drink!"

Logan grinned at the offer. "Hoy, that sounds good. After the last couple months, I could _definitely_ use a drink."

"Oh, we should definitely go to Ahti's! It's got the best food in town, and the best _beer_ for that matter… wait, I don't think you two are old enough to drink, are you?" she asked, glancing at Bram and Sonia. "What's the drinking age in Theron?"

"Uh, eighteen?" Sonia replied cautiously. "We're both of age."

"Well that means you can celebrate properly!"

"Sounds fun!"

"Vi, I believe they'll need time to pack their things tonight," Leon noted. "It might be challenging for them to move their materials from the bottom of the ravine to the top while they're drunk."

"Ah… right. That's fair. Just one drink then. Pick whatever you want, and I'll pay for it! I recommend the Wagon Bomb. It's tasty. Just… don't try any of the Wyverian-made whiskey. Really, don't. It never ends well. For anybody. Ever. Not even the Wyverians that make it."

"It taste good, though?" Logan asked.

"Like regret and shame mixed with liquid fire," Leon replied.

"So… is just normal whiskey?"

"It's much worse, trust me."

"Can't be any worse than that 'tequila' stuff the Lost been making in Theron. That stuff ruin you day _real_ quick, hey? Maybe I try you Wyverian whiskey, see how nasty it _really_ is…"

"Maybe you shouldn't," Bram noted. "You have a reputation back home when it comes to drinking, Logan. Do you want that reputation in another country as well?"

"Eh… good point."

* * *

"You know, this is surprisingly soft… and much more pleasant now that it doesn't stink like a wet Popo… or blood."

Bram smiled as Sonia sighed contently, rubbing a long strip of the Kecha Wacha's pelt against her cheek. Bram had to admit that the fur was surprisingly soft for something that was durable enough to be used for armor. They'd needed to clean and dry out the fur they'd managed to gather when they'd returned from the hunt, and sent the hide off to the smith for tanning. The fur had since been returned to its original state, and the moldy and bloody scent had been cleaned out, allowing Sonia to properly admire it.

At the moment, all three Therian hunters were in Sonia's hut, helping the huntress get all her things packed and ready. Bram and Logan had both finished getting their things together earlier, and though Logan had gotten a completely new armor set and weapon during their time in Gahiji, he'd _still_ taken less time to prepare than Sonia had. The huntress had gathered much more materials than either of them, and needed their help to get everything packed. Or rather, needed _Bram's_ help; Logan was sitting back and providing 'motivational support'.

As Bram worked his way through the hunting goods that littered the top of Sonia's dressers - whetstones, rations, and both used and unused potion bottles - he glanced over at the huntress' armor stand, frowning and reaching forward to straighten the crooked lavender material. He couldn't help but see how battered the Jaggi scales and hide had gotten.

"Maybe you should make a new armor set," Bram suggested. "Your Jaggi armor has been getting pretty tattered."

"Yeah, I guess," Sonia replied, looking over at her lavender armor set. It was easy to see how worn out the scales and hide had become. Repair on the armor used to have it looking like new, but now each run to the smith left it looking more patchwork, with the replacement scales shining bright and new while the rest of the armor was worn and dulled. That was the price you paid making armor from one of the weakest monsters out there.

"You could make some new armor from the Kecha materials we got."

"I don't think I got enough materials for that though," Sonia sighed, flopping onto her back and holding the strip of fur in front of her. "Most of the Kecha went to the village, as per usual, and between the four of us, I think I barely got enough fur and hide to make a bright orange pair of _pants_ , much less the whole set."

"Thinking you ain't gonna want a set from that monkey anyway, hey?" Logan chuckled, getting confused looks from the apprentices. "You seen the design? Looks like you type of armor, light and flexible, but it don't got anything covering you stomach, hey?"

"What? Why?!" Sonia groaned, covering her face in dismay. "I thought that stupid fad only existed in Theron!"

"Is the call of fashion," the great sword user laughed. "People want to show off, no matter which side of the border they on. I ain't got nothing against girlies showing off they figures, hey? Is probably the same for the boys, too; the fellas all strutting around, showing off they abs to any interested parties. Can't say is a very _practical_ thing to do, exposing youself like that when hunting a big beastie. You waist may be a nice distraction to other humans, but the monsters won't be getting flustered at the same sight, hey?"

"Aw, man… I mean, I like flaunting myself as much as the next girl, but not during a hunt!"

"In the village is fine, though?" Bram asked.

"Well, sure. I've got nice abs, too, and I don't mind showing them off. I don't suppose I could ask the smith to tweak the design, though? Make a jacket or vest or something to go over the chestpiece for when I'm out in the wilds?"

"Good luck with that," Bram said, patting her head consolingly. "That old goat in charge of the smithy is a stubborn woman. Suggesting she alter an armor set might not go over so well. You could ask Cleyra though; she might be a bit more malleable."

"Yeah, that's an idea… Agh, but I still don't have the materials for the whole set in the first place!"

"Maybe you make half the armor set instead," Logan smirked. "See how well you do with that, and get the rest of the materials later. All those other girlies running around with just they stomach exposed, maybe you go on a hunt with only some pants and a hat on, hey?"

The great sword user laughed before getting pegged in the face with a pillow a moment later. Bram grinned as he leaned back, eager to get out of the way of the impending battle between the two, though he was sure he'd get dragged into it one way or another. He paused at the sounds of footsteps clattering down the wooden path outside the door though. Sonia and Logan heard the approach as well, settling down their fight and glancing at the door expectantly.

However, as the footsteps neared the door, Bram could hear people speaking just outside. The tones were hushed, and he couldn't make anything out, but whatever was said was said quickly, and soon the voices were gone. A moment later, one set of footsteps approached the door while the other faded into the distance. Then there was silence for nearly a whole minute, before a slow knock echoed through the hut.

"It's open," Sonia called out. For a moment there was no response, then the handle turned and Tuulikki pushed into the room.

"Ah… all three of you are here. That's… fortunate."

Bram couldn't help but notice the hesitation and nervousness in the huntress' voice as she looked between the three hunters. Her eyes darted to the ground, and Bram couldn't help but see the uncertainty in her expression. Not only that, but Ketrak wasn't with her either. The Kinsect had seemed nigh-inseparable from the glaive wielder for the last couple months, and seeing her without the insect was as though she was a completely different person.

"What you want?" Logan grumbled, glowering at the huntress before giving her a crooked grin. "You run away real quick earlier today, hey? You got something to say, now that we beat you challenge? The challenge you said we _couldn't_ beat in two months?"

Tuulikki's eyes snapped angrily towards the great sword user, returning a familiar expression to her face for a moment. "I am _not-_ "

The huntress snapped her mouth shut before she could finish the thought, however, clenching her teeth and staring at the ground. Bram frowned disapprovingly as Logan sneered in amusement at the glaive wielder, leaning back in enjoyment. Tuulikki was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. She kept reaching up, her hand hovering over her forehead before running her fingers through her hair, as though struggling to find the brim of her cap and never finding it on her head. Then she knelt to the ground, lowering her head until it nearly touched the floorboards.

"I apologize," she said to them, her voice pained. "I apologize for… _everything_ that I've put you through these last two months."

Bram let out a strangled gasp of shock at the sight of Tuulikki… prostrating herself before the three of them. He hadn't known what to expect from the huntress when she'd entered the rooms, but it certainly had not been this. He glanced over at the other two, and they were clearly just as flabbergasted as he was. Sonia had dropped the Kecha pelt she'd been holding to the floor. Logan hadn't moved either, and he was still smirking at the huntress, but the expression was strained as though it had gotten stuck in that position.

"Hoy, hoy… what all this about, girlie? What… what is you…"

"As I said… I have come to apologize," the huntress replied quietly. "I was wrong… about many things. You… All of you have what it takes to hunt in Gahiji, and there is no denying that. You have overcome the Training Hill, meaning you are worthy of the title of 'hunter', at least within the walls of this village. My father… my father was right all along. I should've accepted you all long ago. I have meant to do this since… since about a week before Vi and Leon returned to the village. I meant to…"

"Then why you wait 'til now to do this?" Logan growled, leaning forward and baring his teeth angrily. The great sword user's arms were crossed and he had a strained expression on his face as he glared at her. "It been _two months_ , girlie! Two months you been putting us down! Saying what we can and can't do 'cause we Therian! And you wait until the very last moment to say you sorry? Did Violetta put you up to this? They was someone with you outside when you come here. That was her, right?"

Tuulikki was quiet for a moment before replying. "That was indeed Vi. However, she wasn't compelling me to do this… Rather, she was giving me the courage to do so."

"Courage? What the hell you need courage for?"

"To… apologize to people who I have looked down upon and treated poorly. To admit when I was wrong, after so adamantly believing myself to be right. To admit that I have treated you like lesser individuals, based only on the country you hail from." Though the huntress' face remained against the floor of the hut, her fists clenching tightly as her voice trailed to a whisper. "I was afraid… afraid to admit my mistakes. And my pride… my ego made it hard for me. After all the harsh words and cruel things I've said, how could I so simply beg forgiveness? I couldn't… I couldn't bring myself to do this without Vi helping me. I _needed_ her encouragement. I needed her to push me, to get me to be willing to admit the truth, when I was having so much trouble doing so.

"I don't apologize to those that I feel don't deserve one, no matter the urging I may receive from those around me. But you three truly deserve an apology. For what I've done, and how I've acted… I'm sorry. I don't ask or hope for forgiveness on this matter at all, but nonetheless… I'm sorry."

The room was filled with awkward silence for the better part of a minute after that. All three Therian hunters were left speechless at Tuulikki's meek actions, and the glaive wielder herself remained prostrated on the ground before them, unmoving. Bram's gaze remained on Logan, watching the great sword user's expression flicker between dozens of emotions, ranging from gleeful enjoyment to uncertainty to frustration. Eventually he put his head between his hands, looking for all the world like he was in physical pain before his eyes snapped open and he glared dourly at Tuulikki.

"Gah! Sit up, already!" Logan snapped, slouching back against the wall. "Seeing you like that even making _me_ uncomfortable, hey?"

The huntress didn't move immediately, but eventually complied, pushing herself up into a kneeling position. Her eyes were still somewhat downcast, but she kept stock still like a defendant awaiting their verdict. Bram didn't know how to respond to this, however. He hadn't been expecting such a display from the huntress. More awkward silence filled the room for a long moment, with Sonia remaining frozen in place out of sheer confusion and Logan staring blankly in Tuulikki's direction and growling under his breath. Eventually, Bram cleared his throat to draw the glaive wielder's attention.

"So… if you're apologizing to us, does that mean you're fine with me using a switch axe as well?"

The huntress blinked in surprise at the question, but after a short moment the melancholy on her face vanished and was replaced with a distasteful expression Bram had seen a thousand times before as she crossed her arms. The huntress' return to her normal attitude was somewhat relieving, admittedly.

"No, I am not. Your hunting potential has been proven, but I am not taking back what I have said about technological weapons. This and that are two different things." The huntress paused for a moment, however, furrowing her brow in thought before speaking in a slower, less frosty tone. "However… weapon selection _is_ a matter of personal choice. I will… _refrain_ from commenting on your choice of weapons. Just avoid flaunting any such contraptions, and we should not have any issues."

"I think that's the best you're going to get," Sonia noted.

"I suppose I can accept that," Bram replied, leaning back against the wall. "I don't use my axe too much in the first place anyway. I still might want to use it once or twice when I'm here, though…"

Bram could see Tuulikki visibly grinding her teeth at the admittance, but she kept from saying anything too harsh, eventually settling down and releasing a strained sigh. "I will do my best to keep from saying anything. I only need to put up with it for another four months after all… I can consider it a test of my patience."

"Pretty sure you failed that test already, hey?" Logan scoffed.

"If it makes you feel any better, it'll actually only be three months," Sonia spoke up, getting a curious glance from Tuulikki. "Once we take the exam there, you won't have to worry about us so long as we pass, right?"

"Ah… That _would_ be true… but I don't believe you will pass the exam."

"Because we _Therian_?" Logan growled.

"No, no! Nothing like that!" Tuulikki replied quickly, raising her hands and lowering her gaze. "It has nothing to do with your nationality! It's not that I don't believe you can pass the Gahin hunter's exam… I do, truly. One day. But I do not believe that the three of you can pass the exam that is coming up.

"You have been in Gahiji for _two months_. _Only_ two months. Your growth has been exemplary in that time, certainly, but you already had physical training and hunting experience to use as a base for your potential. To overcome the Hill proves you are capable enough to _attempt_ the exam by Lintukoto's standards, but it does not mean you will _pass_. Dundorma is a town beset by elder dragons on a greater basis than anywhere in the world! Such a city would naturally have a high standard set for those taking the exam. Even with another three months to gain experience traversing the landscape and hunting local fauna, I don't believe that less than half-a-year of hunting in this country is enough. If you continued to train here and returned to take the exam _nine_ months from now…"

"Maybe you don't remember, but we ain't _planning_ to be here in nine months," Logan replied. "We planning on going home 'bout a month after the exam. What so bad about us taking it, hey? If we fail, we just come back later and try again."

"Ah… that's right. I suppose that's true," Tuulikki nodded slowly. "However, if you do not pass, you will be barred from taking the exam for three years."

"Ja, ja, it's… wait, _three_?" Logan gasped. "Why _three_? Is only _one_ in Theron."

"It's only _one year_ in Theron?" Tuulikki gasped. "That's all?"

"Ja, it… Eh, well… Heard it _used_ to be two years, but they was a… _shortage_ of hunters couple decades ago, and they lowered the retake time. They ain't changed that back yet… But three years? Really?"

"As I said, the standards in Dundorma are quite high. For those that do not pass… the terms for failure is just as severe." The huntress lowered her eyes solemnly. "And three extra years… can be a very long time to remain an apprentice for those that fail. Would you three be willing to return to Gahiji after three years to take the exam, or come here and only remain at the level of an apprentice?"

Bram crossed his arms and sighed. He honestly didn't mind the thought of them failing the Gahin hunter's exam; this wasn't his home country, so he didn't imagine he'd be too heartbroken that he wouldn't be able to hunt within the borders of Gahiji. However, he knew before he even looked in Sonia and Logan's direction how they'd feel. Both of them were proud of their hunting ability, and the idea of not meeting another country's hunting standards gnawed at their egos.

But who was Bram kidding? He already knew how things would unfold. He merely had to wait…

"I'm gonna do it," Sonia said. There it was. Bram leaned back against the wall and smiled to himself. "I'm gonna take the exam."

"Your confidence is admirable, but it doesn't change the facts," Tuulikki sighed. "Overcoming the Training Hill is one thing; overcoming the Gahin hunter's exam is another. You are not yet ready to take the exam."

"You so certain 'bout that kind of thing," Logan replied with a confident smirk. "Just like you was certain that we wasn't gonna overcome the Training Hill, hey?"

"That's right," Sonia nodded. "We've come this far in just two months, just imagine how far we can go in three more. All three of us can do it, I'm sure of it!"

"Even with five months, you can't-"

"What if we made a bet on it?" Bram's gaze snapped in Sonia's direction in shock, and he had to struggle to keep his jaw from dropping. The huntress wrinkled her nose slightly before shaking her head and puffing out her chest confidently.

Tuulikki raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, however, crossing her arms. "You would wager on this?"

Sonia huffed, crossing her arms as well. "I don't like gambling, honestly. Things like the arena bother me, since betting on people you don't know is stupid, in my opinion. _However_ , betting on your own abilities, and the abilities of your friends and allies is something else. I have _faith_ in our skill, and I'm willing to… _gamble_ on them."

Tuulikki stared at the other huntress for a while, with Bram watching wide-eyed. He hadn't seen Sonia act like this in a long time… Logan seemed amused by the whole confrontation, though, leering at the glaive wielder with a proud smirk on his face.

"Heh. Count me in, girlie. Gonna enjoy seeing you admit you was wrong a _second_ time."

As the glaive wielder shot a look towards Bram, the archer merely shrugged. "I'll take the exam as well."

"I've mentioned several times that you should refrain from being overconfident," Tuulikki finally said. "Hubris leads to the downfall of even the greatest hunters. That being said, I am not afraid of accepting your bet, but what is it you would ask of me… provided you three should somehow pass?"

"Um… hmm. I don't know… ah…" Sonia scrunched her face in thought before her eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! If we all pass, I want you to teach me how to use the insect glaive."

"Really? An interesting choice…" Tuulikki muttered curiously as Logan's expression soured. "I'm not opposed to that. But why? I thought you were repulsed by the idea of boosting yourself with 'Kinsect vomit'."

"I don't know… It just seems _interesting_. It looked like an exciting weapon to use, back when you chased off the Seltas from the caravan. Besides, I came to Gahiji to experience things I'd never seen in Theron; what better way to do that than to train in a weapon they don't have back home?"

"Hmm. I suppose those are as good of reasons as any to choose a particular weapon. However, if you truly desire to have me teach you the glaive, you must remember that alongside the glaive itself is the Kinsect, which you will need to feed, raise, and care for. To wield a weapon is one thing, but to care for a living creature is quite another. Are you certain you can manage that responsibility? I won't accept your request if you aren't." Sonia furrowed her brows, but Tuulikki shook her head. "Take your time with your decision. It will be a long time before the hunter's exam, and you have to pass the exam besides.

"So what about you?" she asked, looking towards Bram next. The archer thought for a moment, but came to a conclusion nearly as quickly as Sonia had.

"My request might be somewhat difficult," Bram said slowly, but Tuulikki looked on expectantly. The archer sighed, scratching his head. "I want you to get me some Kinsect essences."

"Essence? From Ketrak? Again, why?"

"It's just… It's an intriguing concept," Bram replied eagerly. "An insect that can ingest scrapings of fur or other particles off of a monster, and then concoct it into a substance that boosts a human's physical abilities or even produce healing balm? It's an unheard of concept in Theron. I want to learn about it. What makes certain parts of the monster create certain essences? How is the Kinsect able to do what it does? Can its effects be altered? What else are Kinsects capable of? What if I could-"

Bram's words sputtered to a halt in his throat as he looked up, realizing that the other three were staring at him. Tuulikki looked utterly confused, but both Sonia and Logan were smirking in amusement. The young man cleared his throat in embarrassment, before looking back up at the silvery-haired woman.

"Anyway… if you could collect essences for me I would appreciate it. And if you could label them so I know which monster it came from, and what part of their body Ketrak collected the essence from… This is probably asking a bit too much, isn't it?"

"No… no, I will do it," Tuulikki replied. "If you all pass the exam, I would be willing to do that much… Though, gathering essences may take a while, and I don't exactly have any containers-"

"I have some empty coating phials you can use," Bram offered. "They're small, but should be able to hold enough essence for me to study them."

"Very well. If that's what you want, it's a more than fair wager. I can manage to give you that much."

"Also, a quick query… Does essence… expire?"

Tuulikki frowned in thought. "I am not certain. Usually I apply the essences I use immediately, so I am uncertain about how long they stay… _fresh_. I assume they last about as long as any other bodily fluid does."

"Hmm… Well, I suppose that's something else to investigate."

"Hoy! I hope you don't forget that we gonna be sharing a wagon, hey?" Logan grumbled. "We gonna have problems if you 'investigate' that stuff and it starts to stink! I don't wanna know what overripe bug puke smells like."

"I'll be careful," Bram replied automatically, earning a frown from the great sword user. Already his thoughts were filled with curiosity about what he was going to do once he started getting some essence… He could probably convince Sonia to gather even more for him, once she got a Kinsect of her own to raise.

Tuulikki sighed in dismay, before glancing towards Logan, withering slightly as he stared flatly at her. "And… what about you? What… would you ask of me… if you were to pass the exam?"

Logan stared at Tuulikki intently for a long time, and the huntress fidgeted nervously under his flat gaze. Bram feared that Logan might ask for something cruel, but a moment later the great sword user sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. When he looked up again, he smirked at her.

"Well, my normal fare for this kind of thing is a date-"

"Of course it is…" Tuulikki groaned, covering her eyes.

"Hoy. _But_ , that's not what I is asking for this time, hey?"

"Thank goodness… Fine, what is it you want?"

The great sword user shrugged and shook his head. "Eh… actually I can't think of anything I really want from you right now… How 'bout we just say you give me an I.O.U. on that? Is like what Steward did: you owe me a favor that I can call in one day."

"What kind of favor?" Tuulikki asked, narrowing her gaze.

"Tch. Nothing nasty, girlie. Something like what these two asked for, once I think of something worth getting."

Tuulikki crossed her arms and nodded. "That's acceptable. To be honest, I expected something crueler from you, all things considered."

"Won't say I wasn't tempted," Logan admitted, leaning against the wall. "But I ain't one to kick someone when they down. Didn't expect an apology like that when you come in… We prove you wrong, that's good 'nuf for me right now. What kind of thing you _thinking_ I was gonna make you do?"

"I cannot say," the huntress shrugged. "Making me… walk through Dundorma proclaiming your greatness… Or doing a lap around the city naked or something."

"Hoy! I ain't _that_ cold-blooded!" Logan retorted with a grimace, though he paused and tilted his head. "Actually, that second choice-"

"I am _not_ going to-!"

"Kidding! Was only kidding, hey? You ain't my type, girlie."

"You have a _type_?" Sonia asked, covering her mouth in false shock.

"I wasn't aware he even had _standards_ , aside from girls like Mina and women that are already spoken for," Bram said with a sly grin. Logan shot them both a scowl.

"Both of you can shut up." His lips curled up into a wicked smirk, however, as he turned back to Tuulikki. "That Violetta girl, though… Maybe I get you to-"

" _NO_."

"Heh, spoilsport. That's fine, I do my own dirty work anyway."

"I've changed my mind. You need to complete the Hill in _thirty seconds_ before I approve of you."

Logan laughed at that, while Tuulikki huffed in frustration, looking away and glaring at the wall. Logan leaned forward and leered at the huntress. "You more fun now that you ain't looking down you nose at us three."

"Really," the huntress replied flatly. "Don't forget, though you may be eager to take the hunter's exam, until you pass it I am still technically your hunting master, and deserve the respect that position entails."

"Heh, guess you haven't been paying much attention," Logan chuckled. "I is these two's hunting master too, remember? Least I am in Theron. You seen the way they talk to me?"

The huntress shot a concerned glance at Bram and Sonia, before shaking her head. "Perhaps I should remind you Therians that this is a _wager_ , and there must be something in it for me should I win, correct? What should I have you do if you _fail_ to pass the exam…?"

Sonia gulped nervously, but a moment later the glaive wielder sighed. "Since your chances of all passing are slim, it would be cruel of me to impose something too terrible on the three of you. I suppose I shall keep it simple… in Dundorma, there are traders that sell rare and valuable nectars for Kinsects to eat. None of the caravan traders carry those with them when they visit Lintukoto, so I can't purchase any for Ketrak…"

"So, what… we don't pass, and we gotta buy you that fancy bug food?" Logan asked.

"That right," Tuulikki nodded. Then the huntress smirked evilly. "And I want a lot of it. It's very hard to get after all, so I'd like a small stockpile." The Therians looked at each other nervously, and the glaive wielder chuckled under her breath. "Do you still wish to make this wager?"

"Heh, course we do girlie," Logan smirked. "We prove you wrong once, we do it again, hey?"

"So you say…" the huntress sighed wearily. "But I am still your hunting master… until you pass the exam or until you leave the country. That was the deal I made with my father. So it appears that if you are serious about this, I will need to continue your training between now and then…"

"You ain't gonna be lax on us just so we fail, hey?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't patronize me. I have always done your training by the book, and I will not stop now," Tuulikki scoffed, meeting Logan's gaze with a level look of her own. Her mouth curled into a dark smile. "Perhaps I will make your training even _harsher_ than before. After all, if you truly plan to take the exam, you will be taking it before all of Dundorma, and you will be representing my ability as a teacher and the training methods of Lintukoto. I cannot have you dragging my name and the name of my village through the mud, now can I?"

"Hmm… Guess not. Do your worst, girlie."

"Uh… I think he means to do your best!" Sonia cut in. "Do your _best_ in training us!"

"Eh, either works, hey?"

"Either does _not_ work!"

"Do not worry, I won't be too harsh. Not to you younger apprentices, at least. If your hunting master desires a harsher training regimen, I can oblige him…" However, a moment later the huntress sighed. "But… perhaps this is a discussion that can wait until tomorrow? I am… very tired after today, and would like some rest. With all of us leaving the village tomorrow, I imagine you three could use some rest as well, once you've finished packing…"

"That's correct," Bram nodded. "There's still a fair bit of Sonia's things to get put away."

"It won't take _that_ much longer, string bean."

"It will if you don't want your item chest bursting open while we carry it to the top of the ravine. I don't think you want all those materials you've been stockpiling to be lost to the river."

"Then I will leave you to your own devices," the glaive wielder replied, pushing back to her feet. "I have my own goods to gather up and pack. I will see you all tomorrow." As the huntress turned to leave, she paused at the door. "You have all done very well. Goodnight… and thank you."

Before any of the Therians could respond, Tuulikki slipped out the door, vanishing into the evening light. Her footsteps faded away for a moment before vanishing under the sound of the rushing river. The three of them remained in silence for a while before Logan sighed.

"Didn't expect that…"

"Me either," Sonia agreed.

"She's been getting more approachable ever since Violetta and Leon came to town," Bram admitted, "but I didn't expect anything so dramatic as this when she came in."

"Yeah… and _you_ were nicer about that than I thought you'd be," Sonia noted, looking at Logan as the great sword user groaned before flopping onto his back.

"Ja, ja… Still don't like her, but when someone that proud bows they head like that to say they sorry… I ain't gonna rub they nose in it. Ain't no sense in holding grudges when they ain't done nothing _real_ bad or they ain't no profit in it, that's what Momma used to tell me. I ain't _forgiven_ her for everything yet, hey? But I is willing to play nice. We see if she willing to do the same, or if tonight was just words."

Bram and Sonia looked at each other and shrugged. "Better than nothing, I guess."

"Agreed," Bram nodded. "The last thing we need is to have you two bickering for the next four months. That aside, get off your backside and help me and Sonia finish packing. Your 'motivational support' isn't going to get Sonia's horde to the top of the ravine."

"Oh, come on, string bean. You act like I'm one of those dragons from Grandpa's books, sleeping in piles of gold and jewels."

"If your item box gets any fuller, you might as well be. Sonia Geisel, the worst dragon ever: hordes nearly-useless monster materials, and spends her nights sleeping on Jaggi scales and Seltas shells. Honestly, with everything you have, if you sold half of your materials, you could very well have a _real_ horde of gold to sleep on."

"Or you fill a vault and swim in it," Logan chuckled.

"You can't swim through gold coins," Bram said, raising an eyebrow. "Where'd you get an idea like that?"

"It's… you know, I can't remember… Think it was something I heard when I was little? Eh, forget it. Let's get the girlie's stuff up top. We got a big day tomorrow."

* * *

Lucas was sweating. He was sweating a _lot_.

That wouldn't have been anything uncommon, usually. Loc Lac was well known for being hot, no matter what time of year it was. But it was late at night right now, and though the sands of the Great Desert could be particularly sweltering while the sun was up, the sandsea cooled down dramatically past nightfall. Compared to the blazing daytime, the night was practically frigid.

So it made no sense for Lucas to be sweating at this time of day. This was not the sweat of heat, of a body trying to cool itself off, however, but the sweat of fear. Lucas' stomach was tangled in knots right now, twisting inside of him as chills crept down his spine. It felt like every nerve in his body was lit up, and every single sound, every single flickering shadow down the hallway in front of him made him shake in worry.

Were those footsteps coming closer? Was that the approach of the next guard on duty? Was that a Guild worker come to drop off some documents?

Lucas pulled at his collar to cool himself down. Keep calm, he thought. Keep steady. You don't need to act afraid. You're one of the Guild security guards, complete with polished steel armor emblazoned with the symbol of the Guild, and a sword at your belt decorated the same. This is your assigned station, guarding Guildmaster Elhart's office. You belong here! Anyone who came down that hall and saw you standing here wouldn't think twice about your presence. There's nothing to worry about!

But there _was_ something to worry about, no matter how hard Lucas tried to push it out of his head. His gaze kept shifting nervously to a small desk clock that sat on a nearby receptionist's desk. It was 11:21 pm at the moment… It was getting very close. The guard continued to sweat and fidget where he stood, shivering as he gazed down the hallway, fearful of every sound he heard. Thank _mercy_ the floor was stone… creaking wooden floors would have given him an apoplexy.

Finally he glanced at the clock and sighed in relief. 11:27. With a nervous glance down the hallway, he reached out and grabbed the knob to the office, wincing as the hinges creaked a little but pushing himself in anyway. It was dark inside. No lamps or glowstones were lit. It was easy to see, however, as the wide stretch of windows along the back wall filled the room with light pouring down from the full moon in the sky, and Lucas' eyes adjusted quickly.

The room was neat and organized; Guildmaster Elhart was a stickler for keeping things meticulously arranged. The books on the shelves were properly stood and alphabetized, the plaques and awards on the wall were perfectly aligned, the floor and furniture were kept clean and tidy and free of sand or dust, and even the filing cabinets in the back room were immaculately organized if you filed through them. The only thing with any sign of mess was the wide mahogany desk, where a few papers and documents were scattered around the wide wooden top, but even then the desk was impeccable compared to those of most of the other Guild workers.

Two things caught Lucas' attention as he entered the room, one he expected and the other he didn't.

The former was the man near the window. He was a broad, heavyset man, the same height as Lucas but much more solidly built. He appeared to be in his late sixties or seventies and looked rather scruffy, with short brown and grey hair and an exceptional beard of the same color. His clothing was sturdy leather, undecorated and bland, nothing elaborate or special. The only decoration he wore were a collection of bangles on his wrists and a solid necklace, all of which were decorated with uncut shards of blue and violet gemstones. He was casually flipping through a large report folder, his clear blue eyes skimming the words on the pages.

Lucas didn't know the man's name. He didn't dare ask for it.

The latter sight that caught Lucas off guard was the hole in the floor just to the left of the desk. At first the guard feared that it had been damaged, but the hole was nearly perfectly square. A hidden compartment? Lucas had been in this room countless times and never seen the smallest sign of such a thing! How had this man known-

Lucas froze, closing his eyes for a second and shaking his head. That was neither here nor there. He quickly cleared his throat and stepped further into the room. "Hey. Uh… mister. It's been thirty minutes. Your time is up."

The man blinked, looking up from the file, before smiling kindly at the guard. "Ah, so it is. Thank you for telling me."

With a pleased expression, the man gently closed the report, walking over to the hidden compartment and carefully slipping the document into the hollow. With practiced movement, the man carefully slid the compartment closed, and a moment later the floor was as seamless-looking as it had ever been. For the life of him, Lucas couldn't even tell what the man had done to close the hatch, much less open it… but again he shook his head. Don't think about it!

"Now then, I should leave," the man said warmly, kindly. Like a gentle old man talking to a friend on the street. "Thirty minutes was our agreement, and I'll not patronize you by begging for more. I can see myself out."

The man took only a couple steps before Lucas let out a strangled groan, earning a concerned look from the man. The guard cleared his throat in embarrassment; the man was looking at him as though he was genuinely worried about him.

"And… and my payment?" Lucas muttered nervously.

"Ah, yes, of course." The man smiled and nodded, as though asking about a bribe was as common as asking about the weather. "Thank you for the reminder. Let me see here…"

Lucas tensed involuntarily as the man reached into his jacket. Would he draw a weapon? Killing Lucas would be a better way to silence him than money. But a moment later, the hand appeared again, and Lucas gaped at the sight. It was a precious stone… no, not a stone, but something like it, tinted a lovely light blue. Very large, very beautiful, and very valuable (though Lucas could only speculate on the last part).

"Here you are," the man said cheerfully, reaching out and placing the orb into Lucas' hands. "One… what are they called? One large wyvern stone, that's it. Oh, and since you've been such a good sport about all this…"

The man reached into a side pocket and plucked another stone from out of nowhere. This one was a pale red color - nearly pink - with a dark crimson core at the center, and Lucas shivered as the man handed the stone to him.

"One Rathian ruby. Consider it a tip for excellent service."

"Uh… th-thank you…" Lucas muttered, slipping the stones into his satchel for fear the man would snatch them away if he wasn't quick about it.

"No, thank _you_ , young man. Now, I'm sure you're no stranger to the value of those stones. A man working for the Guild must have some knowledge of their worth, and will know who to talk to in order to sell them for a nice profit." The man reached forward and patted Lucas on the shoulder - Lucas nearly crumpled under the impact, no doubt thanks to his shaking legs - and gave him a very cautionary look. "That being said, you should try to sell those _discreetly_. Some heads may turn, wondering how a guard working for the Guild got his hands on such valuable materials. Maybe sell them directly to a needy hunter, hmm? Skip out on the middleman. Most hunters won't care a whit about where the stone comes from and won't ask any questions, as long as they can save themselves the hassle of hunting down the monster themselves."

"Err… right. Of course."

"Good lad. Now, if you'll excuse me, perhaps I should get out of your hair. You look rather under the weather, and I'm sure my lingering presence isn't helping that."

"I'd appreciate that," Lucas gasped, pulling a chuckle from the man.

In only a few moments the two were out of the office, and Lucas was locking the door behind him. He felt a little relieved at that, but the man was still there. As soon as the lock clicked, the man smiled politely and nodded to the guard.

"One last thing," the man said, and Lucas tensed as the man motioned towards the door behind him. "I'd suggest forgetting about that little secret compartment you saw in there. Guildmaster Elhart seems to like his secrets to _stay_ secret. It'd be best to let that bit of knowledge just slip out of your head."

"Uh, right… of course."

The man grinned and nodded, before turning away and walking nonchalantly down the hall. "Have a nice night, lad. And good luck!"

Lucas watched the man go as he walked away as though without a care in the world. Even after he turned a corner and vanished, Lucas could hear the man's heavy footsteps continue to thump away into the distance. It wasn't until the sound vanished that Lucas finally felt himself relax. His shaking legs nearly gave out underneath him, and he was forced to stagger over to a nearby chair and slump into it before he collapsed, wiping the beads of sweat from his head and gasping for air. He reached down to pat the two stones in his satchel. Quite a profit for thirty minutes indeed! It almost wasn't worth it for the stress he felt at the moment… Profit be damned, he hoped he'd never have to do something like this again.

Well… he might. His wife's medical bills were nothing to sneeze at, and this windfall would help. Lucas frowned at the thought; had the strange man known about that? Is that why he'd been approached about this? Lucas shook his head. It didn't really matter.

With a weary sigh, the guard pushed himself back up to his feet and planted himself next to the door once again. He'd think about the rest of that stuff once his shift was over, and hope that he never saw that man again.

* * *

Outside the main Guild headquarters, the man in question was frowning anxiously as he strode away from the building.

"Damn it all… Elhart's better at keeping secrets than Stergo was… I could've used this information _years_ ago!" The man sighed and shook his head, crossing his arms in frustration. "I suppose I should be grateful bribery works as well as it always does. Beating people senseless isn't very subtle, and I'm not built for stealth. I suppose this means the old midget was right, then. Suppose he'll be happy about that, if not too pleased that his little fortune-telling means trouble's brewing."

The man groaned and scratched his head, glancing off to the northwest side of town, where the docks and the towering opening leading out into the sandsea lay. With a sigh, he turned and quickly began striding that way, following the towering masts and sails of the sandships.

"No sense waiting any longer. She'll need to hear about this. Gonna be a long journey…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about… success!**

 **Saw Mad Max: Fury Road for the first time while I was writing this chapter. Holy crap that was a good movie. And the music fits my tastes perfectly when it comes to exciting battle music. Lots of drums and some solid electric bass courtesy of the Doof Warrior… I've always thought heavy drums were a solid necessity for the best of battle music, thus my fondness of games like Final Fantasy XII and movies like Pacific Rim.**

 **You know, even though I had Violetta pegged with the Jungle Bongo hunting horn from the get-go, it wasn't until this chapter that I realized that I wasn't sure exactly how that particular horn sounds when used. Now the buffing songs are pretty much what you'd think from a bongo-based weapon: a mix between bongos and what I think are steel drums. But the actual attacks that you use to prep a song? It's a very… creaky, groaning sound that sounds like stretching leather… or a really deep fart. That's the Congalala hunting horn for you, I guess. I wasn't deterred though. Considering Violetta's personality, she'd probably get a kick out of it.**

 **Playing: MH4U (I… should probably start playing other games again), Bravely Default, Batman: Arkham Knight, Fire Emblem: Awakening  
Listening: Mystery Skulls, Roman Candle, Owl City, Plain White T's, Pet Shop Boys, Silversun Pickups, The Decemberists, Rainer Maria, The Divine Comedy, Wilco, The Album Leaf, My Morning Jacket, Chavez, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Macha, Mad Max: Fury Road OST, Blind Guardian, Avenged Sevenfold  
Watching: Overlord, Gate, Kekkai Sensen, Mad Max: Fury Road, Pacific Rim  
Reading: **_**Overlord**_ **by Maruyama Kugane,** _ **Gate**_ **by Takumi Yanai,** _ **Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Den**_ **by Fuse,** _ **The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol 2**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **Ready Player One**_ **by Ernest Cline**


	12. Setting out Again

Setting out Again

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

With a clang and the sound of fracturing rock, a large chunk of bright pink ore fell to the ground, shards of it clattering into the grass. Bram set down the pickaxe he'd been carrying, leaning down to dig through the pieces, searching for something worth keeping. There was a lot of Fucium in the stone, but not much of it was pure enough for Bram to consider collecting. Some of the impurities were worth holding onto though, including some silver-colored earth crystal shards. Bram hadn't used any earth crystals for _anything_ in a long time, but every older hunter he met swore you needed to build up a stockpile as soon as you could. Bram couldn't guess at why; was it a right-of-passage, or was it just a method of hazing younger hunters, having them collect piles of near-useless crystals?

Bram shrugged, gathering the shards and sliding them into his pouch. It wasn't as though the crystals really took up much space, and if he really did need them, better to have them then not. Of course, most of what he was gathering would go to Caravan Stellazzio… but he was sure to walk away with a little bit of it.

"Ugh… these are so heavy." Bram looked up as Sonia appeared from behind a nearby boulder, her item pouch weighed down with several mined ores of her own. She scowled irritably, dropping her own pickaxe and flexing her hands. "Why doesn't Gahiji use disposable pickaxes? Real ones are so bulky… I think I'm getting some callouses on my hands."

"You're a hunter," the red-haired archer replied. "You spend your days swinging swords. Your hands should _already_ have callouses on them. I know mine do."

"Yeah, well… my callouses are growing bigger callouses on top of them. Why do we have to use these, and not lighter ones?" Sonia grumbled, kicking the solid iron pickaxe.

"You're asking why a country with so many Purists doesn't use mechanical, disposable pickaxes?" Bram asked. "They're heavier, certainly, but they're also more durable, and their weight makes it easier to break off ores. Besides, it's not like you had to buy it, and you didn't have to carry it that far."

Bram glanced off through the trees, where they could see the wagons of Caravan Stellazzio rattling along the ground, the brightly-colored wood standing out in stark contrast against the greenery of the forest.

"Do you think we have enough to make Cleyra happy?" Sonia asked, opening her pouch and glancing inside.

"I doubt it," Bram replied. "That woman takes anything she can get… at least she uses every scrap. I guess she really does make a lot of stuff to sell in villages."

"She doesn't take _everything_. We get to keep a little bit."

"A few handfuls of ore shards after five hours of mining is certainly a 'little bit'."

"Better than what the Guild takes after a monster hunt. You killed the monster? Great! Have four scales, a scrap of hide and a chunk of the horn and we'll take the rest! Just kill three more of them and you might have enough to make a hat! Honestly, you'd think a hunter would get the lion's share of the materials… whatever a lion is."

"I've heard it's like a small Teostra without wings… you've seen drawings of those, right? But at least with the caravan, we can see what the parts are going to," Bram noted. "The bones go to repairing the wagons or making tools, the hides are tanned and turned into clothing or sacks, the meat is ground up and kept for meals…"

" _That's_ what Burmecia's secret ingredient was in last night's stew?"

"Fresh off the Velocidrome. What did you think they did with the meat and intestines after we'd killed it?"

"I don't know… made them into violin strings or something."

"That's catgut."

"Catgut? Wait… they don't-"

"No, it doesn't come from Felynes. That's just a catch-all term. They use Aptonoth or Popo or Kelbi guts for that."

"Oh thank goodness."

Bram chuckled as he hoisted his pickaxe over his shoulder, motioning back towards the caravan. "Come on, let's get back. We can empty out what we've gathered and hope we've done enough for the day." Sonia nodded and grabbed her own pick before catching up with him, and the two began to work their way back through the trees towards the wagons.

Stellazzio had left Lintukoto right on time the day after the three Therians had beaten the Training Hill, and the caravan was finally on its way toward Dundorma Town. The exam was still a good three months away though, so the caravan was going to take its time getting there. A long, _long_ time getting there: in truth, Dundorma was only about a week's worth of travel to the south of Lintukoto, but the path they were taking was incredibly roundabout.

First the caravan would travel east toward the distant mountains, where they'd spend a week or so at the smithy town, Harth. From there they'd turn south, missing Dundorma and stopping in a few villages as they continued all the way down to the southern sea, where they'd pass through several coastal towns before turning north and making a beeline towards Dundorma. By Steward's calculations, they were slated to arrive a couple weeks before the exam, giving the hunters plenty of time to explore the town and Stellazzio time to sell their wares.

Bram had wondered what they were going to do about having Tuulikki, Violetta, and Leon join the caravan, though; Steward had needed to clean out a storage wagon to make space for Sonia to sleep after all. But the problem was solved before it really became an issue: Tuulikki had access to one her father gave her to use. Apparently it had been used by himself and her mother when they were still active hunters, and Tuulikki was free to use it if she needed to. It wasn't in the best condition since it hadn't seen use in a couple decades, but a week of having the local carpenter work on it got the wagon into working order in time for the journey. As for Leon, while he didn't have a wagon of his own either, Violetta did. It was a small wagon, made for one person, and like Tuulikki, hers was inherited from her mother. Violetta was perfectly content to bunk with Tuulikki though, letting Leon sleep in her wagon, even though the huntress kept some of her equipment in it.

So Caravan Stellazzio set off once more as the week reached its end, this time with six hunters in tow for a long, three-month journey through the countryside until they reached Dundorma Town. Their journey was taking them through what the Gahin referred to as the 'true interior' of the country: the Everwood. So far it didn't seem any different to Bram than the other forests they'd traveled through between Val Habar and Lintukoto Gully, but the Gahin locals had warned the Therians not to stray too far from the road they traveled on. By their word, the Everwood was an almost entirely unmapped maze, and only the roads could be considered trustworthy paths, but even then experienced travelers could become hopelessly lost if they weren't careful. As such, though the hunters were allowed a certain degree of freedom when exploring the area near the road, it was advised that they remain within sight of the wagons at all times.

Unlike their journey through from Val Habar to Lintukoto, Steward wasn't just going to have the hunters walking next to the wagons acting as guards the whole time; he was going to put them to _work_. The day after they'd left Lintukoto, he'd approached all six hunters and promptly announced that he was going to assign them gathering and mining jobs for the duration of the trip. Though the Gahin hunters had apparently been expecting something like this, the Therian hunters were left baffled when Steward wrote the work off as essentially mandatory.

"Three hunters are fine to keep around as escorts, certainly, but now there are six," he'd explained. "That is six bellies to fill. Your place here as guards is well and good, but if nothing attacks the caravan, then doesn't it seem like you are getting transport and a meal for free? I think it is high time you started _earning_ your dinner. Two hunters are more than plenty for a main guard, while the remaining four gathers resources and materials from the woods."

"Why didn't you have us doing this stuff when we leave Val Habar?" Logan had asked, and Steward had smirked.

"Well, there simply were not many decent materials worth gathering on those western steppes. However, we have begun traveling through the Everwood proper, and the rewards for venturing into these trees are much greater than what we could have found before. Also, I feared that if we worked you too hard so early into the journey, you might rescind your decision to accompany our caravan."

Logan had raised an eyebrow at that. "So you was just waiting until we couldn't back out so easy? That's a bit sneaky, hey?"

"It is hardly sneaky at all, my friend. It is merely business. I run a caravan, and we must make what profit we can to keep moving. All members of the caravan must aid in that endeavor, even the hunters which protect us. Think of it as an investment; the more you gather for the caravan, the greater Stellazzio becomes, and the more we have to offer to you, the hunters." Steward smirked slightly at the hunters. "Or do you feel confident enough to cook your own meals and repair your own weapons for the rest of your journey?"

"Gathering's fine!" Sonia replied quickly, looking nervously between the other two hunters. "So, uh, what sort of gathering are we talking about here?"

Turns out Steward had meant for them to gather pretty much _anything_ of value. He'd had them running through the foliage during the day, gathering anything the caravan needed or could make a profit off of. Meat from Kelbi and Aptonoth, ores from stone outcroppings, herbs, seeds and flowers… almost everything they could get their hands on. The meats, berries, and spices they gathered went to Burmecia's food stores, the ores went to Cleyra, and everything else went to Daguerreo for him to concoct into potions and other apothecary goods. As for today, Bram and Sonia had been assigned to mining duty, which was the roughest, most unforgiving task of them all. Breaking chunks off of ore outcroppings and hauling the spoils back to the caravan was an arduous and tiring task.

As they walked back towards the caravan, the two apprentices passed under a tall stone overhang which was completely overgrown with vines and small shrubbery. This wasn't just any stone overhang, however, but the remains of an ancient ruins, yet another oddity of the Everwood. As Stellazzio had journeyed deeper and deeper, Bram had been surprised to find so many of the dilapidated structures filling the woods of Gahiji; they weren't exactly everywhere, but you couldn't go a whole day without passing one or two. Some were half-submerged in streams and creek beds, some buried in wide valleys and ravines, while others still stood tall and ominous, covered with trees and rising up as though they were part of the landscape itself.

Sometimes, when he'd had time, Bram would investigate the ruins, in hopes of finding something worth discovering. Archeology wasn't his forte, and honestly he had no interest in it; that was the specialty of his sister, Lucy. But if he found something interesting, he might be able to at least send a letter informing her about what he'd seen, and she could look into it herself if she was interested.

Unfortunately, he really couldn't discern anything truly fascinating from the old ruins. His knowledge of the Meridians and their structures wasn't extensive, but he knew enough to assume these ruins were of a different type. The stone wasn't the same type of material for one; the color was generally a dull grey or worn-out orange, and their decaying state was enough to tell Bram that they weren't the same as the pristine white, nearly indestructible stone which most Meridian structures were made from. There weren't any interesting writing on the walls of the ruins either, so hoping to get some information about whoever built them seemed futile. Still, even if he didn't understand anything, maybe his family would. He kept a map in his room and did his best to mark down the locations of the ruins he found in case someone else decided to come visit for themselves.

Soon Bram and Sonia were back on the trail, and a few Felynes darted around Bram's legs, nearly making him trip over himself. Several of the small, cat-like creatures had temporarily joined up with the caravan as it made its way south, since Steward was planning to make a stop at a village called Cheeko Sands down on the coast which was populated almost entirely by Felynes. The Felynes with the caravan were a friendly bunch who all claimed they were heading down to Cheeko Sands to train to be Palicoes, and asked Bram and Sonia to keep them in mind if they ever had need of a sidekick. Bram didn't know how he felt about the idea of hiring a 'sidekick', but he'd promised he'd remember them if he ever felt the need.

As the two hunters caught up with the rear wagons of the caravan, Bram caught sight of Violetta and Leon emerging from the forest on the other side of the train. Both Gahin hunters looked worn down and dirty, and their hands and gauntlets were covered with lingering dirt stains. Violetta smiled and waved when she saw them, grabbing Leon's shoulder and dragging the lancer over towards them.

"You look like you two are having fun," the horn user said with a grin as Sonia swung her pick to the ground and caught her breath.

"Yeah, loads. Nothing like hauling around ten extra pounds of metal and wood and hitting rocks with them for a couple hours, then carrying the best rocks around in your pocket as well."

"What has Steward had you two working on?" Bram asked. "Hunting for tonight's dinner?"

"No, no. Burmecia is planning on finishing off the Velocidrome meat tonight," Leon sighed, patting his own item pouch. While it bulged large on its own, it didn't look as heavy as Bram's and Sonia's. "Today we've been on mushroom and herb duty. Sap plants, ivy, fire, and antidote herbs, nitroshrooms, parashrooms, mopeshrooms… anything that can turn a profit or be mixed into an herbal remedy. Honestly, I feel like there's no point in putting on my armor some days. Maybe I'd be better off getting some farmer's clothes and a till and I'd be better prepared for this kind of work. Gauntlets aren't exactly the best choice for digging through dirt."

"Ah, the glamorous life of a hunter," Violetta laughed. "Become an apprentice in hopes of protecting innocent lives by challenging mighty beasts, and spend your days digging through the underbrush in search of useful leaves and flowers."

"Could be worse," Sonia noted. "Me and Bram get to spend all day breaking rocks. At least plants aren't too heavy, and you don't have to carry a pickaxe…"

"You've clearly never had a fire herb or nitroshroom rub together in your pouch," Leon replied flatly. "At least when you're mining, you're less likely to _burst into flame_."

"And _you've_ clearly never been hired to gather firestones or firecell stones… or _powderstones_ ," Violetta retorted, before shivering slightly. "Things like that make me happy my armor is fire-resistant. But if it makes you feel any better, even the most renowned hunters have to go through the same thing. Imagine someone strutting around in… let's see, what monsters do you have in Theron? Diablos? Deviljho? Imagine someone wearing those armor sets, and know that just like you are right now, they'll be out in the wilds, picking away at ore veins and hoping to chip off a nice chunk of iron, despite having hunted some of the biggest, most violent monsters in the country. Even me and Tuli has some days when we need to go out and break apart big rocks. You should see Tuli when she does, though; her stature is not made for swinging a pickaxe around, so it's kind of funny."

"Where's Tuulikki at, anyway?" Sonia asked, looking down the length of wagons. "I haven't seen her around all day…"

"Today was her day to sleep in a little," Violetta replied. "I don't think she's really taking advantage of it though. She's off in the bushes."

"Uh… Doing what?"

"Master Steward's work having us running through the thicket gathering materials may not be fun, but there is value in it," Leon replied. "The Everwood contains many useful goods and materials for hunters, including Kinsect nectar."

Bram and Sonia nodded in immediate understanding. Bram could already imagine the glaive wielder scouring about in a frenzy, looking for nectars to feed Ketrak. "Why is she bothering having us buy her nectars in Dundorma if we don't pass the exam, if she can just find them lying around on the side of the road?" Sonia asked.

"Probably the same reason people buy potions from apothecaries rather than just mixing together herbs and mushrooms themselves. It's just easier that way. From what Tuli's said, it's pretty random as well. Some nectars just aren't worth collecting, while others are worth more than their weight in gold."

"Uh… I hope you're being rhetorical," Sonia muttered. "I don't think I can afford to buy many nectars if they're worth _that_ much…"

"Just keep your chin up," Violetta replied. "Besides, as long as you all pass the exam, you won't have to worry about it!"

"Yeah… but if I pass, Tuulikki said she'd teach me how to use a glaive, so I'd need to buy nectars to feed my _own_ Kinsect anyway."

"Oh… well, in that case, maybe you should ask Tuli to teach you how to pick out valuable nectars while you're at it."

"Maybe… But do you really think we've got what it takes to pass the exam?" Sonia asked. "Tuulikki said we wouldn't be able to pass the upcoming one at all."

Violetta frowned and cocked her head uncertainly. "I mean… probably? The exam in Dundorma is downright _nasty_ some years. Honestly it really has to do with what year you take it."

"What 'year'? What do you mean?"

"Think about it this way: how many elder dragons are there in Theron?" Leon asked.

"I'm not sure if there's an accurate tally," Bram told them, "but several dozen. Perhaps just under a hundred at the most."

"Hmm. Well, Gahiji has _several hundred_ living within our borders at one time. And Dundorma… For some reason, Dundorma attracts elder dragons as though it has an enormous bulls-eye painted on its walls."

"Pretty much," Violetta nodded. "Some years are worse than others. Most years there's only one or two elder dragon attacks against the city… Sometimes there's half a dozen or more."

"And that affects the exam?" Sonia asked.

"The standards would be higher…" Bram muttered thoughtfully.

"Exactly," Leon nodded. "With elder dragons banging against the walls of the city, the Guild judges tend to be a little harsher. They only accept the best of the best, the cream of the crop… Anything less would just be a casualty against the elder dragons…"

"Huh… well… how are our odds looking this year?" Sonia asked.

"Well… the city was hit pretty hard by a Rusted Kushala Daora last year, but no other elders have made a move in a while now. There haven't been many Chameleos sightings in the last few years, either; its poison gas can really do a number on the population. The deaths have been minimal recently, thank goodness. So the judges should be pretty lenient this year."

"That's… I mean, that's good to hear, but it doesn't really make me feel any better," Sonia replied, crossing her arms. "Even if we pass, won't it just mean we beat the exam only when it was really easy?"

"I don't think many hunters will hassle you too much about it," Leon replied. "Some of the hunters who passed during the rougher years can be snobs about it, but they aren't common. Some of the greatest hunters in the country passed during the more tranquil years. I'm pretty sure she won't bring it up, but Tuli actually passed after an exceptionally long calm. She took her exam after Dundorma hadn't been attacked in almost two years!"

"A Teostra did hit the eastern barricade a week after that," Violetta cut in, "but that's beside the point. As long as there aren't any elder dragon attacks between now and the exam, the judges shouldn't be too critical of your performances."

"It would be kind of interesting to see an elder dragon," Sonia said. "They're really reclusive in Theron."

"Well, if you do, you'd best hope it's a carcass you're looking at," Leon scoffed. "Elders generally aren't friendly to humans when they're still alive, and if you ever see one in Dundorma, I guarantee you it won't be pleasant."

"Chances are good none of you will meet one anyway," Violetta said, stretching her arms. "Only upper high-rank hunters or G-rank hunters are allowed to challenge elders in the first place. Tuli and I have been high rank for a while, but it'll probably be _years_ before the Guild allows us on that kind of hunt. So you can put ideas of hunting elder dragons out of your mind for a while. Maybe get back to focusing on mining ores for Cleyra."

"Ah… I was actually hoping to put that off a little longer…" Bram sighed wearily, patting the bag of rocks at his waist.

"Just imagine how much you're boosting your upper body strength swinging that pick. Great for archers!" Violetta laughed before grabbing Leon's arm and dragging him away. "And keep your eyes open for Dragon Toadstools! They're worth a small fortune! We get the rest of the day off if we find one."

"Will do!" Sonia replied. "But… maybe we should just hold on to them and wait for our own day hunting mushrooms…"

"Aw…"

"I'm kidding! Mostly…" As Violetta and Leon walked away, the huntress turned to Bram. "Come on, string bean, let's drop off what we have."

"Right."

As the two continued towards the smithy wagon, they were stopped by a shout above them. "Did you find anything good out there?" Bram looked up at the sound of the voice, and spotted Selene sitting on top of her wagon, looking over the side and smiling down at him.

"Ah, a bit," Bram replied, patting the bulging pouch at his waist. "Hopefully enough to keep Cleyra happy for a couple days… What are you doing up there?"

"Oh! I am checking up on reports of monster migration! One moment, allow me to show you…" The Guild rep vanished back over the side of the roof for a moment, and Bram and Sonia looked at each other in confusion. A moment later Selene appeared again. "See? Look!"

Perched on the young Wyverian's arm was a tall falcon, clinging tightly to a falconer's glove which covered most of her forearm. The bird was a fine-looking creature, as well as Bram could tell. There was a small tube strapped to the falcon's leg, a message container.

"This is Roo, Master Steward's falcon," Selene explained. "We use it to send messages to villages we leave or are heading to. I sent a message to Harth a couple days ago with a request asking for recent migration patterns in the area, so we know what to expect between here and there, and Roo just returned with their reply. If we see unusual monster activity in the area as we're passing through, we send a report to nearby villages so they are warned in time."

"Using a falcon? Really?" Sonia asked. "Why don't you use the Felyne courier service? They're pretty quick."

"They are, certainly," the young Wyverian replied. Raising her hand into the air, she urged the falcon to the sky, before sliding off the side of the wagon and climbing down. Once her taloned feet clicked against the ground, she raised her arm again and the falcon descended, landing on her arm once more. "However, you can only meet the couriers in towns and villages large enough to support a post office. And if something truly dangerous is spotted out in the Everwood, it is best to get information to other caravans and villages as fast as possible."

"So what sort of message did you get this time?" Bram asked

"Oh, yes. Let me check," she replied, pulling the note from the falcon's leg and unfolding it. "Hmm… It appears as though travel should be relatively safe, with nothing out of the ordinary on the roads… Normal Kut-Ku breeding season, so no need to worry about dealing with them in great numbers… Though, Harth is reporting juvenile Basarios are reaching the age where they venture out from the Volcano, so we'll need to keep an eye out for them. That should not be too hard; Basarios are quite placid unless you intentionally provoke them or get too close."

"Are they dangerous?" Sonia asked eagerly.

"Hmm… Yes and no. As I said, they only attack when provoked. I cannot speak for their difficulty, but I've heard they're fairly slow and cumbersome. But they can spit fire and exhume poisonous gases. However, their greatest challenge is their hides. Even in their juvenile form, their shell is utterly rock-like, and nearly impenetrable to all but the most high-quality weapons."

"Oh," Sonia muttered, frowning irately and pulling out her Seltas sword. "I don't think my sword can handle something like that…"

"It's probably for the best," Bram grinned. "I've read that Basarios have weak underbellies and legs, but intentionally standing under a living boulder to try and wound it seems like a poor plan."

"Hmm. Yeah… all it would have to do is sit down, and… _squish_."

"Essentially, yes," Selene nodded. "But they are relatively docile creatures. We should be fine as long as we avoid them. All we need to do is keep an eye out for odd rock formations and be wary of them."

"That's… somewhat vague," Bram said.

"It is much easier than you might think. If we do have trouble with one, at least there's some comfort in knowing there are six hunters here to protect us. Having more eyes keeping watch over us is always welcome."

"It must certainly be a lot livelier than usual," Bram grinned.

"Aha, I cannot deny that," the Wyverian laughed. "If nothing else, I am pleased to have someone around I can play chess with."

Sonia blinked in surprise at the words, before giving Bram a flat look, and the archer chuckled sheepishly. "Really? You're already looking for someone else to play with? I know I'm not as good as you, but jeez…"

"Come on now, Sonia, playing with the same person repeatedly can be quite tiring… Logan doesn't play at all, and nobody else in the Caravan seems eager to play. Honestly, I was surprised she'd even _heard_ of the game when I brought it up. It's a _Lost_ game, after all."

"I'm just messing with you, string bean," Sonia laughed, before looking at Selene. "But yeah, I didn't think many non-Lost knew how to play chess or checkers."

"There are _some_ Lost in Gahiji," Selene replied. "Not as many as Theron, but there are enough. Most keep to the larger cities. I've met a few of them in Dundorma, and I learned to play from them. The… rest of the caravan isn't that fond of playing with me though, so it is nice to have new people to play with!"

"I'm looking forward to playing with you later," Bram agreed with a smile. Sonia raised an eyebrow and the archer shook his head. "We've scheduled a game for once the caravan stops for the night."

"Such exciting plans," Sonia replied flatly. "Then again, considering the rest of your family, that sounds like the formula for a regular party night."

"You can play the winner if you like," Selene offered, but the huntress shook her head.

"Eh… no thanks. Board games aren't exactly the most stimulating spectator sports."

"Oh… well, if that is the case, chess is not the only game I learned about from the Lost," Selene replied eagerly. "There's another entertaining game where you use dice to-"

Selene petered to a halt, however, as Sonia made a sour face. The huntress chuckled sheepishly, shaking her head. "Ah, sorry, but I'm really not a big fan of dice games."

"Oh… um, it's not really so much a _dice_ game, but-"

"Sorry," Sonia replied.

"No… no, it's fine," Selene replied with a smile, though Bram could tell she was slightly disappointed. "But if you ever change your mind-"

"Hey, kids!" Bram and Sonia looked up as Burmecia leaned out of the food wagon, smiling warmly at them. They could hear her twins, Conde and Petie clattering around inside the wagon, shouting and playing. "Just wanted to let you know, Cleyra wants you two to try and gather as much machalite as you can today. She need it for something or another."

"Oh boy… uh, how much machalite you have, Bram?"

"Not much, I fear… An abundance of earth crystals and iron, and a few shards of fucium, but machalite has been elusive today."

"By elusive do you mean you can't find any, or you keep messing up when you mine it and all you get is weak scraps?"

"Ah, well… The matter simply comes down to-"

"Yeah, that's what I thought…" Sonia turned and grinned nervously to Selene. "Well, uh… we should probably drop off what we've got and get back to mining. See you around, Selene!"

"Yes… see you," the guildie replied as the huntress took off towards the smithy wagon. Selene looked hopelessly at Bram, but the archer could only shrug.

"Don't worry about it. She's just… not one for games of chance. She doesn't mean anything by it." The Wyverian nodded slowly as Bram turned to follow after the huntress. "I look forward to playing with you later though. See you this evening."

"Yes… see you then, Bram."

* * *

Bram and Sonia continued to mine until evening rolled around, when Stellazzio began looking for a good place to set up camp. The Everwood was a rugged land, but every once in awhile, there would be a wide glen or dale where the wagons could circle up and prepare to camp for the night. Steward eventually called them to a halt upon discovering one such area, a wide and level field sitting comfortably near a wide stream which trickled through the forest. The sky was blotted out by the tall trees around them, gargantuan pillars which stretched thick and tall, spreading their canopies out high above and blotting out quite a bit of the dying light. But Steward claimed such cover would keep them safe from any flying wyverns, unless the beasts came plummeting through the canopy for whatever reason.

Bram had accustomed himself to the process by now. Much like they did upon reaching a city, Stellazzio had the draft Popos pull the wagons into a long U shape, with one main opening that would be closed up as the caravaneers went to sleep. Once they were unyoked, the Popos were allowed to roam free for a while, eating grass and berries until night fell, when they were brought inside the ring so they wouldn't be easily targeted by large monsters, and so they wouldn't run away if something nasty _did_ show up.

In the meantime, the most important wagons would open up to get to work; Burmecia's stall would open up to cook everyone dinner, Cleyra would fire up her forge and prepare goods for the next stop or go around repairing anything which was broken, and the hunters would return from their gathering and pass off what they'd collected to whoever needed them. Everyone else went around preparing the camp, and once everything was done, they worked to prepare their own goods in their wagons or sat around making merry with everyone else.

Once the wagons were settled in for the night, Bram was able to take his collection of ores to the smithy wagon and offload the weight which had been bogging him down. Sonia had turned in her own ores a little earlier, when Bram had gotten roped into helping get the food wagon set up. The huntress had teased Bram about getting out of work, but turnabout was fair play: across the caravan, the archer could see that the huntress had gotten pulled into helping Daguerreo organize the potions he was brewing.

"Are you almost done, Bram?" Selene asked eagerly. The Wyverian Guild rep had been hovering close by since she'd gotten her own wagon in place, waiting eagerly for her chance to play Bram in a game of chess.

"Nearly," the archer replied, patting the pouch at his belt. "Once I drop these off, I'll be available, assuming nobody asks me to help them with any other business."

"Well, do so quickly then! I haven't been able to play a game since the last time the caravan was in Dundorma, and that was over six months ago!"

"Yes, of course," Bram laughed as the Guildie pushed him towards the smithy wagon, where Cleyra was already smelting several chunks of iron.

Cleyra was a relatively tall woman, nearly matching Bram in height, but the hunter really didn't know if that was an average height for middle-aged Wyverians or not. Most of the ones he'd met were older Wyverians, and had shrunk down to half Bram's height over time. Aside from Selene, Cleyra was the first one under fifty Bram had ever known… well, the first one that _looked_ like she was under fifty. Her real age was likely much greater, if the rumors he'd heard were true.

She had long, pointed ears and taloned, wyvern-like feet, the latter which were left uncovered, letting her stride around barefoot with the tough soles with her claws clicking against the stone earth. Aside from those points, however, she appeared human in every other way. Her skin was a light coppery color, and her time in the forge had built her into an exceptionally strong and well-built woman, easily capable of swinging the forger's hammer. Her face was pointed and sharp, and her shoulder-length hair was jet black, pinned down haphazardly behind her head, with loose strands hanging down along the sides. Bram had never seen her wearing anything more decorative than durable work clothes, and today was no different. She wore a plain green shirt with the sleeves rolled up over her shoulders, sturdy leather pants, and a thick smithy apron with heat-resistant gloves.

She was a brash and crude individual, but easy to get along with, even if she did like to poke fun at anyone and everyone's expense. She really enjoyed teasing people, and nobody was safe from her tawdry jokes and wicked laughter. The only time she was in a bad mood was when something broke or was damaged, at which point she'd be fuming that someone or something had _dared to mar_ her handiwork. Accidents were let off lightly, but Bram feared what would happen if she'd gotten hold of an intentional vandal; if she'd gotten a chance, she might have reduced that Seltas which had attacked the caravan to paste.

At the moment she was forging a sheet of red-hot iron into some piece of equipment or utensil, though it wasn't developed enough quite yet for Bram to make out what it was going to be. The walls of her wagon were coated in numerous forge tools hanging from pins, and several barrels and buckets containing shards of ore and other supplies surrounded her as she plucked bits and pieces from all of them. It seemed as though she had a small supply of every type of ore Bram had ever seen.

There was even a net filled with dead Konchu hanging from one corner of the roof, which the hunters had killed and collected when they'd come across the Neopterons out in the wild. The creature's shells weren't very malleable, but still found a range of uses. Normally the hunters would've just carved off the shells and brought those back, but Cleyra apparently passed the rest of the Konchu off to Burmecia. Bram chose not to ask what the chef did with the rest of the creature. He wished he could say he remained totally ignorant, but really couldn't after seeing a couple armor spheres sitting at the bottom of a pot of soup a few days ago…

The woman looked up as he and Selene approached, before her eyes beaded in on the heavy pouch hanging from his waist. "Find anything good today, Red?"

"A few decent ores… I think," he replied, sighing at the nickname; the smith favored giving them to people, and Bram wondered if Cleyra even remembered his real name. He turned over his pouch and let what he'd collected clatter onto a table next to her. The smith turned, picking through the shards and chunks of stone.

"Eh, not bad…" she muttered. "Not great though. You don't seem to have the same eye for this that your friends do. I can work with some of this… but the rest is useless to me. You can keep some of the iron and earth crystals."

"Thanks…" Bram sighed, scooping up the scraps Cleyra slid back to him.

"Once we get to Harth, you'll be able to gather more ores for your own use," Selene told the hunter. "Though Cleyra may take more than she needs while we travel, what you collect during sanctioned hunts is yours to keep."

"Ha! And then he'll be paying me some pretty zenni to work that ore into something he can use," the smith cackled. "One way or another, it all comes back to me or some other smith, Twitch."

Selene wrinkled her nose at the nickname, but Cleyra merely smirked. As the smith shifted through the remaining ores, the archer shot a nervous look towards Selene, who returned the look with a confused expression. Bram shook his head though, returning his gaze to the smith and clearing his throat.

"Excuse me, Miss Cleyra… I was-"

"Drop the Miss and try again, kid."

"Erm… Ah, I had a question… Cleyra."

"Yeah, okay, hit me."

Bram cleared his throat, shooting a nervous glance towards Selene. "Well, you seem much more… straightforward and brutally honest than a lot of the other members of the caravan, not one to mince words or show excess… tact."

"Hey now, that's… Eh, actually, that sounds about right. Keep going."

The hunter was quiet for a moment before continuing. "Is… the caravan really alright with accepting me, Sonia, and Logan back as guards for the caravan?" Selene turned to look at him, wide-eyed with shock, but Bram pressed on. "After our failed Seltas hunt, I remember the way they looked at us… Even with two months worth of training, and with Tuulikki, Violetta, and Leon joining us, does anyone really trust us?"

"Bram…" Selene said sadly. "We wouldn't… I mean, I… the rest of the caravan would not…"

However, the smith paused in her work, glancing up at the hunter and raising an eyebrow. "What, you're still worried about that? Don't beat yourself up about it, kid. Everyone makes mistakes or has a rough time sometimes."

"But because of us-"

"So you had a rough time against a Seltas. Big deal," Cleyra muttered. "Nobody in the caravan really minds. _Everyone's_ a rookie at one point, and it's not rare for a caravan to take on an untested hunter. About a year back I heard about some other caravan that hired a hunter who barely had a weapon or armor set to their name, but the caravan master let 'em aboard for the price of a badly-cooked steak and some poorly-mixed herbal remedies. Can you imagine trusting a hunter who only had that cheap mass-produced crap you buy from armories? Uh… don't tell Quale I said that… Actually, tell him if you want. His stuff is garbage."

From across the wagon circle, a metal helmet flew through through the air. Cleyra ducked just in time, and the helmet clattered against the wall of the forge and rolled through the grass.

"Ha! Crap goods, but he's got ears like a Kut-Ku!" the smith cackled, before returning to her work. "Anyway, Steward would'a known hiring three hunters who'd never been to Gahiji before would have its risks, but he did it anyway. The brat's always done that, hiring people because he likes them, rather than knowing whether they're worth hiring or not. At least you three seem to _care_. I heard about your reception in Lintukoto from the brat. The fact you three were willing to stay there for two months of training after a welcome like that, just so you could improve and guard Stellazzio better means a lot to us. Besides, you did fight off a couple Great Jaggis and Velocidrome, so we knew you weren't blowing smoke or anything.

"You're not the worst hires we've ever had either. At least you three are _trying_. One time we hired this guy from Dundorma who swore he was this _master hunter_ ; had this well-crafted Tigrex armor and everything. But the moment he got scuffed by a Great Jaggi, he screamed like a child and turned tail to run back to town. Turns out he was some merchant's son who'd never hunted in his life before, and had gotten the armor from his father. He was just looking for a thrill, but the plan bit him in the ass… literally. That Jaggi took a piece out of his tush before he got away."

"Really?" Bram asked, as Selene giggled beside him.

"I had almost forgotten about that!" she laughed. "He was using a hammer, and the first swing he took, he lost his grip and ended up throwing it into a pond."

"That's right," Cleyra grinned, giving Selene a smirk. "Of course, I remember one of your daddy's attempts to show off going sour, too."

"My father?" Selene gasped. "Really?"

"Your father was a hunter for the caravan?" Bram asked, and the blonde Guild rep nodded slowly.

"He sure was," Cleyra replied. "Kind of a prude if you ask me, but he wasn't bad with a long sword. 'Course, all the older folk remember one of his first hunts. The guy decided to try and show off for his wife and daughter, who were watching him fight a Kecha that was getting a little too close to the wagons. The Kecha managed to slap the sword out of his hand, then picked it up with its tail and played a big ol' game of keepaway from him."

"He didn't!" Selene gasped. Bram couldn't help but snort in laughter at the mental image, earning a short glare from the Guildie. "I don't remember anything like that!"

"Ah, you were just a little thing at the time, Twitch," Cleyra cackled. "Probably too young to remember. He eventually got his sword back, but he was completely knackered by then, and the Kecha had such a fun time 'playing' with him, it gave him a friendly hosing off with its trunk before swinging off into the forest. Knowing your pop, he probably wove the story into something a little less embarrassing. That or your mother did it for him; your dad wasn't much for telling tales."

Selene writhed about a little in secondhand embarrassment, reaching up and covering her reddening cheeks with her hands, though her flush stretched all the way up to the tips of her wiggling ears. Cleyra leered at the Guild rep in silent laughter, and Bram couldn't help himself from trying to pat Selene on the shoulder consolingly, but that only made her face grow redder.

"Anyway, like I said, you three aren't doing too bad. You've got plenty of time to prove yourselves," Cleyra said, still grinning as she returned to her work on the forge. "Just keep trying and do your best, and the caravan won't think less of you."

Bram nodded, smiling slightly. "Thanks…"

"Though, it wouldn't hurt if you could mine something better than those dregs you thought were ore. Just because it's shiny doesn't mean it's any good, Red."

"I'll attempt to do better… I suppose I'm just better at digging through bushes, looking for those seeds and flowers Daguerreo wanted." Bram reached into his pouch, pulling out a small collection of said seeds, which he'd picked up when searching for ore veins. "They're pronounced 'Cathangeas', right? What does he want all of them for?"

"We use them as trading goods," Selene replied. "Cathangea flowers, seeds, and extract are all potent healing agents."

"Really? They're medicine?" Bram asked, looking down at the seeds in his hand.

"You got it… but they aren't for humans," Cleyra told him, shaking her head. "They work primarily on Wyverians, closing wounds and bolstering the immune system."

"They are a Wyverian equivalent of potions, when properly blended with other herbal ingredients," Selene added, clearing her throat now that her face and ears weren't beet-red anymore. "For humans, Felynes, Troverians, or any other creature aside from Wyverians, they do not have an effect more than giving the user a slight buzz."

"How does that work? What's so different about Wyverian bodies that makes this work for them and not everyone else?"

"Who knows?" Cleyra shrugged, and Selene shook her head as well. The smith sighed, however, when Bram gave her a frustrated look. "Hey, I'm not a doctor, Red. I hit stuff with a hammer until you can wear it or use it to kill things. Don't look at me for biology lessons… And don't ask me about the _fun_ kind of biology lessons either, like your boy Logan did; you're too young for my tastes."

Bram flushed in embarrassment. "Buh… I wasn't going to-"

Cleyra threw her head back and laughed at the hunter's flustered expression. "Ah, you young boys are always so much fun to play with." The Wyverian leaned forward, giving the archer a sly look. "Though, I have always liked men with red hair… If you're still interested in a few more years, and put on a little more muscle… maybe grow a beard too, you'd probably be someone I wouldn't mind spending some quality time with. Then you can _really_ find out what the differences between human and Wyverian bodies are."

Thankfully, Selene stepped forward to save Bram as his face flared and he sputtered out an incoherent response. "Oh, quit playing around, Cleyra. Leave him alone; can't you see he's uncomfortable?"

"Ha! That's what makes it _fun!_ The only thing better than toying with a boy like him is watching a show-offy Kin like Logan flounder when you make the same offer. He's not as suave as he likes to think he is."

"Kin?" Bram asked.

"You still shouldn't tease him like that!" Selene replied stubbornly, getting an amused smirk from the smith. "It's rude."

Bram cleared his throat, trying to push down any lingering embarrassment. "Well, either way, it isn't as though she and I could… erm. Well, I'm human and you're Wyverian, after all."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Humans and Wyverians are perfectly compatible," Cleyra replied, winking at Bram, and making the archer blush again. "I speak from _experience_."

"They… what?"

"Sure. Humans and Wyverians can have all the fun their little hearts or other body parts desire. There isn't _that_ much difference in equipment. They can even have kids together if they want."

"They _can_?"

"Sure. You didn't know that? My father was human after all. And just looking at Twitch here, you can tell that she probably has a fair share of human blood in her too." Bram glanced at Selene with a scrutinizing look, and the Guild rep fidgeted nervously under his gaze. Realizing he was embarrassing her, he turned away and cleared his throat again.

"That's… I didn't know that was possible," Bram muttered.

"Wyverians are not exactly… forward about that information," Selene replied. "It is not a true secret or anything. Perhaps Wyverians in Theron simply don't feel the need to announce it… at least, not as loudly as Cleyra here does."

The smith chuckled in amusement as Bram leaned forward intently. "Are you certain? I didn't think that would be biologically feasible."

"Well, you changed your tune quick," Cleyra chuckled. "Sure, Wyverians and humans can make babies if they make the effort. I'm proof positive of that."

"But we're different species… how would a human and Wyverian-"

"You don't know? Sheesh, Red, I would've thought your parents would've given you that talk by your age." Bram found himself growing red again, and Cleyra cackled again. "Heh, I'm just messing with you. But I thought I told you, kid: don't look at me for biology lessons. I know it works, and I know the _process_ is nice and fun, but I don't know the chemistry behind it. Talk to a doctor about that kind of thing."

"But how-"

"I think that's enough sex ed for now, kid. Twitch, do you mind distracting him with something else? Go play that royalty game you like so much, cheese or whatever."

"It is called _chess_ ," the Guild rep corrected, but she wrapped a hand around Bram's arm and dragged him away from the smithy. "But that's a good idea. Come on, Bram, let us get you to do something besides asking women about intimate matters."

"But I was just… erm. Right. Okay…"

* * *

"How was your _big game_?" Sonia asked as Bram approached the campfire, carrying a small bowl and spoon in his hands. The hunters had gathered around a small fire pit near the open end of the caravan, where they could leap into action if anything more threatening than an agitated Kelbi showed up in the clearing. Burmecia had cooked up the last of the Velocidrome meat, so it was round two of stew night. At least she'd used different spices this time, but fire herbs and pepper had been used, and Sonia hated spicy food…

"Rather… informative. If nothing else, Selene is much better at chess than I first believed her to be," the archer replied, sitting down next to her and swallowing a spoonful of his stew. He gave her a small but sly grin. "Better than you, at least."

"Hey, now-"

"I'm only teasing you," Bram laughed. "Perhaps it's more accurate to say I'm too used to playing against you. You're always so defensive-"

"It's not like I have a choice! If I didn't defend myself, you'd roll right over me."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Sonia. However, Selene was always on the offensive. She'd taken half a dozen of my pieces before I managed to adjust my strategy."

"You sound happy about that."

"It's nice to find someone new and challenging to play. I don't really have many people to play back home. My siblings all think it's a boring memorization game… and maybe they're right. If someone can think ahead enough moves, you really can't beat them."

"Is that why you keep beating me? You've just got a better memory?"

"That and the fact you keep your king in one place. A king can and should move around, Sonia. It's not a bad strategy to use it as an attacker if you're careful about it. You're a hunter, so you should know standing still isn't a solid plan."

"Yeah, yeah," Sonia mumbled, lifting her bowl to her lips and draining the rest of the broth inside. She winced a little as the spice bit into her tongue before grabbing her water bottle and downing half of it.

"It's not even that spicy," Bram said, shaking his head.

"Spicy enough," Sonia replied. She set her bowl down next to her, but she could still feel an ache in her stomach. She was still pretty hungry, and the stew had been delicious… but it was just so spicy! She'd suffer a little tonight and eat well in the morning…

"Still hungry, Sonia?" the archer asked, a smirk tugging at the edges of his lips. Sonia frowned. He must have seen her eyeing his half-eaten meal. "Go ahead and get another bowl. There's plenty to go around, and it would be such a waste to shame such delicious food, don't you agree?"

The huntress scowled at him for a moment before huffing and crossing her arms. "I'm perfectly fine. I can go without another bowl and not be-" She was cut off, however, as her stomach growled noisily, and she pursed her lips together in agitation. Bram held back a snicker and motioned back to the food wagon.

"Just go get another bowl, Sonia; there's no need to starve yourself. I'll fill up your water bottle for you."

"Yeah, fine…" the huntress sighed, pushing to her feet and shuffling back toward the food wagon.

When Sonia returned, blowing away the steam on her piping-hot stew, she glanced up at the sound of Vi and Leon laughing. Across the campfire, she saw Logan sitting next to the horn wielder, waving his arms dramatically as he told the two of them a story.

"I swear, the Qurus couldn't have been higher than my chest, hey? _Tiny_ little things, and at least a half-dozen of them! Little devils was jumping all over the place, making all these little bursts of fire and lightning. Didn't think too much of it 'til I got hit by one of 'em and the blast sent me flying over a ledge and into a pond. They chased me into the water, like they was gonna try and finish me off, but it was too deep for them, hey, and they had to swim for me. When I get my head above the water, all I see is a line of little Qurupecos honking at me, all in single file like they was a group of ducklings. Was so adorable I could hardly keep from laughing until they was striking they flints at me again."

"How'd you manage to get out of that one?" Leon asked.

"One of my buddies, Steven, come jumping over the ledge to save me. Now Steven's a big boy, hey? Least three-fifty by himself, and he wearing full Barroth armor with a big ol' iron hammer on top of that. He just-" Logan slapped his hands together for emphasis "- _belly-flops_ the Quru in the middle and they both _sink_. The rest of the Qurus flip out and panic, and I got time to lop of one of they heads with my sword, and that's it. The rest of them had enough and bolt. Next thing I know they's this flurry of feathers and flapping wings and they four of them that's still living take off running. Me and my friends decide we'd had enough too, so we pack it in and take what we found back to the camp. Gotta say though, think that was the only time we managed to carry an _entire monster_ back to the Guild, rather than cutting up the pieces. Two of them, actually, even if one of them was a little, eh, flat."

"Oh, wow, that's great," Vi giggled. "Does Theron have a lot of tiny monsters like that?"

"Eh, ain't common, but you see 'em now and then. The Guild once had a Green Plesioth on display that was half my size. Think some fisher caught it off the western coast and managed to beat it into submission. Couldn't been much bigger that the jumpy girlie over there," Logan smirked, pointing towards Tuulikki, who scowled irritably back at him.

"At least it was shockingly small, and not shockingly big," Leon chuckled, looking at Vi and Tuulikki. "Remember that 'extermination' job we were hired for?"

"Oh, man, that was terrifying…" Vi groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"What happened?" Sonia piped in.

"Some weirdo in a town south of Lintukoto was keeping Konchu as pets-"

"It wasn't that weird…" Tuulikki said quietly. The glaive user's gloves and knees were covered with a thick layer of dirt and grass stains from her nectar search through the forest. Ketrak was sitting on her head with a large, moist-looking white flower in its forelegs and seemed to be sucking a pale liquid out of it. Sonia supposed that had to be the nectar she'd been looking for…

"It was when he was feeding them so much that they were six feet tall and fifteen feet long!" Vi replied. "The were bigger than a Rhenoplos!"

"That _is_ terrifying," Logan muttered.

"It wasn't _that_ bad!" Tuulikki argued.

" _Anyway_ ," Leon cut in. "A bunch of the things got out of their cage and took up residence in a small canyon nearby, and the Guild put out a bounty to get rid of them before they started breeding and ruining the ecosystem. We took the job… even if it took some work to convince Tuli to join us."

"She wanted to keep one of them," Vi whispered, though the look on Tuulikki's face showed she'd heard.

"I'm surprised you participated at all, considering your feelings about insectoids," Bram noted.

"Yes… well, while I do not _like_ harming Neopterons or the like, I realize that they sometimes can be a threat. Besides, these Konchu were unnaturally enlarged, and would only have endangered themselves and the world around them if they hadn't been dealt with."

"She did help out a lot," Vi told the Therians. "Usually you just need to flip a Konchu over and stab its underbelly, but that's a little harder to do when a Konchu is three times your size. Tuli was able to pry her glaive between the Konchu's shells and gut the creatures from the side that way. It made things a lot easier."

"That's quite impressive," Bram said. "Konchu shells are quite hard from what I've seen. I'm surprised you have the skill for such accurate attacks with a weapon like that."

"Of course," Tuulikki replied, puffing her chest out as a haughty expression covered her face. "I have high goals set for myself, after all. My mother was a great hunter, and-"

"'-as her daughter I strive to hold myself to the great standard that she has set.'" Both Vi and Leon had spoken in sync, rolling their eyes as Tuulikki words sputtered to a halt.

"We've heard this many times before," Leon explained with a smile as Tuulikki scowled at the two of them.

"So how many stories about her mother has Tuli forced you three to sit through?" Vi asked with a smirk.

"Hmm? Uh. None?" Sonia replied.

"What? Really?"

"All we got so far is that Tuulikki uses the glaive because her mother used it."

"You don't say?" the huntress asked, glancing curiously at the glaive wielder. "When we first met, she wouldn't shut up about her mother. Me and Leon must have gotten six stories in the first day after we said 'hello'."

Tuli huffed and crossed her arms, but tilted her cap down so the brim covered her eyes a little. "Well, considering our relationship for the first month we were acquainted… telling stories about my mother didn't seem like they would be well received."

"Ah. Fair enough."

"Was your mother some sort of local hero or something?" Sonia asked Tuulikki. "I saw the tapestries in the village hall, and there was a woman in them that had hair like yours. Was that her?"

"It was indeed," Tuulikki replied proudly. "My mother, Mielikki tar'Lempo, was an excellent huntress, who protected Lintukoto for well over two decades. She and my father were two of the finest hunters of their generation, and until the day my father lost his leg in battle with a Black Diablos, they were one of the most well-respected pairs of hunters north of Dundorma. Even after Father's retirement, however, Mother continued acting as the guardian of Lintukoto. One of her greatest achievements was her victory over a Teostra that threatened to devastate the whole village, single-handedly meeting it in battle and repelling it before it could damage a single hut!"

"Wow! She sounds amazing!" Sonia replied excitedly.

"She was. There is a reason I chose to take up the insect glaive: so I could follow in her footsteps and become a great huntress that would be able to defend Lintukoto as well as she did."

"I wish you would have introduced us while we were still in Lintukoto!" However, Tuulikki's expression fell at Sonia's words, and both Vi and Leon looked away uncomfortably. It took a moment, but Sonia quickly realized what was wrong. "Oh… Is she…? I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Tuulikki replied solemnly. "You didn't know. She… died when I was a little girl. My father and several other elders were called to an assembly between the villages around Lintukoto, and our family went along. En route to the gathering, however… our wagons were attacked by a Tigrex. The caravan was saved, but both I and my mother were badly wounded during the fight. I managed to recover from my injures, but Mother…" The glaive wielder shook her head. "I was raised hearing stories about her from my father and the rest of the village, telling me tale about her adventures, her personality, and her ideals. It's why I became a huntress, because even after her death, she had such a strong legacy within Lintukoto Gully, and I wanted to live up to that."

Sonia nodded. "I understand that."

"But what about you three? You said your parents were hunters, right?"

"Want to brag about them, too?" Vi asked curiously. "Can't have Tuli taking up the quota, after all."

Sonia and Bram shared a quick, nervous look between each other, getting an odd look from the Gahin hunters, and Sonia chuckled sheepishly. "Uh, yeah, our parents were all hunters at one point or another. My dad's the only one that's still in the business though. Mom retired to run a shop when my brother was born so she could take care of us."

"My father and mother retired a couple years before my eldest siblings were born," Bram added. "Father was wounded during a hunt, and Mother wanted a more peaceful life, so she went with him."

"You get any good stories from them?" Leon asked.

"A couple…" Sonia replied slowly, thinking for a moment. Somehow she'd managed to hide her heritage during these last couple months, and she wanted to keep it that way, so she'd have to think of something exciting that wouldn't give her and Bram away… "I can't follow up an elder dragon with something weak, but Dad mostly keeps to simple hunts and helps Bram's dad with his work these days… Oh! I've got a good one! My dad once killed a Gold Rathian by himself! I think. He always is kinda vague about that story… Or, wait, maybe the time our parents all killed a Silver Rathalos? What do you think, Bram?"

"Don't ask me," the archer shrugged. "You're the storyteller between us, though I'd go with the Silver, myself. My father tells that Rathian one differently every time I ask. I think he gets a kick out of making things up. My siblings and I suspect he did something foolish during the fight and is too embarrassed to admit it. My mother was there for the Silver fight, and she's always been steady with her telling of it. But how about the Deviljho story?"

"That's a good one… but it's a little depressing. And it's a little… you know."

"Ah. Right."

"A little what?" Vi asked curiously.

"Eh… we'll tell you that one another time," Sonia replied, before . "Alright, then, I'll tell the Silver one. Give me a minute to get into a good storytelling vibe. This story starts off strong and I want to do it right!"

"You do that," Bram chuckled as the huntress put on a serious face while brushing her fingers through her fluffy brown hair. He turned away from her a moment later, looking towards Leon. "While she's thinking about that, how about you? Any family stories you want to share?"

The lancer shook his head, though. "My parents were both shopkeepers who worked for Vi's father. No hunters in our family at all."

"None?"

"Not a one. Working at a general store isn't the most noble occupation in the world, but it kept us fed and happy, and that's all you really need. I was inspired to become a hunter thanks to all the stories Vi's mother told us, and a few noble hunters I met at the inns in Dundorma."

"What about you?" Tuulikki asked, looking at Logan. "Any family on your end? You said you used your father's great sword earlier in your career, so I assume he was a hunter?"

However, Logan was quiet for a moment, glowering slightly as he stared into the flames. "Yeah, he and Momma was both hunters, I guess, but I never really knew my father. Momma was the only one around, and she retired a long time 'fore… I came along. But ja, I did it 'cause of my mother."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group when Logan didn't immediately continue speaking. It was broken not long after, when Sonia clapped her hands together. "Alright I'm ready!"

"Oh! Let's hear it then!" Vi said eagerly.

The hunters swapped a couple stories they had ready to tell, but after Vi told a story about one of her mother's encounters with a pair of Zamtrios, Tuulikki pushed to her feet, stretching a little before clearing her throat. "We need to decide what tasks we're all going to have tomorrow. Since Logan was on permanent guard duty today, he gets first pick of what duty to take tomorrow."

"Probably gonna help Burmecia get some more meat, hey? Getting sick of Velocidrome. Too chewy for me. Meat needs to be tender and juicy. Thinking of going after Aptonoth… maybe fishing if I can. They was some nice-looking Speartuna in the last stream we pass by."

"Oh! Yes please!" Sonia said as she licked her lips. "Try and get some Blue Cutthroat if you see any! Those are the tastiest!"

"Eh… hate catching those pointy things. They keep cutting my lines… but I try, hey?"

"Make sure you ask Burmecia to use that pepper sauce from three days ago on it," Leon chimed in with a small smirk.

"Don't you dare!" Sonia snapped.

"She'll cook the fish as she deems fit," Tuulikki noted, cutting the two off, "and we'll eat it, unless you feel like cooking your own dinner. As for you, Logan, how do you expect to catch fish and keep up with the caravan as well? I'm no fisher, but as I recall, people generally try to remain still and quiet while fishing. If you loiter too long, the wagons will leave you behind."

"I got my ways," Logan replied. "On that note, hoy Leon, think you could loan me you lance tomorrow?"

"Why would you… If you're planning on going spearfishing using my lance, it's not going to happen."

"What, you don't trust me?"

"No."

"If that's your plan, maybe you should try and use your great sword," Violetta suggested with a grin. "You could save Burmecia the need to cut off their heads herself."

"If we can get back to the business at hand?" Tuulikki sighed. "Sonia, tomorrow you're on Kelbi duty."

"Aw, what? _Again_?"

"Yes, again. Apparently, Daguerreo favors your work. Just do what you normally do and you should be able to collect what he needs."

"Another day beating Kelbi over the head with my shield… fun-fun…"

"You're the least likely to kill them out of all of us. Now then, tomorrow is Bram's morning off. You can get some extra sleep if you want, or you can try to gather some spare materials of your own out in the forest without worry of the caravan claiming it."

"I just might do that," Bram replied. "I think I'll try and collect some Cathangea seeds while I have some time…"

"Oh? Why the sudden interest in Wyverian remedies?"

"I'm just curious about them. Also, while we're on the subject…"

"No, I have not started gathering Kinsect essence," the glaive wielder grumbled. "Should you manage to pass the hunter's exam, I will start gathering it then, but not before. It is to be the reward for a wager, not a gift. Perhaps you should be gathering money for my nectars, hmm? Or spend your day off gathering high-quality nectars while we're still in the Everwood?"

"Ah, never mind then…"

"I thought as much. Now, Cleyra told me earlier that she needs some higher-quality materials for certain goods she'll be selling in Harth, so tomorrow Leon and I will start-"

However, before the woman could finish speaking, the silence of the forest was cut short as a loud, echoing roar rolled through the trees. It was like the cawing of a crow, but amplified much louder. In a flash, all the hunters were on their feet, and shouts of concern and worry began to sound through the caravan.

"Garuga!" Violetta hissed, immediately pulling her hunting horn into ready position and glancing around worriedly. The huntress rushed towards the gap in the wagons, and the rest of the hunters followed her.

"A what?" Logan asked, raising his hand and clutching the hilt of his great sword.

"Yian Garuga," Tuulikki replied as she unslung her glaive and held her arm up for Ketrak to land on. "A violent and dangerous monster, full of fire and poison. Like a Rathian, but smaller and faster."

"Hoy, that don't sound good," the great sword user muttered.

Sonia nodded in agreement as she reached for the hilt of her sword, clutching the handle. Another caw sounded, echoing through the trees, but Sonia still couldn't tell where it was coming from. The sun was nearly beyond the horizon, and the growing darkness was just making the situation worse. Every shaking bush and moving branch seemed like it could be the monster coming for them. Sonia strained her mind, trying to remember the monster guide books Bram and Logan had shown her; what was a Yian Garuga supposed to look like again? Wasn't it purple or something? Damn it, why were all the pictures of the monsters drawn so badly?!

"Stand back," Tuulikki said sharply, holding her hand out to the side and waving the apprentices back. "All four of you! Violetta and I will take care of this! A Garuga is far out of your skill range at the moment!"

"I can help!" Logan cut in, stepping forward and grabbing the hilt of his sword. "If this thing so dangerous, you gonna-"

"I told you to stand back!" Tuulikki replied sharply. "You're not ready for something like this yet."

"This flat ground!" Logan snapped, pointing at the flat field in front of them. "This ain't something I gotta use all that training for, hey? I can help you take care of-"

Tuulikki turned on him. "You will not! You are still an apprentice, and a Garuga is beyond your-"

"I is _not_ just an apprentice!" the great sword user barked.

"You are in _this_ country!" the glaive wielder hissed. "And I will _not_ have you breaking Guild regulation out of some prideful desire to-"

"Uh, guys?" Sonia tensed as the footsteps through the foliage grew louder, and the trees and bushes beyond the treeline shook and trembled. Logan and Tuulikki spun back around, and a small sapling jolted to the side, snapping in two, and Sonia stared intently at it, bracing herself, and a moment later a large creature burst from the foliage.

It wasn't exactly what Sonia had expected it to be. It was a flying wyvern with a similar body structure to a Rathian, that much was true, but it didn't appear nearly as dangerous as Tuulikki and Violetta had made it out to be. Looks could be deceiving though. The creature was thin, with a long, sinewy body ending in a whip-like tail. Its wings appeared rather small for a creature its size, but Sonia couldn't guess how well it could fly from just that.

What caught Sonia off guard were two things, however. First was the Garuga's large and bulbous head. The wyvern's wide, curved beak had to be almost as big as its torso, and that wasn't even taking into account the large fan-like ears which sprouted from the top of its head, curled around like a frill. As the creature had run out of the foliage, its head bobbed around awkwardly as it ran, making Sonia wonder how it managed to stay upright at all. The second thing that surprised her was the creature's color. She had expected something dark and natural-looking, to let the creature hide in the greenery around them; that's what most monsters were like. But she hadn't been expecting the Garuga to be so… _pink_.

As the creature slid to a halt in the glen, it paused for a moment to catch its breath, panting heavily for a few moments. Its head popped up a moment later though, and it turned to look at the caravan in confusion, cocking its head and twisting its fan-like ears curiously.

"That's… the deadly Garuga?" Sonia asked uncertainly. "It doesn't… _look_ that dangerous."

"Ah, no no, that's not a Yian Garuga," Tuulikki sighed in relief. She, Vi, and Leon had all relaxed immensely from how they'd previously been. "That's just a Yian Kut-Ku. They are similar species, and I suppose they and Garuga sound quite similar. The echoes must have made the sound deeper than it was."

"Guess this one just has a good set of pipes on it," Violetta agreed, stepping back a little and patting Logan on the shoulder. The hunter was still glowering slightly, and the horn wielder chuckled nervously. "But this is a monster you guys can take on. Why don't you four go ahead and-"

Before the hunting horn wielder finished speaking, however, there was another loud crashing in the underbrush. The Yian Kut-Ku jolted in fright, turning around in terror before bolting away as another monster burst through the foliage from where it had come from.

Sonia thought it was another Kut-Ku at first, but it wasn't quite the same, with a similar shape but quite a bit larger. Its long tail ended with a spiked club as opposed to its pink variant's thin whip, its beak was more long, narrow, and sharp-looking, and its fanned ears were much more pointed. There was a bright, silvery mane growing from behind its ears, and its shell was coated in spikes. The pink coloration was gone as well, and the creature was covered almost head to toe in deep purple scales.

This monster certainly looked more deadly than the Kut-Ku. Aside from its appearance, the creature's body was completely coated in battle wounds. Its torso had countless scars running across it, its wings were tattered and torn in some places, and one of its ears had been torn away to the point where it was almost completely gone. A large scar tore down the same side of the wyvern's face, and had completely destroyed its eye, leaving the creature with only its right one. Its beak was chipped and dented all over, but retained its sharp appearance… and though Sonia couldn't be sure, she thought she could still see dried blood caked onto the point of the beak, a lingering remnant of whatever poor creature this beast had last attacked.

" _That's_ a Yian Garuga," Violetta said, rushing back in front of the apprentices.

The Garuga was chasing after the Kut-Ku almost immediately as it burst from the foliage, howling violently as flames licked its beak. The Kut-Ku fled as though its life depended on it, and Sonia couldn't help but feel that, judging from the look in the Garuga's eyes, it probably did. The creatures were so similar, and yet the Garuga was preying on the Kut-Ku? What kind of monsters were these? The Garuga had burst out from the bushes sprinting at almost full speed, and had barely slowed down since its appearance. The Kut-Ku, however, had been standing still when the Garuga had appeared, and by the time it had turned to flee, the Garuga was already nearly on top of it. The Kut-Ku was squawking in horror as the Garuga's ravenous caws echoed behind it, and the purple monster's beak snapped viciously at the pink's snapping tail.

The Kut-Ku's panicked sprinting sent it careening across the field, its head spinning about in terror as each look back only showed the Garuga nipping at its heels. The wyvern's frantic path sent in charging directly towards the base of a tall, dead tree, and at the speed the Kut-Ku was fleeing from the predator behind it, Sonia feared the pink wyvern was going to crash right into the brittle old trunk. However, just before the Yian Kut-Ku reached the tree, and as the Garuga's beak prepared to clamp down on the pink wyvern's thin tail, the Kut-Ku spread its wings, beating them powerfully and pushing itself into the air. It twisted its body, planting its feet against the base of the tree and half-sprinted, half-flew up the side of the dead tree, shooting straight up towards the branches up near the top.

Behind it, the Yian Garuga had been too focused on trying to sink its beak into its pink cousin that it was caught off guard by the tree and slammed headlong into the brittle trunk. The wood splintered and creaked as the purple wyvern's sharp beak pierced the old wood, burying the Garuga's head into the trunk nearly up to its eyes. The creature groaned in pain, tugging backwards, but the impact had really wedged it in there, and the Garuga was left flapping its wings and digging its feet against the ground, trying to yank itself free.

At the top of the tree, the Yian Kut-Ku had reached the highest branches, and settled down to catch its breath, wheezing for air as it perched on a thick leafless branch. After a few deep breaths it snapped its head around fearfully, before cocking its head in surprise at the sight of the Garuga wedged into the base of the tree. The Kut-Ku let out a pleased caw, bobbing its head gleefully, but jolted in fright as the purple wyvern below managed one especially powerful pull, yanking its head free of the trunk with a ripping, splintering sound. The Garuga shook its head a couple times, sending shards of wood and debris onto the grass under it, before spinning its head around in confusion, searching for the Kut-Ku which had apparently disappeared without a trace.

Before the creature could look up and spot its pink cousin, however, the Garuga turned its gaze in the direction of the caravan. The hunters winced as the creature's single, piercing orange eye drilled into them, before it turned to observe the caravan. The last of the caravaneers were retreating to the safety of their wagons, but the Popos remained staked to the ground, panicking in fear from the Garuga's calls. Though the food wagon had been boarded up, the wafting smell of the stew which had been cooking could still be smelled coming through the vents on top.

The Garuga's eye remained locked on the caravan for several moments, and after a moment's contemplation, the Garuga turned away from the dead tree, forgetting about the Yian Kut-Ku completely, stamping its feet and letting out a low, threatening warble towards the hunters.

"Vi!" Tuulikki hissed, and the hunting horn wielder nodded sharply. Logan took a step forward, but a sharp look back from the glaive wielder froze him in place, though he glowered at her in frustration. " _Stay there_! We'll deal with the Garuga, you keep the caravan safe!"

"But I-"

"No arguments!" Tuulikki snapped, before both huntresses dashed towards the Garuga, making the purple wyvern's gaze snap towards them. Logan looked as though he was going to follow them into the fray anyway, but he froze with a look of bitter consternation on his face, growling under his breath. He remained where he was, but his hand remained firmly on the hilt of his great sword, and he looked ready to charge forward at the slightest sign of trouble.

Before the huntresses could get halfway to the wyvern, the Yian Garuga unleashed a powerful caw, so loud and penetrating that Sonia winced painfully, even from how far away she was. Tuulikki and Vi were much closer, and both of them nearly staggered to a halt due to the sound, wincing in pain as they covered their ears.

Almost immediately, flames blazed in the Garuga's maw, and a fireball blazed out of the creature's mouth, searing through the air towards the two huntresses. Sonia winced in shock at the speed that the creature had unleashed the blast; she'd seen Rathians fire off such fireballs, and the Garuga had done it much faster! The huntresses leapt away as the blazing orb hit the ground between them, detonating and sending a wave of dirt and fire outwards. Tuulikki and Violetta each circled around the creature in different directions, forcing the creature to snap its head back and forth between them uncertainly. Its instincts kicked in quickly though, and the purple wyvern snapped its head towards Tuulikki, the smaller of the two, and charged towards her.

The Garuga really was fast, and was on top of the glaive wielder in only a couple seconds, sliding to a halt and pecking at the huntress. Tuulikki had been ready for it, however, and leapt away from the creature, sliding between each of the creature's attacks with fluid dexterity. The huntress lashed out with her glaive, the edge of her weapon clashing against the creature's beak and making the purple monster flinch back. At the same time she swung her arm out and Ketrak darted forward, slamming into the Garuga's beak and biting the creature's torn ear. The purple wyvern squawked in rage, shaking its head fiercely to dislodge the Kinsect, but Ketrak had already let go and was flying back to Tuulikki, his essence sac growing a vibrant red color.

As Ketrak settled on Tuulikki's bracer and emptied the essence into the mouthpiece, the Garuga finally noticed the Kinsect wasn't on its head anymore and returned its attention to the huntress. However, the huntress immediately lashed out at the creature, cracking the blade of her glaive against the Garuga's beak and making the creature flinch slightly. The blade didn't pierce the wyvern's thick beak though, and the creature lashed its spike-covered tail at the huntress. Tuulikki immediately ducked under the tail before leaping forward and sliding between the Garuga's legs.

From under the purple wyvern, an orange twister seemed to spring up as Tuulikki spun and slashed out at the Garuga's underbelly, slicing into the weaker scales and cutting shallow lines into the creature's hide. The wyvern howled in pain before unleashing another powerful caw, beating its wings and throwing itself backwards, leaving Tuulikki wincing in pain where she stood. However, just before the creature's talons struck against the ground, the Yian Garuga beat its wings down in a powerful push which launched it through the air like an arrow. Sonia could scarcely believe the speed at which the wyvern rocketed through the air towards Tuulikki, and she couldn't even try to shout a warning to the huntress before the purple creature was upon her.

Tuulikki had recovered in time and seen the attack coming though. The moment the Garuga was within range the huntress sidestepped to the right, just as the wyvern twisted in the air with incredible dexterity and performed an aerial backflip. The spiked tip of the Garuga's tail sliced through the dirt with ease, but Tuulikki had dodged the appendage, completely escaping the poison-tipped barbs. The Garuga wasn't done, however, and even as it completed its backflip it pushed itself several yards backwards through the air before rocketing forward again and swiping at the huntress with yet another backflip. Tuulikki dodged the second swipe just as nimbly, pulling herself back from the Garuga as the creature finally dropped to the ground again, cawing venomously at the huntress as she circled around it.

Flames welled up in the wyvern's gullet as it glared at the huntress, but before the Garuga could strike, there was a flash of pink. Suddenly, Violetta was next to the wyvern, swinging her hunting horn around and smashing it into the creature's skull. The fuzzy green horn cracked against the Garuga's head with much more force than Sonia would have thought possible, and the wyvern staggered backwards in pain. As the creature shook its head and turned towards the huntress, Vi followed up the attack by swinging her horn low to the ground before pulling it upwards and smashing the base of the weapon into the Garuga's lower jaw, snapping the wyvern's head upwards and sending it staggering backwards.

It retaliated almost immediately though, howling in fury and stamping its feet on the ground a couple times before dashing towards Vi. The huntress braced herself and dove to the side as the Garuga drew close, but the wyvern caught her off guard by sliding to a halt right next to her. The purple monster snapped its head back and clamped its beak closed before driving it down towards the huntress. Vi leapt backwards before the wyvern's beak punched into the ground, creating a four-foot wide crater in the earth. Even as Vi staggered back, the Garuga yanked its head free of the dirt and stepped forward to slam its beak down again, and Sonia could hear the edge of the Garuga's beak scraping against the huntress' chestpiece as it slammed into the ground again.

However, the Garuga was frozen for a moment and began twitching wildly. Sonia realized the wyvern's beak had actually gotten stuck in the ground. Vi didn't wait for the creature to free itself and pulled her hunting horn around over her back before slamming it down onto the back of the Garuga's skull. There was a powerful _crunch_ as the force of Vi's blow drilled the Garuga's beak even further into the dirt, burying the creature's head up to its eyeball. Vi pulled her horn back once more, but the Garuga beat its wings wildly, kicking up a wave of wind which sent the huntress sliding backwards a couple feet. Before the huntress could recover the wyvern gave a mighty pull and yanked its head free again.

As the Garuga shook the dirt off its head, its bright orange eye flared in fury, and it unleashed another powerful caw. Smoke began to billow from the edges of the creature's mouth as it stamped its feet in fury, howling in anger.

"We've got it!" Tuulikki shouted, making the Yian Garuga's eye snap in her direction. "Come on, Vi!"

At the words, both huntresses turned and bolted for the tree line in the opposite direction from the caravan. The purple wyvern crowed in rage, completely forgetting about the wagons and chasing after them. The huntresses dashed into the foliage, slipping through the tangling vines and between the towering trees, but the Garuga would not be swayed and smashed its way after them, hardly slowing down as it ripped through the brush after them. Sonia and the other three apprentices could only stand and watch as the purple-scaled monster raged its way after the huntresses, eventually disappearing in the forest, though they could still hear the enraged cries of the Garuga and the crashing of the creature through the trees.

Sonia released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in. She hadn't known what to expect when the Garuga had shown up, but she'd never expected something so _fierce_. It had been so quick and so brutal… Sonia had seen high-threat monsters in the arena, creatures she knew she didn't have the experience or equipment capable of challenging, beasts like the Rathian and Rathalos, Zinogre, and even one Nargacuga. But the Garuga was a whole level of dangerous like she'd never imagined…

Looking around she could see that the other apprentices were just as unsettled by the Yian Garuga as she'd been… except for Logan. The great sword user was still scowling with discontent, glaring off in the direction that the huntresses had left.

"Well… now what?" Sonia asked.

"Don't forget the Kut-Ku," Leon snapped sharply.

Sonia tensed, recalling the pink creature from before and gazing up to where the wyvern still stood. From its perch atop the old tree, the Yian Kut-Ku cocked its head curiously as the Yian Garuga chased the two huntresses away, and remained up there as the cacophony of battle continued to echo through the trees. Cawing in satisfaction, the Kut-Ku leapt from the branch, flying down to the ground and landing with a thump on the ground.

The huntress tensed eagerly, tightening her grip on her sword and lowering her body in preparation to charge. However, Leon quickly stepped in front of her, holding his shield out between her and the monster.

"Don't attack. It's not a threat yet."

"Not a- Since it's here, we should take it down!"

"We need to protect the caravan!" Leon snapped back. "If the Kut-Ku doesn't threaten the caravan, then it's safer to just let it go!"

"What? That's not-"

The hunters tensed as the Kut-Ku turned its attention towards the caravan, tilting its head curiously. Another echoing caw from the Garuga echoed through the trees, and the pink wyvern shivered slightly in fear. With a nervous look towards the trees, the Yian Kut-Ku began to walk away from the caravan, wanting to get away from the creature which had nearly caught and devoured it.

However, the Yian Kut-Ku spared one last glance at Stellazzio, and its gaze paused and narrowed. The wyvern's mouth dipped open, and its tongue rolled out of its mouth hungrily. Sonia glanced behind her, but the rest of the caravan members had long since hidden away. What was it-

"Damn! The Konchu!" Leon hissed. Sonia glanced towards Cleyra's smithy wagon, where the bodies of the dead Neopterons still hung in their net. "They're Kut-Kus' favorite meal."

Bram took a step back towards the wagons. "Do you think we have time to-"

With another squawk, the Kut-Ku turned to face the caravan directly, stamped it feet a couple times, and charged toward the wagons.

"Damn it!" Leon cursed as Logan shoved past him.

"Move it," the great sword user growled. "Don't think we got a choice now, hey?"

As Logan dashed towards the Kut-Ku, the bird wyvern spotted him and adjusted its charge to run him down. The hunter didn't raise his great sword to block at all, however, yanking his sword out of its sheath and cleaving it down towards the wyvern's skull. The Kut-Ku realized the danger just before the blade came down, skidding to a halt just short of the attack, though the edge of the blade scraped against the creature's beak, and the Kut-Ku staggered back in surprise. Before it could recover, Logan pushed forward, yanking his sword from the ground and swinging it around in a horizontal slash. This time the blade struck true, cracking against the wyvern's lower jaw and fracturing a large cleft through the beak. The Kut-Ku squawked in pain, staggering backwards as Logan swung his great sword back into attack position.

"Hold still you big pink chicken. I got some anger I need to vent, hey?"

Monster or not, the Yian Kut-Ku grew nervous at Logan's threat, stepping back as it worked its cracked jaw back and forth. The wyvern tried to step to the side and walk around the hunter, but Logan stepped in its way, making it clear that passing wasn't an option. With a low warble, the Kut-Ku pulled its head back, with fire licking across its tongue. Logan growled angrily and made to dodge, but hesitated at the last moment before swinging his sword upside down and slamming the tip into the dirt.

Logan braced himself behind the wide metal blade just as a fireball blazed from the Kut-Ku's maw. However, the burning orb seemed… _wobbly_ to Sonia, odd as it sounded. The fireball fluctuated as it flew, looking more fluid than flame, and falling towards the ground much faster than other fireballs she'd seen monsters unleash. Even as the orb crashed against Logan's sword, it didn't so much detonate as it did _pop_ , creating a small shockwave which shook the great sword but otherwise didn't budge Logan. The flames still rushed around the side of the blade and singed the ground, but it just seemed so… weak.

Even Logan was surprised by the lackluster detonation, glancing around the side of the blade as though he was expecting more. The Yian Kut-Ku did manage to catch him off guard, however, not with another fireball, but by leaping forward and pecking fiercely at him. The hunter just managed to yank his weapon from the ground before the wyvern was upon him, the point of its beak clanging off the great sword. An arrow shot through the air, shooting straight through the Kut-Ku's ear and clashing off the shell on its back, leaving a cross-shaped hole through the thin membrane. The Kut-Ku jolted in shock, wiggling its ears awkwardly as it stepped back from Logan, twisting its head around as though to try and see the new hole.

"Come on, we need to help!" Bram shouted, drawing another arrow. Sonia shook herself slightly at the words; she'd been so shocked by Logan's initial aggression towards the Kut-Ku that she hadn't moved from her spot. Leon must have been perturbed by the sight as well, because the lancer hadn't moved either.

Slapping her cheeks lightly, Sonia shook herself and unsheathed her swords. "Come on, Leon, let's go!"

"Right…" the lancer nodded slowly, pulling out his lance.

Sonia nodded and darted forward, circling around the other side of the pink wyvern. The creature was still trying to figure out what had happened to its ear when it spotted them coming and trilled threateningly. When Logan pulled his sword around, however, the Kut-Ku's attention snapped back to him fearfully, beating its wings to push itself away before the blade could cleave into its skull again. The creature skidded slightly against the dirt as it hit the ground, and Sonia turned sharply, darting towards the beast. The beast noticed her as she came in close, but an arrow punched into its side and made it flinch, allowing Sonia to slide under the Kut-Ku's legs and slash a couple times at the beast's left leg. Her Seltas blade didn't cut too deeply into the beast's hide, but shattered several weak scales and sliced shallow lines into the wyvern's pink skin. The Yian Kut-Ku squawked angrily, arcing its head down to look under it, only to have Sonia swing her left arm around and smash her shield into its beak. The wyvern jolted in shock and staggered forward, shaking its head dizzily.

Sonia leapt forward to attack again, but the Kut-Ku shook its hips, cracking its tail like a whip towards her. The huntress yelped as the appendage stretched slightly with each swing, snapping against the ground and tearing long lines through the dirt. Sonia tried to move in between strikes, but the Kut-Ku swept its tail sideways, forcing her to raise her shield to block. Even so the blow tossed her sideways and sent her tumbling through the dirt.

As Sonia rolled back to her feet, she braced herself for another attack as the Kut-Ku spun around to face her. However, rather than charging, the Kut-Ku pulled its neck back before snapping its head forward, lobbing the fireball up towards the canopy high above them. Sonia was caught off guard, however, when the fireball arced in the air, dropping back down towards her. She leapt back, just barely avoiding the orb as it crashed to the ground and detonated, making her wince as a wave of heat washed over her.

The Kut-Ku cocked its head back again and lobbed even more fireballs at the huntress, raining down exploding orbs around her. Sonia scrambled around, trying to avoid everything, but the fireballs were being launched too quickly. She tried to close the distance towards the Kut-Ku, but a fireball detonated a couple feet behind her, sending out a small shockwave which made her stumble and drop to a knee. Seeing her fall, the Kut-Ku immediately stopped lobbing the fireballs and charged towards her.

Before it could cover half the distance, however, Leon leapt into the wyvern's path, bracing himself behind his shield. The Kut-Ku lowered its head and crashed its skull against the Kecha materials, sending the lancer skidding backwards a yard, but the man managed to hold his ground. He snapped his lance forward, aiming the point for the creature's head, but the tip glances off the Kut-Ku's thick beak, sliding back and tearing into the creature's ear. The wyvern squawked in frustration as it pushed its head against the wide orange shield, but the lancer refused to move. However, the Kut-Ku twisted its head around, opening its beak and clamping down on the top of Leon's shield before tugging sharply on the Kecha Wacha materials. The lancer cursed as his balance wavered, and with a twist of its beak the Kut-Ku managed to toss Leon backwards. Before he could recover his stance, the pink wyvern reared back and blasted a fireball against the orange shield, knocking Leon onto his back.

The Kut-Ku reared its head back, preparing another fireball, but an arrow cracked against its beak at the last moment. The wyvern jolted in shock, and the fireball veered wildly to the side, erupting against the ground and sending a spray of dirt into the air. The creature's head snapped around to glare at the archer angrily, but another arrow pierced into its hide just under its shoulder. With a squawk of rage, the pink wyvern lurched towards the archer, charging straight towards him.

Bram remained where he was, however, keeping his aim on the Kut-Ku even as it charged. The wyvern's head bobbed back and forth as it rushed, and at the sight of the archer remaining still, the creature pushed itself even faster. The point of Bram's arrow bobbed left and right, trying to follow the creature's head.

"Bram, look out!" Sonia shouted fearfully. At the shout, the archer frowned in frustration before lowering his aim and firing. The arrow slid under the Yian Kut-Ku's head and punched into the creature's leg, making the pink wyvern flinch and topple over at the speed it was sprinting. With a shocked warble, the Kut-Ku crashed to the ground, digging its beak into the dirt. As it slid to a halt, the wyvern raised its head, hacking up puffs of soil that had gotten into its mouth.

Bram drew another arrow, aiming the shaft down towards the Kut-Ku's eye, but before he could shoot, a swell of flames jumped from the wyvern's maw, spraying over the ground wildly and bursting on the ground at the archer's feet. Bram yelped in fright, jumping backwards and patting fitfully at his coat and pants, where the Ludroth materials had caught flame slightly. Thankfully, the fire was quickly snuffed out, but streaks of black covered the once dull yellow materials.

Heavy footsteps snapped the Kut-Ku's attention to the side as Logan rushed up next to it, pulling his great sword out and swinging it down towards the creature's neck. The wyvern squawked in fear, writhing around and trying to get out of the way. It managed to twist its neck out of the way of the falling blade, but there was a loud screech and a sickly crunch as the great sword cleaved into the thick plating across the beast's upper back. The Kut-Ku screeched in agony, but while the heavy weapon fractured the spines along its back, the hard shells managed to keep the great sword from completely chopping into its body. The pink wyvern thrashed about wildly, striking Logan with its wings and knocking him back a couple steps before swinging its legs out from under itself and kicking the hunter in the chest.

As Logan slammed onto his back, the Yian Kut-Ku managed to get its legs underneath it and push back to its feet. The creature warbled in pain as it shook itself, with broken shards of its spinal plating falling to the ground beside it, alongside thin trails of blood which slid over the beast's wings and down the Kut-Ku's chest. The wyvern craned its head back, looking at the shattered remains of its shell before turning to glare at Logan. Flames blazed in the back of the creature's maw as the great sword user scrambled back to his feet, rushing to get his weapon in front of him to block.

However, before the Kut-Ku could spit a fireball, it paused, glancing to the great sword user's right. Sonia followed the creature's gaze, realizing the wyvern was looking towards the caravan, one more towards the Konchu-filled net. The Yian Kut-Ku looked back and forth between Logan and the Konchu a few more times before making a decision. With a snap of its head the wyvern launched a fireball in front of the great sword user, nearly knocking him off his feet. The moment the fireball hit, sending Logan skidding backwards, it turned and darted towards the wagons.

There was a shout from the side before the creature could get too far as Leon charged in. The Yian Kut-Ku saw him coming in time to skid to a halt, but the tip of the hunter's lance clashed against the creature's lower jaw. The wyvern staggered backwards as the lancer spun around, planting himself between the pink creature and the wagons.

"Damn it, hold the Kut-Ku back!" Leon shouted. "It's getting too close to the caravan!"

Even as the lancer said the words, the wyvern's head glanced to the side, once more eyeballing the collection of Konchus hanging from the smithy wagon. Leon pushed forward, clashing his lance off of the creature's chest, but the Kut-Ku squawked angrily, rearing back and kicking its talons against the orange shield and slapping its wings against the lancer's head. Leon staggered back as the webbing smacked against the side of his helm, doing little damage but knocking his head back and forth. With a sharp spin the wyvern snapped its tail low to the ground, knocking the lancer's feet out from under him and dropping him onto his side.

Leon twisted around to block any attacks, but the Kut-Ku simply leapt over him, dashing towards the hanging Konchu net. An arrow smacked against one of the creature's legs, sinking shallowly into the hide, but the wyvern stumbled slightly, allowing another arrow to punch through its wing webbing. The Kut-Ku snapped around angrily, launching a fireball at Bram and forcing the archer to leap away. However, rather than firing again, the Kut-Ku turned and ran towards the Konchu _again_.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sonia shouted, dashing between the Kut-Ku and the wagons.

The wyvern slid to a halt in front of her and immediately began pecking at her. The huntress slid between the attacks, clashing her sword against the creature's beak and blocking when she needed to, but the Kut-Ku beat its wings and kicked up a gust of wind which staggered her, giving the wyvern the chance to swing its head around and headbutt her in the chest. Sonia stumbled back winded, and the wyvern twisted its head back, welling up fire in its throat. The huntress cursed and prepared to dodge, but froze at the sound of a shout.

"The wagons!"

Sonia glanced back, realizing the caravan was right behind her! If she dodged now… But her shield wouldn't be broad enough to block the fireball completely…

The fireball blazed from the Yian Kut-Ku's beak, and Sonia could do nothing but raise her shield and hope for the best. A moment later the blazing orb crashed into the Seltas shield and erupted, throwing the huntress off her feet and slamming her against the wheel of one of the wagons. Even after blocking, waves of flame rushed around the sides of the plate, blazing over the huntress' thighs, right arm, and the top of her cap. She hit the ground a moment later as the flames burned at her armor, and she gasped in fright as she rolled around, trying to put them out. Thankfully the flames weren't too big, and most of the tongues were snuffed after a second or two, though she had to yank her cap off her head and slap it against the ground to put it out. She heard Bram shout her name from across the field, but waved her hand in the direction she'd thought it came from.

"I'm fine!" she shouted. "I'm-"

Before she could get back to her feet, however, she was knocked over again as the Kut-Ku stepped over her, clipping her with its talons and flipping her onto her back. The creature wasn't even focusing on her either as it made its way into the circle of wagons, once more focused on the Konchu. They wyvern weaved through the goods and equipment scattered through the camp, kicking over pots and pans, knocking over clotheslines, and stepping on goods and materials. The draft Popos were braying fearfully, tugging at their reins in fright. It cocked its head curiously as it passed the cooking wagon, sniffing at the closed awning with interest before closing in on the smithy.

As the pink wyvern strode up to the Konchu net, its tongue rolling out of its mouth hungrily, an arrow glanced off the Kut-Ku's back, making the creature flinch and turn around and glare at Bram. The wyvern was caught off guard when it saw Logan bum-rushing it. The great sword user bellowed with fury as he tackled the creature's leg, knocking its feet out from under it and twisting his body to send the Kut-Ku toppling to the ground away from the wagon. The hunter rolled back to his feet, reaching back to grab the hilt of his great sword, but the Kut-Ku kicked its talons against his chest, throwing him backwards and knocking him over the ore-filled barrels near the forge.

Logan rolled back to his feet as the Kut-Ku righted itself as well, and immediately flames welled up in the wyvern's maw. The great sword user cursed sharply, glancing at the wagons behind him before rushing towards the creature. As the wyvern snapped its head forward, Logan swung his great sword around and shoved the flat of the blade right into the monster's face. Logan's sword smashed against the Kut-Ku's beak the moment the fireball roared from its mouth, and the orb detonated. Logan was thrown off his feet as his great sword was blown backwards, spiraling through the air and clanging against the side of his and Bram's wagon before falling to the ground.

The blast had affected the Kut-Ku just as badly, however, as the eruption of the fireball had burst right in the wyvern's face. Flames had ripped across its head, searing and blackening its beak and burning its ears to cinders. The Yian Kut-Ku stumbled back in pain as its head smoked and steamed. The tips of its ears were touched with small flames, quickly snuffed out as the wyvern shook its head and teetered uneasily on its feet.

Logan pushed back to his feet, rushing over to recover his great sword. As he did so, Leon caught up with the pink wyvern, swinging around the creature's side and planting himself between the Kut-Ku and the collection of Konchus. The lancer pulled back his lance until it was nearly pointing directly behind him before swinging it forward in a powerful thrust which punched into the Yian Kut-Ku's ribcage with enough force to knock the beast back a step. At the same time, Bram fired an arrow at the beast which pierced into the Kut-Ku's leg. The wyvern warbled in pain and shock as its dizziness vanished and it toppled onto its side. Leon leapt forward to attack it again, but the creature thrashed around in terror, its wings and tail flapping and snapping around as it pushed upright.

Logan lunged its way, and it stumbled backwards in fear, but Sonia darted in from behind, dipping under the Kut-Ku and jabbing her sword into the the creature's left thigh. The wyvern yelped and leapt back, but its foot landed on and slipped on an overturned barrel, making the creature flop on top of one of the campfires, warbling in shock as the flames bit into its belly. The great sword user brought down his weapon on the creature, but the blade clashed off the thick plating on the wyvern's back and cut a wide slice into the beast's wing membrane. Logan pulled back for a final blow, but the Kut-Ku managed to find its feet and slide away before the blade could come around for a second blow.

By now, however, the Kut-Ku had suffered enough. Both Logan and Leon began to advance towards it from the left and right, forcing it to take steps backwards towards the opening in the wagon circle. With the creak of Bram's bow echoing from behind it, the pink wyvern could only snap its gaze between the three of them in fear. An arrow clashed off of the Kut-Ku's beak, making the creature jolt in fright, and that was the final straw. With a fearful wail, the Yian Kut-Ku turned and ran away, or rather, limped away. The wyvern hobbled away from the wagons as fast as its feet would let it, beating its wings in an attempt to fly, but with the tear Logan had left in the membrane, it could barely get a foot off the ground.

"You're not getting away!" Sonia shouted, charging after the Kut-Ku. She heard a shout behind her, but by now she was already right behind the creature. The creature twisted its head around at her approach, and tried to swipe its tail at her, but it was too slow. Before it could react, Sonia had slid under its tail, swinging her sword out and slicing the creature across the back of the leg. There was a clash as the edge of the sword struck against the Kut-Ku's scales, but blood sprayed out as the blade tore through the beast's tendon.

With a howl of pain, the Kut-Ku toppled over, crashing into the ground. It nearly collapsed on top of Sonia, but the huntress leapt out from under it before it hit the earth. The wyvern's legs flailed wildly as it tried to right itself, but the severed muscles on its legs wouldn't let it do so. Sonia rushed around the side of the creature, charging towards the Kut-Ku's head.

The pink wyvern spotted her and twisted its head around, flames swelled in the back of the creature's throat, and Sonia cursed as she sidestepped away. A fireball roared from the wyvern's mouth a moment later, though the shape was oblong and curved awkwardly through the air, detonating against one of the far trees thick bark. The Kut-Ku tried to twist its head around to spit more flames, but Sonia swiftly kicked it in the side of the head, sending the jet of fire across the earth in front of the creature.

Before the Kut-Ku could retaliate again, Sonia spun the sword in her hand into a reverse grip, taking hold of the hilt with both hands and driving it down at the base of the wyvern's skull. The thick plates along the peak of the creature's neck screeched as the tip of the blade scraped against them and sent a jagged crack across them. The blade caught against the gap between plates, however, and with a grunt Sonia shoved the sword down, punching into the Kut-Ku's spinal cord. The pink wyvern screeched in agony, and its body seized up sharply, the creature's wide wing snapping out and smacking Sonia in the side.

The huntress was thrown backwards a couple yards by the force of the blow, rolling back to her feet out of worry, but she needn't have been concerned. Her sword was buried deep in the wyvern's neck, and the Kut-Ku's body was stock still, save for the occasional twitch or spasm. After a couple sharp breaths, the pink creature's muscles relaxed, flopping to the ground limply. The wyvern's tongue lolled out of mouth, flopping into the dirt as the creature's eyes glazed over.

Sonia sighed in relief, rolling her shoulder as she walked back over to the Kut-Ku and yanked her blade free of the wyvern's neck. The blade was chipped and dented from striking the creature's scales and spine, far too damaged for a single whetstone, but it didn't seem like anything which wouldn't be fixed in the forge. Sonia still had plenty of Seltas materials in her item chest, after all.

The sound of footsteps called her attention to the other three hunters as they approached, and Sonia grinned as Logan hurried up to her. "Not bad, huh?"

However, the great sword user had an irked look on his face as he got near to her. "Ja, ja, looked real nice, but you need to be more careful 'bout things like that, girlie!"

"What do you mean?"

The great sword user thrust a thumb over his shoulder. " _That's_ what I mean!"

Sonia glanced where he'd pointed and winced slightly. There was a massive scorch mark across the trunks of one of the trees, the result of the Yian Kut-Ku's last fireball. The tree wasn't on fire, thankfully; the thick wood of this forest seemed resistant to flames, which was fortunate considering all the fire-breathing monsters in the area. However, the blast mark was only a dozen feet or so to the right of the wagon at the end of the train. If the Kut-Ku had twisted its head only a little more…

"Oh…"

"You gotta try and keep better track of where things is, hey?" the great sword user said sternly, crossing his arms. "We trying to _protect_ the caravan, not turn it to charcoal."

"Sorry…"

" _Always_ keep you primary goal in mind, Sonia," Logan told her. "That ain't always _killing_ the monster either, hey? They's worse things that could happen than letting a monster go free."

"I… got it," Sonia replied. The huntress lowered her head meekly, and the great sword user sighed and scratched his head.

"Eh, chin up, Sonia. You did a good job blocking that fireball earlier. You kept the wagon safe then."

"I guess so…"

"Just keep mind of you surroundings and situation, and do better next time. That's what an apprenticeship's for, hey?"

The clanking of armor called Sonia's attention to Leon as he came their direction. The lancer didn't say anything as he approached, looking over the Yian Kut-Ku on the ground intently. He carefully paced around the creature, pausing at each of the wyvern's injuries and looking them over. Sonia was about to ask him what he was doing, when some rustling from the bushes behind her caught her attention.

The hunters immediately tensed fearfully; was it another monster? Was it the Garuga? However, their fears were assuaged when Violetta and Tuulikki pushed their way through the foliage. The huntresses looked battered and dirty, but both of them were in one piece. Violetta was carrying the Garuga's broad purple tail under one arm, carefully avoiding poking herself with the long spikes which jutted out the sides of the appendage.

"We're back!" Vi shouted cheerfully. "And it looks like you cleaned up the Kut-Ku, too. Nice work!"

"What about the Garuga?" Leon asked, looking behind them.

"It ran away. We managed to pummel it enough that it decided we weren't worth the effort and took off flying in the other direction. We kept its tail though!" she said excitedly, holding up the dark purple, barbed tip. Blood was still dripping from the point where the tail had been severed. "Watch out, though; the barbs are poisonous."

"Is there a chance it'll return?" Bram asked, looking out into the shadows of the forest.

"Unlikely," Tuulikki replied. "Not between now and our arrival at Harth, at least. Losing its tail is a highly debilitating injury for a Garuga. It will take at least several days for it to recover, and several months for it to get back to full strength. It may even grow its tail back, given enough time and proper sustenance. The loss of its tail may lead it to an early death, I fear… but it is a Garuga. There are few monsters which would willingly challenge it in the wilds, and even without its tail it will likely find a niche for itself." The huntress glanced over towards the remains of the pink wyvern. "And yourself? The Kut-Ku didn't prove too dire a challenge, did it?"

"We handled it," Logan replied sullenly.

"Looks like it," Vi remarked, looking over the pink wyvern. She shared a quick look with Leon, but looked back towards the caravan a moment later. "Looks like it almost caused a real mess around here."

"It certainly got too close for comfort," Bram replied. "It quite nearly set the caravan aflame a few times."

"You did well to keep it from doing too great of damage then," Tuulikki said, nodding approvingly. "However, it looks as though it's done some damage to the materials in the camp… I imagine Master Steward will have us gathering quite a few goods to make up for our losses tomorrow."

"Wonderful…"

Tuulikki paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Sonia, you have tomorrow off with Bram."

The apprentice blinked in surprise. "I… what? Why? I'm not hurt."

"You may be in good condition, but your armor isn't," the glaive wielder replied, looking Sonia up and down.

"Oh. I was just a little singed," Sonia replied quietly, looking down at herself. She winced slightly at the sight, however: she'd put the fire on her armor out as quickly as she could manage, but the flames had still burned a few holes in the lavender hide and scales.

"Nonetheless, you'll need to have Cleyra repair your armor tomorrow. You too, Bram."

"I know," the archer replied. The dull yellow material hadn't suffered as much as Sonia's from the Kut-Ku's flames, but streaks of black were spread across the sponge. "I fear I may need to find a replacement soon. My spare Ludroth materials are down to the last scraps."

"Discuss that with Cleyra tomorrow. If worse comes to worse, you may need a carryover set from Quale."

"I understand."

The sound of clicking shutters and unlatching doors could be heard coming from the caravan. A few members were emerging from their wagons after so much silence from outside, and at the sight of the fallen Kut-Ku and the severed Garuga tail in Vi's possession, calls went out about the safety of the caravan. More people began to emerge, and soon a cleanup of the circle was being conducted. The Popos were hushed and calmed down, knocked over materials were picked up and dusted off, and anything that was broken or dented was appraised to see if they could be salvaged. And of course, the caravan members congratulated the hunters on a job well done.

As evening passed into night time, the caravan prepared to head to sleep. Logan and Vi volunteered for first watch, and the rest of the group made their way towards their wagons. As Sonia reached her wagon, reaching for the knob, a voice stopped her.

"You didn't have to do that, you know."

Sonia paused at her door, turning to find Leon standing at the base of the stairs of her wagon. "I'm sorry? Do what?"

"The Kut-Ku," he replied. "When it was trying to run off-"

"I know, I know," Sonia groaned. "I'm supposed to make sure I remember the caravan. Logan already talked to me about that."

"Not just that," Leon said. "You didn't have to cut its legs out from under it. You could have just let it run. It wasn't going to bother us anymore."

"Well… yeah, maybe not. But isn't it better to kill them if they threaten the caravan?"

"Charging after a retreating monster that only came upon us by accident wasn't exactly an act of defense though, was it?"

"What do you mean?"

Again, Leon was quiet, but eventually just shook his head. "It's… not important right now. Sleep well, Sonia. I'll see you in the morning."

Before the huntress could respond, the lancer turned and walked away, returning to his own wagon. Sonia watched him go uncertainly. As Leon disappeared into his own wagon, Sonia finally looked away, opening her door and walking into her own. She stood just inside the doorway for several minutes, confused and lost in her own thoughts. Eventually, with a baffled shake of her head, she began to undress, returning her armor to its stand and dropping her sword and shield into her item chest. Tired and ready for sleep, the huntress pulled on her pajamas and hopped into bed.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about traveling!**

 **If you thought I wasn't going to have Selene be a D &D player like the Guildmarm in the games, you were wrong. That was one of my favorite quirks the Guildmarm had! One of the DLC chapters I want to write is actually of Selene DMing a game between all my main characters, and getting completely fed up with their shenanigans… You know, like every other DM gets. **

**Yian Kut-Ku's fireballs always seemed a little weak and lackluster to me. I think it's the only monster with a fireball that actually arcs in the air, so I always imagine that whatever fluids that mix together in its flame sac aren't mixed very well so it comes out a little sloppy.**

 **Again I had to make sure that the monsters were properly sized in this chapter… and I actually had to take some liberties. Did you know Konchu are 295 cm? That's 9 FEET LONG. Christ. I intentionally went against canon and dropped them down to about 4 feet, tops. And Yian Kut-Ku is supposed to be about 9 meters long on average, a solid 29 feet. But was that from its beat to the tip of its tail, or its wingspan? Usually winged creatures are measured by their wingspan, so I went with that. It's a big boy though, so I guess that explains how it can eat Konchu whole.**

 **Now here's a question … what would you think about me lowercasing the monster names? For example, the Yian Kut-Ku becomes the yian kut-ku. A Rajang becomes a rajang. This may seem odd to you all, but how about it? You don't call a dog a Dog, or a cow a Cow. It should only apply to named animals, like Siberian tiger or German shepherd. But I'll get your opinions on the matter.**

 **One last thing, a bit of unfortunate news for the readers: I've reached the end of my chapter backlog. That means that I can no longer guarantee that chapters will be released once every two weeks anymore, so the wait times will likely increase. I'm trying to keep my chapters shorter than they were in TLC, so it shouldn't jump to monthly releases, but there will no longer be a set schedule. That being said, my chapters will always release on Saturday morning (assuming my internet is being compliant), so if you're wondering if there will be any releases, that'll be the day to check. On the plus side, I'm working on finishing the first chapter of a new DLC series: Charon. Hopefully I'll be able to release those in times when I don't have any SOP chapters ready.**

 **Playing: MH4U, Bravely Default (need to 100% this before Bravely Second comes out… damn this boss gauntlet!), GTA5  
Listening: Revolutions Podcast, The Wedding Present, Jethro Tull, L.I.E., Radio Birdman, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, Mad Max Fury Road OST  
Reading: **_**Their Story**_ **by Tan Jiu,** _ **Overlord**_ **by Maruyama Kugane,** _ **Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Den**_ **by Fuse,** _ **Spirit Circle**_ **by Satoshi Mizukami,** _ **Nomi Joshi**_ **by Ukatsu**


	13. Harth

Harth

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"Though I know it's not intentional, I can't help but feel like we keep traveling to places that are far warmer than I prefer."

Logan chuckled as Bram groaned in dismay, pulling on his collar to try and cool himself down. "You didn't have to wear you new armor around the village, hey? Wasn't like you didn't know we was gonna be walking around a smithy town."

"I wanted to break the new armor in before we went on a proper hunt," the archer replied. "I've found that armor is always a little stiff before you wear it in, and I didn't want to deal with that out in the wilds. Also, I've _been_ to smithing towns before, or at least the forge district in Orage Dell. I _anticipated_ heat. I did not, however, anticipate that the village would have a free-flowing river of lava running through the center of town! Tell me the next time you see an apothecary; I need to buy a cool drink or two…"

"Ain't that armor supposed to be fire resistant? Thought that would keep you from baking so quick, hey?"

Bram sighed and rolled his eyes. "Logan, why do you think I spent all our free time in Lintukoto wearing only pants and a vest?"

"'Cause you's an exhibitionist?"

"No, because I do not do well with heat! I was raised in the mountains! And right now, we are in a village with a river of molten lava flowing through the center of it! Needless to say, even with the armor, I do not find Harth comfortable in the slightest."

Logan laughed again as Bram scowled at him, and turned to look to the right, where the aforementioned lava river flowed through the town of Harth. "Hehe, this is nothing. Try walking through Loc Lac in the middle of summer when there ain't any wind or nothing. _That's_ real heat."

"Is that really something worth bragging about? How is it a matter of pride to have suffered through something like that?"

"Ain't any different than bragging 'bout a good hunt, hey?"

"I don't really do that either."

"That's 'cause you boring, Pinkie. Sorry, _intellectual_."

"Please don't start with the nicknames," Bram groaned. "I get enough of that from Sonia and Cleyra…"

Logan snickered. "Ain't my fault. First the yellow Ludroth armor, now you go and make youself a set that's bright _pink_? How is you the one that's supposed to be the stealthiest out of us three, hey?"

"What about Violetta?" Bram pointed out. "Her armor's a brighter pink than mine, and she could sneak up on a Great Jaggi and its pack in the middle of an open field."

"Eh… she don't count. Besides, you really want to make that girlie you standard?"

"Ah. Not so much." The archer scowled and crossed his arms, shaking his head in dismay. Bram had finally managed to replace his rapidly deteriorating Ludroth armor with Kut-Ku materials. The one they'd slain after the Garuga attack hadn't been enough, but the hunters had managed to find a couple more in the forest to take down before arriving in Harth, and Bram had put in an order with Cleyra.

It was a fine armor set, for what it was worth; most of the inner lining was made using the Kut-Ku's light blue webbing and scale mail, providing a tough but flexible interior. All that was covered in an extra layer of plating, made from shells taken from the Kut-Ku's spinal ridge, which covered Bram's chest, left arm, and left leg. The armor gave up a lot of the flexibility and mobility that the Ludroth armor offered, but certainly appeared much sturdier.

It was also a garish _pink_ , which Logan found endlessly amusing. Bram's former armor had been a dull yellow, which made him stand out when out on a hunt, but replacing that with armor that was pink hadn't exactly improved the archer's situation.

"Maybe you ask one of the smiths here to give it a new paint job, hey?" Logan suggested. "Something a little more subtle-like, green or brown or something."

"You must be joking. Cleyra would string me up by my toes if I came back to the caravan with the armor she made altered by another smith."

"Hmm… ja, guess you right. Thinking the only people that got more pride in they work than hunters is smiths, hey?"

"Exactly. If it weren't for that, I'd certainly ask around. It isn't as though there's a shortage of artisans to speak to in Harth."

Logan nodded, looking around. He had to admit that he liked Harth; it reminded him of when he'd wander around the forge district of Loc Lac, admiring the high-quality weapons and armors that the artisans in the city would make. However, while there wasn't a singular area in Harth where all the smithies were gathered like they were in Loc Lac, Orage Dell, or Tanzia, it seemed like you couldn't go one hundred feet without passing a forge on one side of the street or the other.

The city itself was located deep within a massive cavern that lay at the base of an active volcano, and the city made use of the lava that poured through the core of the mountain to aid them in their forging and crafting work. Tall cranes and great gear-driven foundry ladles were constantly dipping into the river and pulling up lava by the barrelful, shunting them down thick steel gutters which led the magma to nearby forges and furnaces.

The local inhabitants, the Troverians, were a unique sort of people. They were a short species of mole-like humanoids, standing only up to Logan's shoulders at the tallest, with wide, sturdy bodies. Logan wasn't sure whether it was a fashion statement or if the Troverians had poor vision, but most of them wore goggles over their eyes. None of them seemed too bothered by the heat of the lava pouring through the town, however, and most of them could hoist a smithy hammer with little effort, making it feel as though they were a species that were _made_ for forgework. Steward had told him that at least half of the Troverians that lived in Harth were smiths or artisans by trade. They also seemed to have a particular affinity towards elaborate facial hair; some of the more fantastic beards and mustaches were especially impressive, if only because they were able to keep them around despite all the fire that filled the town.

They were also a very _industrious_ people, eager for advancement. Logan had expected to find a town similar to Lintukoto, with mostly Purist ideals and sporadic Progressives. He'd been shocked to find Harth nearly the polar opposite, however, when he came across a smith that specialized in designing gunlances only ten feet past the village gates, and a switch axe designer just down the street. Not only that, but the Troverians seemed to be eager to create new technological designs. In just the last couple hours, Logan had seen a long sword that had a chainsaw edge attached to it, a pair of dual swords that had received similar treatment, and even a lance that had its shaft spinning around the core, though Logan didn't understand how that was supposed to help. There were dozens of yards and forges where the men and women tinkered with specialty equipment and machines. Logan could swear he'd even seen an _airship engine_ being studied by a group of Troverians, but there weren't any hulls or blimps nearby, so the hunter couldn't be sure…

For all the Purist feeling that Gahin people seemed to ascribe to, it was apparent that most Troverians were firmly Progressive; the mole-like people reveled in technology and seemed eager to create anything and everything they could. It was little wonder that the Gahin hunters they were with had decided _against_ exploring the town. Tuulikki, Vi, and Leon all had entered the town for a little while, but after only a short amount of time wrinkling their noses at all the technological weapons, they quickly escaped to the caravan outside the village walls, choosing to remain there while Stellazzio was in town.

It was a real shame on their part; despite the abundance of technological weapons, the Troverians were certainly no scruffs producing standard blades. Logan had seen some great sword designs that had nearly had his mouth watering, they were so finely-crafted. There was a orange and white blade made from Nerscylla parts that looked frightfully sharp, the standard Rathian and Rathalos blades, and a powerful-looking Diablos sword that Logan had seen similar designs of in Theron. Then there was an upgraded Zinogre blade that used Stygian materials to splice the dragon element into the weapon; now _that_ was a great sword Logan would love to make!

"See anything you like, Pinkie?" Logan asked, nudging Bram in the side as the archer scowled at him.

"A couple things," he admitted. "There are quite a few potent-looking bows being presented, though the nicer ones are far out of my pay range, even had I the materials to afford them. My Seltas bow looks like it'll be quite strong once I have the materials to upgrade it. And the Stygian bow looks very powerful as well."

"Ha! Guess we got the same taste, hey?"

Bram smiled wanly and tilted his head thoughtfully. "Also… I did see a bow that caught my attention. It was made from Brachydios materials, and seemed to use slime as a coating."

Logan wrinkled his nose slightly. "Eh, ja, saw something like that on a great sword too. Ain't fought a Brachy before, but I seen that slime in action. _Real_ volatile. Not many folk mess with that stuff in Theron, is so dangerous… but these Troverians making _weapons_ out of the stuff."

"And they call _Therian_ research dangerous?"

"Ja, right? How they keep the weapons from blowing up in they hands? Even saw a bunch of 'em working on something a ways back, looked like they was trying to mix slime inside a switch axe phial."

"...Do they want to level the city? I might be able to see where the Purists are coming from if this is the kind of technology Gahin engineers are experimenting with."

"Ja, ja, that's what I thought! Even the folks in you poppa's tower ain't that crazy! Well, don't _think_ they are…"

"Well… if the Troverians have figured out how to safely weaponize Brachydios slime, it could be quite a breakthrough. There are few things more dangerous than 'slimeblight', and turning it against monsters would be quite the boon. I'll write a letter to my brother, Nathan. He might be interested in this kind of thing… Though, by the time he gets a chance to come here, Harth could be a crater in the side of the volcano…"

"Thinking you is being generous. That kind of thing goes bad, they may not _be_ a volcano."

"Hah, no kidding."

"Having fun, kids?" Both hunters jolted in surprise as a pair of arms wrapped around their necks, pulling them together. Logan looked up in surprise to find Cleyra standing between them, grinning wickedly at them. "Still looking around the town, huh? Nice place, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah," Bram replied, trying to pull away from the smith, but the woman's arms squeezed a little tighter, making it clear that retreat wasn't an option. "We were… simply enjoying the sights for now, and-"

"Well, the sightseeing tour's over, Red," Cleyra said, cutting him off. The Wyverian abruptly turned, dragging the two hunters down a side alley and back towards the far side of the town. "You two are hunters, so you should be hunting! And lucky for you, I just so happen to have a job that you two can do."

Bram and Logan spared a nervous glance at each other, and the Wyverian woman smirked. "Not for me, heh. If I was going to hire someone to gather materials for me while we were in Harth, I'd ask someone that could go into the Volcanic Hollow proper. I could use some Allfire Stones…"

Logan sighed and frowned at the words. The Therians had _all_ been eager for the chance to chase after a monster or two in the Volcanic Hollow to get some good materials, but Tuulikki quickly shot down that idea. The volcano's interior was not a hunting ground intended for rookie hunters, and _especially_ not for apprentices. Any hunts that they did would be in the _Sunken_ Hollow, a deep, cavernous area that surrounded the mountain, and was far away from any of the truly nasty creatures that dwelled within the core of the volcano.

"No, you're going to do a job for an old friend of mine… Ah, maybe it'd be better to call him my acquaintance… or my antagonist… Well, we know each other. I figure we might do him a favor and complete this hunt."

"A hunt, huh?" Logan asked. "Against what?"

"A Tetsucabra," the smith replied, and Logan grinned eagerly. "Ha, thought you might like that, Lover Boy. You haven't fought one of those yet, have you?"

"Now's as good a time as any, hey?"

"That's the spirit. How 'bout you, Red?"

"Ah, well-"

"Of course you're excited! You're a hunter, after all. Now come on, let's go meet your new employer."

With that, the Wyverian began dragging the two men through town, darting between shops and down alleyways back towards the northern end of the cavern. This side of town, while still quite warm, was cooler and darker than the rest of Harth, sitting further away from the flowing lava and more in the shadows of the great cave, with the streets lit by glowstones and the red light reflected off the ceiling. Most of the buildings in this area seemed to be residential homes, inns, or shacks, but even here you couldn't go far without seeing a smithy or two, though the black smoke churning up towards the ceiling showed that the artisans in this area were more reliant on coal than red-hot magma.

Cleyra continued to lead them further and further back until they finally they reached the far wall of the cavern, heading right for what seemed to be the smithy furthest away from the center of town. The left side of the house seemed to be the smithy itself, a sturdy and solid building with a tall furnace smokestack rising out of the back. The right side of the structure appeared to be residential as opposed to the business-oriented left side, shifting from sturdy seared brick to more homely grey stone and wood structure.

Sonia, Violetta, and Leon were already waiting for them in front of the large building, sitting next to each other on a small bench across the street. None of them were wearing their armor, but despite being in casual clothing, Sonia had still brought along her newest pair of dual swords to adapt to their weight and balance, much like Bram was wearing in his armor. However, the resulting weapons had been fashioned from the materials they'd carved from Yian Kut-Kus, and had ended up being rather ridiculous-looking: Sonia now bore dual blades in the shape of two tiny Kut-Ku heads strapped to bone hilts.

While Logan had thought the design had been a joke, apparently Cleyra was dead serious about making the weapons functional. The original design was supposed to have the Kut-Ku's ears wide open to use the frills as blades, but the Wyverian smith had repurposed them, folding them back behind the 'head' as they would be when the Kut-Ku wasn't agitated and curling them to look like the claw of a hammer. The 'heads' were intended to be used like picks, but instead of breaking ores, you'd use them to break monsters' scales and plates. Then, if you spun the blades around, the folded-back ears could be used to dig under and tear away shattered scales. The beaks were indeed sharpened to a very dangerous-looking point, and they had enough weight behind them to shatter scales effectively in the right hands, but the design was still just… silly.

Sonia had begrudgingly taken the smith's word for it and promised to try them out on their next hunt, but at the moment the huntress was juggling the 'weapons' idly, showing how little faith she really had in the weapons' usefulness. Logan hoped she could adapt to the weapons quickly or decide against them. She'd had a couple days to practice with the new blades, but their use in battle was far different than the blades she'd been using so far, and Logan hoped she'd be able to adjust to the new fighting style quickly enough.

Leon looked very uncomfortable at the moment. His eyes kept darting between various weapons and shops nearby, and his expression curled into a sour scowl every time his gaze landed on a forge advertising one of the tech weapons. The closest of the shops was a store that specialized in gunlance production, and there seemed to be a few interested young hunters eager to test the weapon out; Logan could see the lancer wince every time the sound of shelling retorted from the testing yard out back. Vi was sitting next to him and looking just as agitated, though she seemed a bit more in control of herself than the hunter was.

"Well, well, looks like you three made it," Cleyra chuckled as she approached, finally releasing Logan and Bram and giving them a chance to rub their sore necks.

"No thanks to your instructions," Leon huffed.

"What? I told you how to get here!"

"You pointed in this direction and said it was 'somewhere near the back wall' and then walked away to find these two."

"And you found it, didn't you?"

"Yes, but- Ah, never mind."

"You see anything interesting in town?" Sonia asked Bram as the archer walked over to her.

"Nothing you wouldn't see in any town's smithy district," he replied. "Weapons and armor galore… Though I think there was a group of them that was working on an airship engine-"

Bram could barely get another word out before the huntress was on her feet, her eyes shining in interest as she pelted him with questions; what kind of engine, how big was it, where had they been building it? Leon could only lean away from the huntress in dismay from where he sat as she sent a spew of questions at the red-headed hunter.

Logan chuckled at the conversation before turning towards Vi and giving the woman a crooked grin. The horn wielder was in her civvies as well, wearing loose white trousers and an orange-colored tunic. She seemed to have forgone the normal fare of sashes and shawls that Gahin folk generally wore to fend off the heat that rolled through Harth, however, revealing more of her figure and making it easy to see that Vi had more weight on her than most huntresses did. Her appetite around mealtimes matched the more ravenous hunters Logan had ever met, and when she'd taken them out for drinks back in Lintukoto she'd finished four mugs with a speed that would make a regular bar-hopper proud, and that was coming from someone who'd been _raised_ in a bar. It seemed their strenuous profession wasn't enough to work off all the calories, but Logan had no qualms about women with a little meat on their bones.

"Hoy there, girlie. You looking nice today."

The huntress raised an eyebrow but smiled at the words. "I don't look nice _every day_?"

"Well, of course, but the casual clothes is rare, hey? Ain't seen you too often when you isn't wearing armor, and is a _nice_ change."

"How kind of you," Vi laughed. "You don't look too bad yourself outside of that clattering chainmail. But you're also speaking quite boldly today… perhaps you're only being this complimentary because Tuli isn't within earshot, hmm?"

"Heh, can you blame me? That girl got a stink eye that could burn a hole through stone." The great sword user glanced around for a moment, letting the smile on his face fade a little. "Where's the bug girl at, hey? She usually here for these things, ain't she?"

"She's got some personal things to deal with," Vi replied. "She won't be accompanying you four on any hunts for a while, so I'm standing in for her."

"I ain't gonna complain about that," Logan admitted, and Vi sighed slightly.

"Surely you're getting along a little better than before?"

Logan sighed and shrugged. "Little bit. Maybe. Don't expect miracles, hey."

"I guess that's better than nothing."

"Hmm… what kinda personal stuff she doing, anyway?"

"Don't you know it's impolite to ask about a woman's 'personal' business, Logan?" The great sword user blanched slightly at the question, but Vi giggled. "I'm just joking. It's nothing that bad. She'll fill you in when we get back to the caravan. Now then, are you gonna ask me on a date again?"

"You actually gonna say yes?"

"Hmm… Maybe next time."

"Hoy, that's what you always say," Logan sighed. "You really like stringing a guy along, hey?"

"You haven't stopped asking, though."

"You ain't said 'no' yet. Always it's 'maybe next time'. _That_ means I still gotta chance."

"Maybe!"

"Just like that!"

Violetta laughed. "Well, at least you're optimistic."

"C'mon, Logan, quit flirting!" Sonia called from next to Bram and Leon. "There's more important things to think about right now."

"Pah, says you, girlie. And is you talking 'bout the hunt or the engine?"

"The en- Uh. The hunt. So this friend of yours wants us to fight a Tetsucabra?" Sonia said to Cleyra, leaning forward eagerly.

"That's right. Big, red, boulder-chucking toad. Found out about it when I passed a Guild booth in town," Cleyra replied, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a Guild hunt request and passing it them before approaching the door. "Now come on, let me introduce you to the guy."

Cleyra stepped forward and tugged at the handle, only to frown upon finding it locked. She raised a hand to knock on the door, but rather than rapping her knuckles against the wood, she slammed her fist against the frame.

"Hey! Open the door you coal-sucking toad!"

There was a clatter from within, followed by some gruff cursing. A few moments later the door opened, and an ancient-looking Troverian yanked the door open. He was as short as the rest of the species, standing only up to Logan's chest, and was garbed almost entirely in sturdy forge-worthy leather clothing, dyed a dark red that was faded by wear and time, along with a pair of thick goggles that covered his eyes. He appeared quite a bit older than the others of his species that Logan had seen, however, or at the very least, he carried a worn and battered cane, and his white beard was quite a bit longer and bushier than the rest of his species, stretching down his whole body and ending at his knees. It covered most of his face and Logan couldn't tell if his skin was wrinkled or not, so maybe he'd just been growing it long his whole life.

Cleyra smirked and crossed her arms as the man stared up at her, and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the man quickly stepped back, slamming the door in her face and leaving the Wyverian gaping in surprise at the door knocker.

"Sorry, lass!" the man's amused voice bellowed from the other side. "I only allow _pretty_ ladies inside my house, not shriveled up old prunes like yourself."

"I'm not a lady, I'm a smith!" the Wvyerian snapped back.

"Oh, well in that case, I only allowed _skilled_ smiths through this door, and I'm certain that doesn't apply to you either!"

"For the love of- Open the door, toad, or you'll have practice forging new _door hinges_!"

"Do your worst, crow! These hinges are forged from meldspar! You'd sooner kick your way through stone! Though as thuggish as you are, I suppose that's within the realm of possibility."

"The hinges may be nice, toad, but the door is still wood! Don't make me splinter it!"

"Ach, no! That's dragonwood! Fine, I'll let you in! Psychotic old bat."

With a click, the door opened and the Troverian held the door open, scowling at Cleyra as she proudly pushed her way in. The hunters outside the door looked nervously between each other, but the old man bade them enter, and the five of them slowly filed into the room.

The inside of the house was rather short, giving Logan a slightly claustrophobic feeling; both Bram and Cleyra were tall enough that their heads nearly brushed against the ceiling. But it was comfortable and warm. It looked like a normal house at first, but as the Troverian lead the hunters to the immediate left, they found themselves in what could've been any other forge's display room. Solid, well-polished armors lined the walls of the room, displayed proudly on mannequins. Logan recognized a few: the many shades of Rathian and Rathalos armor, the sleekly curved Brachydios armor, the black Stygian Zinogre armor… even a set of Kecha Wacha armor. There were many others he didn't recognize, though, including heavy white armor like stone, a red scale armor accented with sharp fangs, a lighter set made with supple red hide, and another made of white carapaces and decorated with deep purple gemstones. Looking around, Logan couldn't really see any weapons for sale though, save for a couple decorative ones hanging on the walls.

The Troverian shuffled towards a small workbench in the back, intentionally jostling Cleyra with his shoulder as he passed, but the Wyverian only smirked before returning her attention to the armors on the wall, appraising them with an eye only an experienced smith could have. The Troverian eased himself into an easychair in the corner, leaning back with a sigh before glancing at Cleyra. The Wyverian was brushing her fingers over the chest mail of an armor that looked like Leon's, only colored red and not brownish-green.

"What do you think?" the Troverian eventually asked.

"Is this… the Corgellan folding technique?"

"Obviously."

"Gah. Still? You've been using that for as long as I've known you. Don't you ever try new things, toad? The Jarobi technique is far superior."

"Don't fix what ain't broken, crow. Besides, these are materials for _volcanic_ monsters and metals. They're more heat-resistant. The Jarobi technique leaves metal too brittle when forging under high heat."

" _Unless_ you add hard armor spheres to the mix, at which point the metal solidifies much more durably."

"Aye, but that makes the armor too _thick_. You'll make a sturdy armor set, but the weight will increase. A hunter needs mobility."

"A hunter needs to _not die_ when they're hit, and thicker armor helps that!"

"Now listen here, crow," the Troverian growled, pushing to his feet. "Armor can be as thick as you want it, but if a hunter can't move, then-" The old man paused for a moment, blinking a couple times before bursting out laughing and flopping down into his chair once more. "Aye, mercy Cleyra, I can't count the number of times we've had this argument. We've bickered over armor thickness since the day we met and we still ain't agreed on it."

"That's because you refuse to admit I'm right," Cleyra scoffed, though she was grinning in amusement.

"Peh. I'll be in the grave before you ever hear such words leave my mouth." With that, the Troverian looked at the hunters in the room curiously. "These the hunters from that caravan you toddle around with, then? You gonna introduce me?"

"You really want _me_ to tell them who you are?"

"Ach. Good point." With that, the Troverian sat up straight, puffing out his chest proudly and smoothing out his beard before nodding regally at the hunters. "Dominic ka'Hadrian, master smith. A pleasure to make your acquaintances, young hunters. If you need any armor forged from monsters in the area, you come to me instead of this old crow. Tetsucabra, Gendrome, Gypceros, even Gravios, Rathalos, or Brachydios, I'm your man. Hell, I'll even work with Teostra bits if you can get 'em, though that may be a bit past you greenhorns."

The hunters slowly went around and introduced themselves to the man, but while they did, Cleyra had wrinkled her nose and made a sour face.

"'Master' smith? Says who? You better slap a 'self-proclaimed' in front of that, or I'm calling it false advertising."

"Oh ho! See for yourself!" the Troverian chortled, motioning towards a door leading back to the forge. Over the entryway sat a large, elaborate plaque lacquered with a gold coating. "Behold: physical proof that I am, in fact, _better than you_."

"Hold on, hold on, hold on," Cleyra muttered, striding over and plucking the plaque from the wall. "Let me see this… Aha! 'Master forger and armor artisan'. _Armor_ artisan. I was wondering why you didn't have anything sharper than a butter knife on display. You're only a master when it comes to armors, and by the sound of it, only for monsters that live in the Hollow! What happened, you forget how to make things sharp?"

"Being able to forge both weapons and armor may seem like a noteworthy endeavor, but being a jack of all trades makes you a master of _none_. While I've honed my efforts into making the _finest_ armors east of the sandsea, you're still doddering along in mediocrity in both armor _and_ weapon forging. There's a chance - a _slight_ chance - that your weapon crafting is a sliver better than mine these days, but I'm leagues ahead of you when it comes to armor." Dominic puffed his chest out proudly. "But I suppose that's to be expected, since you spend all your days making pots and pans and wagon axles. Honestly, how do you expect to be anything more than mediocre clattering around with a mobile forge?"

"Ha! That's only because you're so stubborn. A real smith needs to be malleable, not unlike the metals they work with. That's why you Troverians are always a step behind Wyverians in terms of forgework: you don't deviate from the norm enough."

"Pah, the only reason people think Wyverians are the best smiths out there is because they're the only ones not gracious enough to _die_ once they've reached a certain age. If I lived half as long as you pointy-eared ninnies, there'd be some new legends going around about which species produced the best smiths, I guarantee you that."

"I think I see why she said they was each other's antagonists," Logan murmured to Bram, and the archer nodded in reply. Cleyra must've heard them though, because the Wyverian chuckled.

"Ah, we give each other crap, but we do like each other. A little bit. We've known each other too long not to."

"Either we like each other or we're archenemies," Dominic shrugged. "We're too polite to kill each other anyhow, or at the very least murder wouldn't prove which of us is the superior smith, so we settle for bickering over our ability as artisans. Or _lack thereof_ in the crow's case."

"How did you even become friends, or enemies, or frenemies or whatever if you act like that around each other?" Violetta asked.

"Eh, we were sort of forced into it. When we were younger we both apprenticed under the same man, Master Basil ka'Harkonnen, and at the same time," Cleyra replied, and Dominic chortled at the words.

"'When we were younger,' she says. A careful choice of words there, crow. Back then, I was but a spry young man in the prime of my life, a handsome devil of an artisan, while the troll here looked nearly exactly as she does now. Time hasn't done her no favors, while I've aged like a fine wine."

"I'd say you've aged like _milk_."

"Pah, you Wyverians can't see real attractiveness beyond those beaks you call _noses_ ," the Troverian laughed. "As for what she said, it's true. We both appealed to become Master Basil's apprentices at the same time, and when he accepted us we had to live together for a while. Though, 'apprenticed' probably ain't the right word for our time under the Master. Mostly the old codger just let us stay in his forge and look over his shoulder when he was working, and we both had to spend _weeks_ begging him for just that much."

"The Master never took apprentices. Not officially at least," Cleyra nodded. "That way he could kick us out whenever he felt like it, and not feel obligated to us. He told us we could watch and learn from him, but we'd have to create a weapon or piece of armor each week, and if he was disappointed by what we made, he'd kick us out and send us home."

"Hoy… sounds worse than hunter's training, hey?" Logan said. "How long you two last?"

"Ten weeks, just a bit over two and a half months," Dominic replied.

"Two and… that's _it_?" the great sword user gasped, but both Cleyra and Dominic had proud grins on their faces.

"It may not sound like much, Lover Boy, but that much time was _more_ than enough," Cleyra replied.

"Ay lad, definitely," Dominic agreed with an eager nod. "Most folks who tried to learn from the Master are kicked out in two… maybe three weeks, and they don't complain about even that. Some of the best smiths in the country would've given anything to spend even a _week_ watching him work and be happy. Heard the longest anyone spent with him before he kicked them out was four months, and that was nearly a century ago… Wonder what kind of smith it was lasted that long with him."

"Couldn't say. Either a genius or a savant, or someone who had blackmail material on the old goat."

"Ha, probably. But I think that's enough reminiscing about the ancient past," the Troverian said, glancing between the hunters. "I doubt you brought these hunters to me because you recommended me to make their armor. You saw my hunt request at the Guild then?"

"That's right," Cleyra smirked. "All of them except the squishy girl are apprentices, so I figure they'll relish a challenge. Thought if I helped you out, you might thank me by giving me some spare allfire stones so I don't have to put out a gathering request of my own."

"Pah, I should've figured. But I can spare a few if it'll get rid of my Tetsucabra problem. Think you kids can manage that?"

"We'll take care of it," Sonia replied confidently, though the Troverian simply raised an eyebrow at her enthusiasm. Violetta stepped forward quickly, however.

"I'm not the _official_ hunting master of any of these four, but you can consider me a substitute. Only one of them has fought a Tetsucabra before, but I believe all of them are more than capable of hunting one."

"Hmm. Well, that's good to hear. Mercy knows I'd like that thing gone. Nasty thing's taken up residence near a pond to the south of here. Dead or chased off doesn't matter to me, as long as it's out of the area… though if you kill it, you get to _carve_ it, and if you bring the bits to me, I can make some fine armor for you at a slight discount." The Troverian motioned vaguely towards the four apprentices. "The lot of you look like you could use the help, too. If the boy in the Kut-Ku armor's any indication, you've been relying on the Wyverian to forge and maintain your armor. Why not let a _real_ smith give you something worth wearing, eh?"

"Oh, you're asking for it, toad," Cleyra growled.

"Sounds like a good deal though," Sonia nodded eagerly, earning a disapproving look from the Wyverian. "Uh… no offense. I need new armor though. My Jaggi armor is fraying at the seams…"

"Then I'm your man," Dominic replied. "Bring down that Tetsu, and I'll make you the best armor you can get from that beastie's bits."

"Why do you want it hunted?" Leon spoke up, earning a skewed glance from Dominic. "What's it done?"

"It hasn't done that much, admittedly," the Troverian shrugged. "Thing ain't been killing folks or attacking the walls or nothing. But it's taken up residence out in the waters of a nice fishing hole along the western slope of the mountain."

"And…?"

"And that's it. I _like_ that fishing hole, and I want it back. The king of that pond's been snapping my lines for a couple years now, and I'm not going to let some damn stone-slinger stop me from catching that tuna. Assuming the frog hasn't already _eaten_ the biggest fish in the pond already… in which case, forget chasing it off, just kill the damn thing."

"You… just want your fishing hole back?" Leon asked, his gaze narrowing.

"That's it! I'm an old man with a simple desires, and fishing's one of them. Not bad pay for such a simple task, eh?"

"I see. Then I'm not going to do this hunt."

There was a moment of stunned silence in the room for a moment, with the only sound being Vi letting out a quiet sigh.

"What do you mean, you're _not going to do it_?" Sonia sputtered, being the first to speak.

"I'm not going to hunt down this Tetsucabra for something so frivolous as saving a fishing hole," the lancer replied curtly, crossing his arms. "It's a self-serving reason that holds no dignity for our occupation."

"Wh- _what_?!"

"Ah. You're one of _those_ types, are you?" Dominic groaned, slouching back in his chair. "Don't tell me, you're from Dundorma, aren't you? One of the Shield's devotees, no doubt."

Leon bristled slightly at the words. "Yes, I'm from Dundorma. But it doesn't matter where I'm from; the ideals of the Shield are-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don't need to hear it, lad. You aren't the first one of your type to pass through my smithy."

"What… who's the Shield?" Sonia asked. "And _how come_ you're not going to do this hunt?"

Leon opened his mouth to reply, but Dominic answered before him. "The Shield is a title given to the hunter who's in charge of Dundorma Town's defenses. It's a very important role, I won't deny that, and only the most skilled hunters can qualify for it. I met the current Shield a few years back… Klaus ka'Damien. Nice guy, pretty humble, got a good head on his shoulders.

"But the hunters His Immenseness tends to hire for that particular title are… well, firstly, they're almost always _lancers_ , thus the name. Second, they tend to have a certain code of honor that most other hunters find to be a bit too picky, and Klaus is no exception. Considering the prestige the Shield has, there's no small number of younger hunters that admire him and follow his ideals."

"We aren't _picky_ ," Leon replied dourly. "We simply choose to adhere to a less aggressive mindset than other hunters."

"What that supposed to mean?" Logan asked. "We hunters, hey? Is kind of a big part of our _job_ to be aggressive."

"Perhaps, but there are things that aren't necessary, no matter our title. If a monster is a threat to human lives and safety, then it can be hunted. If monster numbers are growing high enough that their presence poses an imminent threat, then they can be hunted. If a village or town needs the materials of a monster to continue their day-to-day functions, then it can be hunted." The lancer scowled at Dominic. "But we won't participate if someone wants Kecha fur for a new coat, not if someone wants to try eating Seltas meat for kicks, not if someone wants to make a wyvern egg omelette, and _not_ if someone wants to have a monster killed just because it's taking up space at his favorite fishing hole."

"Alright, fine. So you're not participating." Despite Leon's harsh words, Dominic didn't seem either angered or ashamed by the words at all. If anything, he only seemed mildly annoyed and a little bored; apparently he'd heard this spiel before. The smith turned to face the rest of the apprentices. "How 'bout you three? Any of you got a problem hunting the Tetsu?"

The other three apprentices looked at each other uncomfortably for the moment, but Sonia spoke up not long after that. "I'm still okay with hunting the Tetsucabra."

"I have no qualms with the hunt," Bram added. "If the Guild has approved the hunt, then there shouldn't be any issues about participating."

Logan shrugged as well, scratching his head uncomfortably. "I ain't gonna back out, hey? Figure I know where Leon's coming from, but not every job you gonna take gonna be something with dignity."

Leon scowled irritably at the words, but eventually sighed in disappointment and stepped back away from the rest of them towards the entrance to lean against the frame of the entryway. Vi gave the lancer an apologetic look before looking back towards Dominic. "Well… I guess it'll just be these three then. But I still think they'll be able to deal with the Tetsucabra."

"Sure you don't want to find a hunt that'll keep the boy there happy?"

"Don't worry about me," Leon replied sullenly, and the Troverian shrugged.

"In that case, let me get the rest of you some directions… The pond's a touch tricky to get to, but there're a few paths that should get you there without much hassle."

Dominic proceeded to yank a folded map out from under the countertop, brushing a thin layer of ash and soot off of it before unfolding it and laying it out for Vi to look over. However, as the horn wielder leaned over to listen to the smith's directions, Sonia slipped behind Bram as the archer walked over to view the map as well, and head over towards Leon.

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Logan heard her ask. "I think we'd be better off having a fourth hunter to help out, and you have fought one of these things before."

"No. I'll stay behind. I have no desire to take part in such a banal hunt."

"Really? Uh, well, alright, if you say so. But I don't see why you're making such a big deal about all this. It's just a single monster after all. Do the reasons for the hunt really matter?"

Leon was silent for a moment before replying, and when he did so, his voice was slightly strained. "They do to me."

"Sorry, it's just kind of weird to see a hunter backing down from a hunt. It's in the job description, to hunt monsters. As long as the hunt has the Guild's approval, you can hunt anything you want."

"...Of course you'd think that," Leon finally muttered, his voice lowering to a near-growl. He lowered it even further, until he was nearly too quiet to hear. "What did I really expect?"

Logan's head snapped around in shock and found Sonia staring dumfounded at the lancer. Leon seemed confused for a moment, before his eyes widened slightly. He must not have thought he was speaking loud enough for either of them to hear. Logan glared at him, but Sonia beat him to the punch.

"Excuse me?" Sonia growled, glaring at the lancer. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Leon seemed stunned for a moment, but he quickly steeled his expression, not backing down. "You're joining a hunt for sake of someone's _fishing hobby_!"

"So what?"

"You're a hunter!"

"I know! That's our job, isn't it? To hunt!"

By now the pairs' voices had risen to the point where Vi, Bram, Cleyra, and Dominic had caught wind of it, and all four of them had turned to stare at the two apprentices. Vi had a worried look on her face and quickly tried to slip into the conversation. "Leon, please don't-"

"Hunters are meant to be protectors!" Leon snapped, either not hearing the horn wielder or outright ignoring her. "Defenders of the weak and helpless! And yet most hunters these days are braggarts and glory seekers! They treat our occupation like a _game_! They act as though monsters are mere hurdles to leap, walking mounds of flesh to carve materials and trophies from!"

"Why do you even care?!" Sonia shouted. "It's not going to hurt to go out and hunt just one! Besides, the Guild keeps track of the monsters that are killed, don't they? It's not like we're wiping out the species or anything just because we don't have some _noble cause_!"

"'Just one'? It's just one for you, and just one for every other hunter running out to hunt a monster today! How many Tetsucabras do you think hunters kill every day? How many monsters do you think the Guild allows hunters to kill 'just one' of?"

"They're just monsters!"

"And that means they deserve to be killed by the _hundreds_? It's a living being with a life of its own! All this one did was make a home near a pond and you're ready to go off and kill it! Even if the Guild keeps an eye on the numbers, it doesn't change that they're allowing hunters to waltz in and wipe out hundreds of living creatures, and _glorifying_ them for the work! And you're no different, are you? Isn't that what you're doing this hunt for? Glory and fame? Or is it for some even more selfish reason? A new challenge? _Fun_?"

"The same could be said about you!" Sonia snapped, jabbing her finger into Leon's chest. "Only doing hunts when someone's life or wellbeing or prosperity is on the line? And now you're trying to talk down to me and build yourself up like some stupid paragon, preening yourself like a Qurupeco! If anything, you're just as vain as any other hunter, trying to play yourself off as some kind of hero who 'only hunts for a noble cause'!"

Leon blanched slightly at the accusation, looking positively insulted by the implication and glaring at Sonia, uncrossing his arms and balling his fists. "How dare you! I am _not_ just-!"

However, before either of them could say anything more, there was a sharp rapping on the door to the house. The abrupt noise made Sonia and Leon pause their argument, turning to glance at the door for a moment before returning their glares at each other. Then they both seemed to realize that everyone else in the room was staring at them. Logan took the chance to rush forward and wrap an arm around the huntress' shoulder, as did Bram, pulling her away from the lancer. Vi did the same, appearing behind Leon and grabbing his arm to pull him in the other direction.

"That's enough, girlie," Logan said sternly. Sonia opened her mouth, but the great sword user cut her off with a warning look. "Said that's _enough_ , hey?"

"Calm down, Sonia," Bram said more quietly. "This isn't the place…"

The huntress wrinkled her nose and scowled, but kept her silence and crossed her arms. On the other side of the room, Vi seemed to have calmed Leon down a little as well, though both the lancer and Sonia were glaring at each other venomously and clearly looked ready to tear into each other again at the drop of a hat.

"Well, ain't this a friendly bunch," Dominic chuckled from his countertop. "But I guess it ain't a real hunt if nobody's bickering."

"Pff, this is nothing," Cleyra scoffed. "You should see how things get with their official hunting master around. Tiny's got a _real_ fire in her."

Another knock at the door echoed through the room, and a voice called out from outside. "Master Dominic, are you there? I have important Guild business to discuss with you!" With a grunt of effort, the Troverian pushed himself to his feet and strode through the hunters towards the door and opening it wide.

On the other side was a Troverian in a forest green Guild outfit, wearing the clothing proudly. His beard… or was it _her_ beard? Logan didn't recall seeing any female Troverians… or at least none that didn't have a beard. Did the women Troverians have facial hair just as rugged as the men? Either way, the Guild worker's beard was finely braided and tied up with a gold-laced green ribbon, and from the tip of the beard hung a small medallion with the symbol of the Gahin Guild, an eight-point, cog-shaped emblem. The Guild worker glanced curiously at the collection of hunters before returning their attention to Dominic before him.

"Good day to you, master Dominic," the Troverian said in a deep baritone, so Logan could only assume it was a man. "I hope you're doing well."

"Well enough," Dominic replied. "What brings you here today, Hugo? You here about Daedelus' contraption again? I thought I told the Guild that I don't-"

"Nothing like that," the other Troverian said quickly. "Rather, it's about the hunt request you put in. The city of Harth is taking control of your request to hunt this Tetsucabra. As of now, the removal of the Tetsu shall be seen to and paid for by the city, and given a higher urgency."

Everyone in the room raised an eyebrow at this, and Dominic muttered quietly to himself before nodding. "Alright, fine… Suppose that would save me a bit of money. Though I can't help but wonder at the reasoning. I just want my fishing spot back. Why's the _city_ so interested in getting rid of this Tetsu?"

"It's a matter of maintaining Harth's prosperity. You recall the stoppage incident early last year?"

"Of course."

"'Stoppage incident'?" Cleyra muttered. "What, did the town get a shipment of bad cheese or something?"

"Not that kind of stoppage, you old crow," Dominic growled as Hugo wrinkled his nose. " _Lava_ stoppage. Last year, the separate efforts of a Tetsucabra and a Nerscylla cut off the lava flow to the whole town. That life blood of Harth; we _rely_ on it. Everything went dark for just over a month… over two-thirds of the forges went cold. Business nearly ground to a complete halt. We managed to get everything flowing again once the Tetsu and Nerscylla were dealt with, but that single incident created a lot of problems for the town, and the town council and Guild are doing what they can to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The old Troverian turned sharply to the one outside this door. "But you're saying this Tetsu could do the same as the one before? My pond's outside the lava flows and away from the mountain. How could it possibly stop the lava from flowing through Harth?"

"We're not worried about this Tetsu blocking the flow of the lava upstream of the village, but rather downstream," Hugo replied. "In the last year, we've taken great effort to map out the routes of the lava rivers. The pond is beyond the realm of the above-ground flows, but not the underground ones, and there's been some blockage from one of the main lava drain tunnels off in the direction of your pond. We believe that Tetsu might be causing some issue in the ravines in the area. If the flow is backed up too severely, it could lead to unstoppable backflow, flooding the entire city in magma"

Logan frowned in worry. "That ain't good…"

"No, it isn't, which is why the Guild has shown such an interest in seeing to the Tetsu's removal." Hugo glanced between the hunters again. "Had you been planning on hiring these hunters to deal with the Tetsucabra, Dominic?"

"That's right," the smith replied. "But… the four of them are apprentices. Will the Guild still allow them to participate in such an important hunt?"

Hugo was quiet a moment before nodding. "It's a threat that requires immediate removal, but the Tetsu isn't any more dangerous than it was before. The Guild will allow some apprentices to take care of the matter if their master deems them capable enough, but there will be no second chances; if it chases you off, the Guild will send in replacements to deal with it immediately."

"Understood. They'll see to it, then." Hugo nodded politely, turning away as Dominic closed the door. The artisan was quiet for a moment before turning to look at Leon. "Well, boy? You got reason to hunt the Tetsucabra _now_?"

The lancer crossed his arms and nodded sullenly. "Yes. Since the Tetsucabra poses a threat to the city, then I'll help in hunting it down."

" _Now_ you're ready to participate?" Sonia grumbled. Leon glowered at the huntress, but didn't reply.

"Well, fine then," Dominic shrugged. "I don't really care about your reasons either way, long as it gets done."

Leon looked like he wanted to say more, and Sonia appeared fired up to keep their earlier argument going, but Violetta quickly stepped in front of the lancer. She gave him a short, sharp look before turning and smiling politely at the Troverian. "Thank you very much for your patience with us. I promise we'll take care of the Tetsu."

Dominic raised an eyebrow slightly before chuckling slightly under his breath. "Very well, lass, I'll leave it to you and your not-apprentices. I'll keep to my word, and if you kill it, I'll make some of the finest armor you could ask for."

"That's debatable," Cleyra scoffed, and the Troverian shot her a sharp look.

"Still doubting my skills, crow? Perhaps you'd like to put your money where your mouth is! It'll be a while for these boys and girls to do their hunt, that'll give us time to settle who's the superior smith between the two of us, won't it?"

"Ha, now you're talking, toad!" the Wyverian smirked, grinning viciously at her contemporary. Logan looked nervously between the two smiths as they began glaring eagerly at each other, before Vi quickly began shooing the four apprentices out.

"Uh… come on, let's get out of here. We should leave these two to catch up with each other… or whatever they plan to do."

"That sounds like the most courteous action," Bram agrees. "And much less life-threatening as staying here might be…"

The hunters quickly scurried out of the smithy, desperate to escape as the two artisans began taunting each other again, and swiftly made their way back towards the entrance to town. Sonia and Leon didn't start arguing again during the trip out of the city, thankfully, but they both stood as far apart from each other as they possibly could, and the mood in the air was sour. Bram and Vi both tried to calm their respective friends down, but the two were still fuming when the five of them left Harth and made their way to the field outside the city where Stellazzio sat.

As the hunters approached the caravan again, Logan caught sight of Tuulikki sitting at one of the tables near the cantina. Despite her height, she was easy to spot; her silvery hair and the numerous silver bells in her hair made her stand out like a beacon. The glaive wielder caught sight of them in turn and rose to meet them, but as the huntress approached, Logan couldn't help but feel something was off. It took him a moment to realize that Ketrak wasn't around. That was rare. Not that he really minded though… he didn't care for Ketrak himself.

"We're back!" Vi said merrily, darting around the glaive wielder, wrapping her arms around Tuulikki's shoulders and resting her chin on the shorter woman's head. "They're going to fight a Tetsucabra to the west of here."

"I see," Tuulikki replied, twisting her head in an attempt to dislodge the horn user but failing, making her sigh in resignation.

"Not only that, they're doing it to save the entire town! Cool, right?"

"Wait, what?" Tuulikki gasped. Vi gave a quick synopsis of their discussion with Dominic and Hugo, and Tuulikki eventually nodded in understanding. "Ah. That makes sense. This hunt will have far more importance than any of your previous hunts."

"Ja, we know that. So where _you_ been, girlie?" the great sword user asked the huntress. "Thought you woulda been there for our hunting talk with the old guy."

"I was… otherwise occupied," the glaive wielder replied.

"So I heard."

"He really missed you," Vi purred into the glaive wielder's ear, making the short huntress wrinkle her nose.

" _Hoy_ ," Logan muttered, rolling his eyes. "So what you doing got you all cooped up, hey? What got you stuck so you ain't gonna go on this hunt with us?"

The huntress sighed forlornly, motioning to her arm. "Unfortunately, Ketrak is in no condition to hunt at the moment, and without him, I'm afraid I cannot hunt at the best of my abilities…"

"Oh no, did he get hurt?" Sonia asked, but Tuulikki shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. When I woke up this morning, I discovered that he had entered chrysalis during the night. I've been keeping an eye on him all morning to make sure nothing was amiss."

"Chrys…alis? Isn't that something like a cocoon? Like a butterfly?"

"Somewhat, but with less… flair," Tuulikki explained. Sonia's eyes lit up at the idea, and the glaive wielder smiled wanly. "It's not nearly as dramatic or exciting as you might think. Ketrak is transforming into a more mature form, but shouldn't look much different than he does now. He made a cocoon for himself in one of the corners of my wagon, and will spend the next week or so pupating. I've been looking forward to this for a while now, but I didn't know it would come at a time like this… Unfortunately, until he emerges from the cocoon, I'm afraid I can't really accompany you on your hunts." The glaive wielder reached her hand up and bit the end of her thumb nervously. "That being said, a Tetsucabra is a dangerous opponent. I would much rather accompany you on this mission than not."

"Don't worry too much," Vi replied, poking Tuulikki's cheek. "I'll be there to keep an eye on things. I know my way around a Tetsucabra fight, and Leon's fought a couple of them with us. These three have fought monsters around the same size as a Tetsu before too. That yellow armor Bram used to wear comes from a monster about the same size I hear… if the stories these three have told us about them are true."

Tuulikki's expression soured slightly at the words, but her face returned to a neutral expression quickly enough. "Nonetheless, show some caution. A Tetsucabra is not to be underestimated, even by the most experienced hunters. One wrong step and you'll be crushed by one of the boulders it throws."

"Ugh… that don't sound fun," Logan muttered, and Tuulikki smirked.

"How many monsters in Theron can do _that_?"

Logan scowled at the huntress and tilted his head in thought. "Well, they's the Uragaan. The Barroth throws mud balls. They's the Deviljho, too, I've heard, but I ain't fought one of those myself." The great sword user smirked, however. "Of course, then they's the Duramboros… They don't throw rocks, they throw _themselves_ at the hunter, and they ain't called 'moving mountains' for no reason, girlie."

"Oh, really? Then perhaps-" The huntress sputtered to a halt as Vi planted a hand over her mouth.

"Enough bickering, children. We've had enough of that today…" she sighed. Logan grinned victoriously, but the expression faltered as the horn wielder shot him a flat look. "You too. Don't you have a hunt to prepare for?"

"Erm… ja, guess so."

"We should prepare for an arduous journey," Leon said. "The Hollow has rather treacherous terrain at the best of times. It'll be best if we-"

"And I suppose _you_ know what's best, don't you?"

Logan blinked in surprise at the growled reply from Sonia, and saw the huntress with her arms crossed and glaring darkly at the lancer. Leon quickly returned with a scornful look of his own. The two of them continued to glare at each other for a long, uncomfortable moment, before Sonia scoffed and stalked off towards her wagon.

"I'm going to get my armor on."

Leon glowered after her as she left, before shaking his head muttering under his breath as well. "I'm going to get my equipment ready as well."

The remaining hunters watched uncomfortably as the two stalked away. Bram scratched the back of his head nervously before looking back at Logan. "I'm… gonna catch up with Sonia."

"Ja… you do that."

"What was _that_ all about?" Tuulikki asked worriedly as the archer darted off.

"Leon and Sonia… _disagree_ about hunting ethics. Very loudly," Vi replied, and the silver-haired woman's eyes widened before she frowned in frustration.

Logan grimaced and crossed his arms. "Well, this is great. He always been like that? That, uh, _choosy_ 'bout his quests?"

"Pretty much. Please tell me you at least understand where he's coming from?"

"Eh… ja, guess so," Logan admitted, scratching his head. "Seen some real crazy hunt requests in my time… Nobles that want pet wyverns, storytellers looking for a good tale, people paying to eat the monster's meat. Chasing some beastie away from a fella's favorite fishing hole ain't the least noble thing I ever done as a hunter. Try to avoid quests like that myself, but sometimes the reward's too good to pass up. Guy's gotta eat and keep his equipment repaired, hey? It just him though? I ain't seen you two being as picky."

"Yes, it just… it's just him. We don't share the same hunting ethics that Leon does," Tuulikki affirmed. "Not entirely. I can understand the Shield's moral code, but it is too stringent for most hunters to make a living by. Leon is our friend, however, so we don't take part in some of the more superfluous hunts, but at the same time we can and will hunt monsters that haven't done anything particularly bad, like attacking a village or caravan."

"Then how come he ain't on _you_ cases about it?"

"He's usually more accepting of other people's choices," Violetta replied. "He knows his way of hunting is just personal preference, and most hunters won't have the same moral stance that he does. Like you said, a hunter has to eat, and they can't wait for a noble cause to appear so they can be paid. Sometimes we can't afford to just pass up a job. Usually when we're doing a hunt that doesn't fit his standards, he just sits it out."

"Then why he so pissed off at _us_? Thought he and Sonia was gonna tear each other's heads off, hey?"

"It's likely because of where we are," Tuulikki said, looking towards the walls of the city.

"Harth?"

"Mmhmm…" Vi sighed, shaking her head. "Last time we were here, there was a bit of a mess, and it's still a bit of a sore spot… Well, I'll tell you about it later. We need to get our armors on and get after this Tetsu. Hopefully everyone will have cooled off a bit by the time we're ready to go."

"Ja, hopefully…" Logan crossed his arm and frowned as Vi walked back to her wagon, dragging Tuulikki along behind her. Finally the great sword user sighed and started back to his and Bram's wagon. "Hoy, just one thing after another here, ain't it?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about an argument!**

 **Finally got around to beating Fire Emblem Awakening during the writing of this chapter. I've had a reader or two relate Vi's abilities to Kellam from that game and I gotta admit I see where they're coming from. But trust me, Vi is based on someone completely different! Much like Harker and Lynn, Vi is based around a character from the Girl Genius webcomic.**

 **I also got around to playing Undertale after hearing so many good things about it! And I loved it! So far I've only played the Pacifist or Neutral mode… not sure if I've got the heart for a Genocide run, with so many precious babies in this story. Especially Undyne! Those of you who have read enough of my stories should know that a beefy spear-throwing lesbian fish-lady who clearly watches too much anime and suplexes huge boulders "just because she can" would speak to me on a spiritual level! You are filled with determination!**

 **Also, as I'm writing this, I'm also getting into Disgaea 5. Hooray for level grinding games! Nothing's quite as daunting as that 9999 level cap, but hey, at least they're generous enough to make grinding a little easier with 'training' levels. I'm looking forward to reaching the point where I'll be doing BILLIONS of damage per attack with each character… then running into an enemy that can take that kind of punishment and give it back. Looking at you, Tyrant Baal… Not to mention that the main villain's demon army goes by the moniker 'The Lost', which is kind of amusing on my end. I'm curious to see where the story goes.**

 **Playing: MH4U, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Splatoon, Undertale, Disgaea 5  
L** **istening: Chavez  
** **Reading: The Martian, Ready Player One  
** **Watching: The Martian, One Punch Man**


	14. Boulder

Boulder

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"Watch your footwork, Sonia. The ledges in the Hollow can be very fragile."

"Yeah, I know. I don't need _you_ to tell me," the huntress snapped back, earning a frown from Leon as the lancer scratched his head uncomfortably.

Sonia was doing a poor job of suppressing her agitation, and she knew it. As far as she was concerned, however, she had every right to be snippy with the lancer. Talking down to her just because she didn't follow the same rigid code of honor that he seemed to have? How dare he! Sonia had been fuming ever since they'd left Dominic's smithy, and her attitude certainly had not improved due to her and Leon being forced to remain in close proximity to each other as they set off to find the Tetsucabra.

She was doing her best to rein herself in, though, difficult as it was. She wanted to tear into him, and tell him _exactly_ what she thought of his 'ethics', and _exactly_ where he could shove them! However, they had a monster to fight, and like it or not, Leon was going to be there for it. She could remain professional for a single fight, no matter how angry she was at the lancer. She just had to avoid speaking to him until the hunt was over. That wouldn't be too hard. Sonia knew the silent treatment wasn't exactly mature, but given her only other options were getting into a loud argument or strangling Leon (and the latter option certainly had its appeal), she decided to stay silent.

At least traversing the terrain made her silent fuming easier. As the hunters traveled northwards from Harth, they were forced to travel up and down much sharper terrain than the Therians had seen before, with tall stone walls and steep inclines with sheer drops around every turn. While Lintukoto and the Everwood certainly had their rises and drops in elevation, the jolting walls were usually only five or six yards at the most, save for the occasional canyon which cut through the terrain. In contrast, the Hollow seemed to consist almost entirely of enormous fall-offs that were several dozen yards deep. It was giving Sonia a small case of vertigo, even if she'd been adapting to the changes to the terrain.

The small path they traveled on was steady and even for the most part, made for travelers and those that enjoyed the fishing hole like Dominic did, but Sonia guessed that if they'd had to travel cross-country, they wouldn't have made it nearly as far as they had in but a single afternoon. Not to mention the cracks and crags seemed to teem with smaller monsters; the hunters were beset by a several small hunting packs of Genprey and Ioprey, the paralyzing and poisoning monsters leaping from the shadows of the cracks in the wall to take them by surprise, though with such small numbers, they were quickly dealt with.

"Jeez, what's with all the ankle-biters in this area?" Violetta huffed as the hunters finished off a third pack of Ioprey. "Does Dominic really trek through this place just to go fishing?"

"It does seem rather ludicrous for someone to go to such lengths just to catch a large trout," Bram agreed as he knelt down to carve what he could from the hide of the closest bird wyvern.

"People do stupid things for they fun or they hobbies, hey?" Logan chuckled. "I've had to babysit folks that wanted me to escort them to the highest peaks in Theron, _filled_ with the most dangerous beasties you can think of, risking they lives just to hunt down rare flowers. Not even for sciencey reasons or nothing, either, just so he could stick it 'tween a couple pages in some book. And that ain't _half_ as bad as the stuff some of the older Lost I talked to said they did. Some of them? They hobbies _was_ the danger. Jumpin' outta airships with only some cloth to slow they fall, or off a high bridge with stretchy rope, or running in fronta a buncha… Bullfangos or something like that, hey? All sorta crazy tales. 'Sides, most smiths is tough. Pretty sure the old guy woulda made short work of any Prey that give him trouble."

"Hmm. I guess so," Vi nodded. "You have to be pretty strong to swing a forging hammer like they… Wait, Lost jumped off of bridges with only _rope_ to stop them?!"

"That's what I heard. Heard it was real stretchy rope."

"That doesn't… I don't… _What_? But why?"

"For kicks? The rush? Bragging rights? Don't really matter."

"It doesn't matter? How does it not… Ugh. Never mind. Lost are weird. No offense."

"Heh, don't worry 'bout it, girlie."

After carving what they could, the hunters continued on, soon coming across a wide crevasse that stretched several dozen yards wide and sank so deep into the earth that the bottom only appeared to be darkness. However, this was what they were looking for, as Dominic's instructions told them that they needed to follow the ravine, which would lead them almost right to the pond. As they turned west, Sonia glanced down into the darkness below. Far within, what felt like miles and miles down, Sonia could just see a glimmer of glowing red light swelling deep within the earth. Curious, she craned her head over the side, trying to get a better look, before Bram grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Careful. Don't lean too far."

"Yeah, I know," she replied, peeking over the side once more, this time keeping a safe distance from the ledge. The archer followed her gaze, looking down into the depths of the Hollow.

"I suppose that's the magma tunnel they spoke of." Bram glanced up towards the mountain looming a few miles to the east. "It really goes quite a distance if it travels all the way from the core, through Harth, to here. I'm surprised it's still hot after coming so far…"

"I'm surprised the Tetsucabra is able to mess things up enough to cause the village to panic about it."

"Tetsucabras are able to dislodge boulders from the earth and move them around; I don't need to have fought one before to know that kind of power could reshape the earth, dam rivers… or stop the flow of lava," Bram replied, pulling her away from the ledge. "Monsters have a great impact on the world as we know it. The Lagiacrus living in the sea have enough voltage coursing through them to match every thunderstorm in the world for a year, and Jhen Mohran create sandstorms in their wake. Just imagine the scale of their power on the world."

"And that's just one elder dragon that only lives in the desert," Vi said. "Think about more migrant elder dragons like Kushala Daora, which brings rain and snowstorms along with them. Entire swaths of forest are burned to the ground when a Teostra passes through."

"That's why the Guild keeps such a close eye on their numbers," Bram nodded. "If one species starts to get too many in number, it could damage the whole ecosystem. It'd be just like the Galva Isle back home."

"What's the Galva Isle?" Vi asked.

"Is a Lagi mating ground off the western coast," Logan replied, crossing his arms. "'Bout fifteen years ago, they was a village on it, had a good population… Even had a different name I think. But a buncha Lagis moved in and started setting up nests there. Guess the Guild wasn't paying close attention, 'cause they numbers got out of control. They tried to clean up, but they was just too many Lagis there to fix it, hey? Had to evacuate everyone and move them to the mainland. Nowadays, the Lagis pretty much own the island; they say you can _feel_ the voltage in the air, and they's always a buncha stormclouds looming over the island. Any ship that gets close, by sea _or_ by air, usually gets blasted to pieces so fast they dead 'fore they know what hit 'em. Even G-rank hunters don't go there 'less they have to."

"It's a rather unfortunate situation," Bram added. "There are supposed to be some old Meridian ruins there, but none of the researchers who want to study them are able to get close to the island at all."

"Sounds nasty," Leon said, shaking his head.

"You ain't gonna wanna go there if you ain't got a real good reason, that's for sure," Logan nodded.

The hunters spotted the fishing pond they were looking for as they crested the next hill. It was fairly large, nearly a lake in size at almost fifty yards wide. A large stream fed into the pond from the north, and a smaller one trickled away to the south. Despite the hard terrain, the area was rife with moisture. There wasn't any mud or anything, but every surface seemed to have a sliver of condensation on it from the humidity. Clumps of mushrooms grew large inside shallow nooks, and though there were few trees, a lot of the stones and boulders in the area were covered in a layer of green moss.

There were signs of the Tetsucabra's passing in the area. Sonia had been trying to read up on the monsters she'd be fighting while she was in Gahiji; both the Seltas and the Kecha Wacha had caught her off guard with unexpected attacks, and she wanted no more of that. The books she'd gotten hold of said that Tetsucabras could lift and throw boulders using their large tusks, or could crush them in their fangs for a burst of shrapnel at close range. It could also spit bile which could drain its target of their energy, and though it was fairly easy to avoid, the recovery could take some time.

Though, even without her studies it wouldn't have been hard to tell the Tetsu had been in the area: all around the edges of the pond, there were holes pockmarking the beachhead with upturned and oblong boulders scattered around. Boulder-chucking was apparently the demon toad's signature move, and it showed. Sonia couldn't really tell the purpose behind the placement of all the moved stones, but she supposed that Tetsu had some reason for doing it. The hunters spent a few minutes observing the pond from a distance, searching for signs of the Tetsucabra's immediate presence, but there didn't seem to be anything around. Perhaps the great toad was off hunting for food or something. Eventually the group approached, walking up to the shoreline.

"Seems pretty rocky," Bram noted, looking around. "There is very little plant life… Can enough fish live in this pond for it to really be a proper fishing hole?"

"Think so," Logan muttered, looking out over the water. "Can already see a buncha fishies out there. A few pretty big ones too, hey? Can see why that old guy likes this place. Guess that's why the Tetsu does too."

"So are we gonna set a trap here?" Sonia asked.

"I believe that would be the best plan of action," Bram replied, glancing towards Vi for confirmation and the huntress nodded in agreement.

"So what kind of trap should we set?" Sonia asked, kneeling down and brushing her hand against the rough dirt. "I kind of want to try and start collecting some bells like Vi and Tuulikki have. If we can surprise this Tetsu-"

Sonia paused as she saw Bram frowning uncomfortably though. "I don't think you really need to try and collect the bells, Sonia. But… If you want to, then-"

"Oh, uh, well, I guess it's not that important. It would be kind of pointless if we were just gonna head back to Theron after the exam anyway."

"If you want to try, that's perfectly fine!" Vi said eagerly. "I've got some spare bells in my wagon that I can let you wear if you ambush the Tetsu-"

"No, never mind," Sonia said quickly, much to the horn user's disappointment. "Don't worry about it! No bells for me… But if we _can_ catch this Tetsucabra off guard, that'd be great. The soil's sort of rocky, but we should be able to get a pitfall trap to work. I've got a shock trap, but I don't think it'll work very well this close to the water…"

"It would be best if we avoided electrocuting ourselves," Bram agreed. "But the ground isn't too wet, so we shouldn't have too much risk if we put one down."

"This thing eat meat?" Logan asked. "Got some Parashrooms while we was hiking here. We could leave it a meal on the shore that makes it good and sick, hey? Gotta be a Kelbi or two 'round here we can knock off and use as bait…"

"It'd be better to go back and find some meat from one of those Ioprey and Genprey we killed," Leon supplied. Sonia glanced at him sourly, only to find the lancer staring out across the pond. She'd almost forgotten he was with them, he'd been keeping so quiet; she kind of wished he still was. "We shouldn't kill any more monsters than we need to."

"Then what else can you suggest?" Sonia asked with an edge to her voice as she crossed her arms. "We can't just walk back and forth a few miles just because you don't-"

A wet plunging sound cut the huntress off guard, and a dark shape cast a shadow over her. Time seemed to slow down as she turned her head, and found a gaping maw stretching wide enough to envelop her completely. It had appeared without warning and was already almost on top of her, only a few yards away and getting closer. She had no chance to dodge, no hope of avoiding this creature's attack…

Another shape slid between her and the maw, however, and there was a thunderous crash. Sonia was thrown backwards as something large and heavy slammed into her, pushing her backwards before flinging her over a dozen yards through the air where she crashed to the ground and rolled to a halt. There was a loud _thump_ near her, followed by the tin clattering of metal and a groan of pain.

Sonia's head was left spinning. She wasn't sure how long she lay there in the dirt, but her mind began to slide out of its fog as a firm hand slid around her back and pulled her to her feet. She could hear a muted voice calling to her and she shook her head to finally clear her mind a little bit.

"Sonia! Are you alright?" The huntress looked up to find Bram looking at her worriedly. She shook her head to clear the dizziness as the archer pulled a potion from his pouch and let her drink it.

"I'm alright," she told Bram. "Ow… what hit me?"

"The Tetsucabra," Bram replied. "It was… mercy, it was hiding under the water the whole time! I didn't think something that big could hide in such shallow water, aside from Gobuls. Leon tried to block it, but you were both sent flying. I feared the worst…"

"Don't worry, I think I'm okay," the huntress replied, pushing away from the archer. Her shoulder and chest hurt a little, and her ears were still ringing, but otherwise she didn't feel too horrible.

"Are you sure? If you need to-"

Both hunters winced as a large boulder sailed through the air past them, smashing to the ground. Chunks of stone clattered across the earth as the rock burst into pieces. Sonia spun around to find the Tetsucabra lumbering towards her and Bram, and quickly drew her blades to prepare to fight.

It truly was a massive toad, now that Sonia looked at it, but with a large skull and a short, spiked tail. It was incredibly front-heavy, with most of its weight collected in a large hump and torso, sloping back to a thinner waist and tail. She vaguely took note of the orangish-red scales and plates coating the creature's body, the sharp incisors at the forefront of the mouth, and the flat molars in the back, as well as the thin pink tongue that lay stretched along the base. What took her attention most were the two thick tusks on either side of the jaw, still dripping with water and mud from the pond. Behind it, Logan and Leon were chasing after the beast, trying to catch up.

The Tetsu suddenly crouched low, coiling up its hind legs, but before it could attack, Vi appeared from the side, heaving her hunting horn in a wide arc and smashing the end against the toad's skull. The blow caught the beast off guard, and the Tetsu wailed in pain as it leap was thrown off, sending it sailing off to the side before crashing to the ground on its belly.

"Is Sonia okay?" the pink-armored huntress called as she hurried over to them.

"I'm fine!" Sonia called back. The huntress frowned stubbornly when the horn wielder gave Bram a questioning look and the archer nodded in reply.

"Alright, then. I'm going to back off for now and leave this to you four, but I'm going to be playing some songs to help you out this time. I'll try to keep them sparse, but if it looks like you need them, I won't hold back."

"Understood," Bram nodded.

"Great! Now get back in there!" With that Vi darted away from the water, heading up to the trees and rocks that sat further away and disappearing into the shadows.

Sonia and Bram nodded to each other and charged towards where the Tetsucabra lay. Logan and Leon were already there, the great sword user trying to cleave into the great toad's face while the lancer punched the tip of his weapon into the beast's side. The Tetsu bellowed in frustration, raising its right fore and hind legs up and smashing them down onto Leon, who barely managed to hop back out of the way but was still knocked backwards by the glancing blow.

As Bram drew his bow and fired, his arrows ricocheting off the side of the Tetsu's skull, Sonia darted around the side of the creature, lunging for the toad's hind legs; with the creature's jumping ability if she could cripple its mobility, they'd have a much easier time fighting it. There was a clanging sound as Leon pushed in as well, jabbing his Kecha spear into the Tetsu's right flank, and as the monster turned to around to face the lancer, Sonia rushed in to attack, swinging her swords down into the beast's left hind leg.

However, rather than the satisfying feeling of an edge cutting into hide, there was merely an awkward _thwack_ as the upper part of the shaft smacked against the Tetsucabra's hide. Sonia blinked in surprise before mentally berating herself: she had attacked as though she was still wielding proper swords, but her new Kut-Ku picks were meant for the heads at the ends to strike the monster, not the center!

The Tetsu snapped around to glare at her with its dark blue eyes, and Sonia cursed, leaping backwards before the toad snapped its leg out to kick her. Sonia nearly managed to jump out of the creature's reach, but didn't quite make it far enough, as the beast's talons caught her at the very end of its extension, striking her square in the chest. The distance managed to soften the blow, but the Tetsucabra's leg strength was still enough to hurl her over half a dozen yards backwards. The huntress groaned in pain and pushed herself back to her feet; that had _hurt_ , but nothing felt broken, and at worst it would just leave a bruise.

From across the rocky terrain, however, a lilting song could be heard rolling through the air. It was slow and sonorous, composed of gentle drumbeats which permeated through Sonia's body. The song was short, and ended with a single tone which slowly faded away, but as the note faded, a cool feeling swelled through Sonia's body. The pain in her chest faded slightly; it was as though she had just drank a potion. This must have been Vi's health song. It felt rather strange… Sonia had played hunting horns before, but she'd never used one with healing songs included. It felt nice though. Sonia would need to try it out for herself if she got the chance.

That was a problem for later though. Holding up her dual blades, she gave the right one a quick swing; most of the weight in the weapon was located in the Kut-Ku head, made to increase the damage as much as possible, and the rest of the weapon was simply an extended rod between the head and the hilt. She'd been practicing a bit with the blades ever since she'd gotten the weapons, but had quickly fallen back to old muscle memory, and would have to do her best to adjust…

Another song drifted over the rocks, this one slow and steady, but with deep reverberating tones which seemed to envelop Sonia's very core. A loud crack called Sonia's attention back to the Tetsucabra, where Logan had attempted to slam his great sword into the toad's face. The great red beast had managed to twist its head slightly, deflecting the blade with its tusks before swinging a foreleg out. Logan quickly twisted his blade around to block, letting the Tetsu's strike knock him back a yard or two. Leon ducked in from the side, jabbing his lance under the creature's foreleg, and the toad yelped in pain, scooting backwards and turning to glare at the lancer.

As the Tetsucabra coiled up to lunge, the song lilting over the rocks reached its finish. Sonia suddenly felt… sturdier. More solid. This must have been Vi's defense song. As the Tetsu lunged towards Leon, the lancer side-hopped out of the way, but wasn't able to move enough to dodge the attack completely. He raised his shield to deflect the toad's foreleg as the appendage clipped him, slamming him backwards, but the impact didn't seem to faze him as much as Sonia thought it would have, and he recovered quickly enough to about-face as the Tetsucabra hit the ground a dozen yards behind him and spun around for another lunge.

Before it could do so, however, an arrow glanced off the beast's nose, making it reel back in shock, and Logan rushed in from the side, cleaving his great sword down into the Tetsu's right foreleg. The toad wailed in pain as the heavy blade fractured several scales, tore through hide, and sent the beast toppling over, flipping over once before landing on its side and flailing its legs wildly. All four hunters rushed forward to take advantage of the Tetsucabra's weak position, and Sonia was in the lead.

This time, Sonia adjusted her attacks to have the heads of the weapon strike hard down onto the great toad's back. There was a satisfying shattering sound as several of the orange-red scales broke into pieces from the strike of the the Kut-Ku beak. Several shards clattered to the ground, and Sonia could see several thin slivers of exposed flesh revealed on the beast's back now.

"Huh… I guess it really works," she muttered, raising her arms and smashing her weapons against the creature's spine. She'd just need to treat them like one-handed pickaxes rather than swords, and she'd be fine!

Again and again she smashed the picks against the beast's scales, relishing the feeling of each break and fracture. Her blades didn't seem to be doing as much direct damage as she was used to, leaving behind shallow puncture wounds when she pulled the weapons back but little else. The picks were certainly breaking the scales fairly easily, but when Sonia struck out at the heavier plates, her weapons would only chip them or leave thin cracks along them, but rarely break through properly; she supposed that her dual blades were either not powerful enough, or she just wasn't strong enough to deal with those yet. Sonia quickly spun the blades around so the rear claws for facing forward, and snapped them down to hook under a few of the broken scales, and there was a satisfying tearing sound as the huntress ripped the broken plating loose, revealing raw flesh beneath. She really was leaving exceptional gaps in the Tetsucabra's armor, and if the others could attack those spots…

However, before Sonia could shout out to anyone, the Tetsucabra managed to find a foothold and flipped back onto its belly. There was a shout of shock from the other side of the beast as Leon tumbled backwards, the Tetsu nearly rolling on top of him as he'd been attacking its underside. Logan rushed past Sonia, aiming at cleaving into the toad's hind leg this time, but the creature saw him coming and hopped around to face him. The great sword came down, and the Tetsu twisted its head to block the blade with one of its tusks, and there was a clash as the heavy iron blade deflected off the thick bone. With a grunt, the Tetsu lunged for Logan, but the hunter rolled to the side, dipping under the toad's jaw and rolling back to his feet to rush the creature's side.

The beast twisted its head around, however, digging its tusks into the earth, and the great sword user slid to a halt as the ground under him began to shake. With a sharp upward motion, the Tetsucabra upheaved a massive slab of earth, sending Logan sliding backwards and off of the overturned earth. The toad continued to push the rock slab until it stood completely vertical, separating Logan from the beast entirely. The great sword user staggered backwards as dust fell from the unearthed slab, likely wondering if it was going to topple over on him, but instead he was caught off guard as the Tetsucabra suddenly leapt over the rock, arching in the air and plummeting down towards him.

Logan cursed, leaping backwards and swinging his great sword around to block as the orangish-red toad crashed to the ground. Its tusk still struck the flat of the blade, throwing the hunter backwards a couple yards to land on his back, while his great sword slipped from his grip and clattered a ways further. With a menacing growl the Tetsu lurched towards Logan as he recovered, opening its maw in anticipation.

An arrow clipped its eyebrow before it could, however, and the toad flinched back with a shiver, backing against the rock it had unearthed only a moment before. Logan quickly scrambled back to his feet, turning and dashing to gather up his great sword again, and the Tetsucabra bellowed in frustration. Before it could do so though, the creature began twisting its head slightly, and Sonia could see it had one of its eyes tightly closed, even if the eye didn't seem to be wounded… However, there was a thin trail of pale blue fluid sliding down from just over its brow and down onto the creature's eyelids.

"Bram, is that sleep coating?" Sonia called out as Logan recovered, standing back with his great sword at the ready.

"It is. I've been trying to slow it down!" Bram called back, pointing to a small blue bottle that was strapped to his bow. "The arrows keep bouncing off its plating though, so I don't think I'm getting enough of the tranquilizer into its bloodstream."

"Well, do what you can, hey?" Logan shouted back.

"Anything will help!" Leon shouted. "Even a bit of that stuff's bound to slow it down a little."

"Can you hold off on using those coating for a bit?" Sonia asked. "Cleyra said that these new dual blades were meant for breaking scales and plates, and I did do some work on its back. Maybe I can open up a few weak points for you to hit."

The archer looked up and scanned the Tetsucabra's spine. "It looks like you've certainly done _something_ to it. I can't really hit that part of it from here, though, not without arcing the arrow, and you know how I feel about _those…_ If you can get me something a little easier to hit-"

"Got it!"

Sonia darted forward, circling to the left to take advantage of the toad's closed eye. The sleep toxin was starting to clear up now, and the orange-red creature was slowly starting to blink its eye open again, but before it could fully open its eyes, Leon charged in from the other side, punching his lance into the Tetsu's hind leg. The toad groaned in pain, squeezing its bothered eye shut again and twisting around to face the lancer as Leon hopped backwards several steps to distance himself.

It was an opportunity for Sonia, however, and the huntress darted towards the toad, immediately snapping her right Kut-Ku bludgeon down onto the Tetsu's foreleg, and several scales shattered. The left blade was close behind, hooking the claw under the scales as Sonia yanked off several broken shards, revealing the raw hide beneath. The toad yelped in pain and twisted around to try and face the huntress, but Sonia circled around to follow its movements and keep out of its sight, swinging her weapons down into the Tetsu's arm and fracturing a few more of the larger scales covering the beast's leg.

With a bellow of frustration, the Tetsucabra pushed against the ground, raising the entire right side of its body into the air. Sonia yelped and leapt backwards as the fore- and hind leg smashed into the ground, fracturing the rocky earth and sending cracks outwards and under the dual blade user's feet. Before she could recover her balance, the toad spun around, finally getting a good look at her with its open eye. With a bellow, it twisted its tusk towards her, the tip of it grazing her chest and flicking the brim of her Jaggi cap. The huntress stumbled backwards, nearly losing her footing on the broken terrain, and in a flash the Tetsu was looming over her, its mouth opening wide to envelop her.

An arrow suddenly punched through the gap that Sonia had opened up in the Tetsucabra's armor, making the creature wince slightly. Sonia took the moment of hesitation to plant a foot against the toad's tusk and kick off, throwing herself a couple yards backwards before the beast's mouth snapped shut over her.

The Tetsu twisted its head around to look for the archer, but before it could seek Bram out, Logan rushed in from its blind side and cleaved his great sword down onto the gap in its plating, smashing apart several more scales and tearing into the creature's hide. The toad wailed in pain as the hunter pulled back to swing his blade again, but the Tetsu swung its claw out and smacked it against Logan's chest. The great sword user cursed, swinging his weapon around to block, but the Tetsu didn't chase after him. Rather, the beast kept craning its head back and forth, trying to keep an eye on all of them, but with one eye still covered in tranquilizer, it was impossible to do so easily.

"Good work breaking those scales, Sonia!" Bram called out. "That was much easier than before. If you can continue to open up gaps in its armor, do so when you are safely able."

"Yeah, got it!"

Leon quickly pressed forward towards the Tetsucabra from its blind side, but the creature heard him coming, cocking its head in his direction. The creature seemed to contemplate retaliating for a moment, but instead spun around to face Bram. The archer yelped in shock as the great toad suddenly lunged at him, and he dove out of the way just quickly enough to avoid being hit, though the tips of its claws scraped against the pink Kut-Ku shoulder pads.

Bram hit the ground rolling and snapped back up to his feet, swinging his bow around to fire at the Tetsu before it could spin around and charge again, but there was a loud _splash_ as the Tetsucabra just kept charging forward straight into the pond and submerged itself halfway up its body. A moment later it began shaking itself around wildly, splashing water left and right.

"What… what exactly is it doing?" the archer muttered.

"I dunno… But come on, let's get after it, before it finishes!" Sonia said before darting towards the water.

"Sonia, wait!" Leon shouted, making the huntress pause and turn towards him in agitation. "It's in the water right now. It has an advantage. We should wait until it comes back-"

"I don't care if it's in the water!" Sonia snapped. "I'm _Therian_ , remember? I can _deal_ with monsters in the water!"

"He may be right though," Bram cut in, pulling a betrayed look from the huntress. "Look at it, Sonia: it's in the water, but it isn't _underwater_ , nor is it fully on land. It's in the shallows, and even in Theron you're supposed to avoid fighting monsters in shallow water. On land, we can run, and underwater we can swim. But wading through water will slow you down immensely, and with the Tetsu's size, it won't be hindered nearly as much. Leon's right: we should wait until it's on land again."

Sonia scowled angrily at the conclusion, but couldn't argue against the logic and turned to glare in the Tetsucabra's direction while tightening her grip on her dual blades. A moment later the Tetsucabra spun around again, dripping head to toe, but more importantly, the sleep venom that had been covering its right eye was now completely cleaned off. The creature was blinking its eye gingerly, but soon it would be able to keep both eyes open again.

"So much for that advantage, hey?" Logan sighed. "Think you can hit the beastie over its eyes again, Bram?"

"The first shot was just- It was unintentional. Doing it on purpose might be more than I can manage."

"Can you just hit it in the eye and make it permanent? Or both eyes and make this easy?" Sonia asked. She saw Leon giving her a cold look, but ignored it.

"Again, I don't think I'm skilled enough for that kind of shot."

"Just keep doping it with sleep coatings!" Leon called out. "If you can slow it down, we'll have more options to-"

"Watch out!" Sonia shouted.

The Tetsucabra suddenly tilted its head down, plunging it into the water beneath it. Sonia frowned, uncertain what the creature hoped to accomplish, considering how silty and wet the bottom of the pond would be. She got her answer a moment later as the Tetsu snapped its head upwards. Rather than trying to dislodge a chunk of stone from the earth as it had done on land, the great red toad had instead shoveled up a huge glob of dripping mud. With a twist of its head the Tetsu lobbed the sticky gunk at them, the mud spreading out until it was a wide wave of brown gunk sailing towards them.

The huntress yelped and leapt backwards as the volley of gunk spattered against her ankles, coating her greaves in brown goop. She staggered a little, however, as the mud seemed to harden slightly even as she walked, drying up and making it a little tricky to move her feet. Was this like the Barroth's mud slinging? She'd only seen the brute wyvern once in the arena, and this seemed similar…

From the side, there was a shout of frustration. Sonia glanced over and realized that Leon was completely coated in sticky, quickly-hardening mud. The gunk had easily washed over the side of his shield, and the lancer's entire torso had been covered almost completely in mud, leaving his arms plastered to his sides and giving him trouble moving anything above his waist. Leon was struggling to remove the gunk, however, and as he twisted his body around, he stumbled backwards, falling onto his back.

The Tetsu bellowed excitedly at the sight, pushing out of the water and stomping towards the fallen hunter eagerly. However, an arrow punched into the gap in its scales; the creature winced slightly and turned to search out Bram, but a moment later Logan appeared in front of it, cleaving his great sword down towards the creature's tusks. The Tetsu yelped in fright as the steel blade clashed off of its tusk, sending a rain of sparks to the ground and forcing the toad to waddle backwards.

"Hoy! Help Leon!" Logan bellowed before the Tetsu charged him, forcing him to leap to the side.

"But-!"

"Just do it, girlie! This ain't the time for you bickering!"

Sonia cursed under her breath, glancing between the Tetsu and Leon, before growling in frustration, sheathing her dual blades, and darting towards the lancer. She reached him to find that he'd dropped his lance and was struggling to chip off the mud, but was having little luck with his arms glued to his sides. With a groan, she pulled the lancer to his feet, and as Leon nodded thankfully, she swiftly punched a large chunk of hardened mud that was stuck to his side, making it crumble slightly from the blow.

"Wh- Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Breaking the mud off, moron! I'm _trying_ to be helpful!"

"People who are trying to be 'helpful' don't smile like you are!"

"Venting my frustration on you is just a happy little bonus," Sonia replied, punching another clump of mud near his chest, making it crumble (and making Leon grunt slightly, much to her enjoyment). But she wasn't making much progress. The huntress spared a glance backwards to find that Bram and Logan were keeping the Tetsu busy, but the creature's blue eyes kept darting in her and Leon's direction…

"This is taking too long," Sonia grumbled, grabbing Leon by the shoulder as she dragged him towards the pond. The lancer staggered after her, not in much of a position to disobey.

"What? Hey, Sonia! What are you-"

Before the lancer could finish his sentence, Sonia abruptly shoved him backwards into the water. For a moment the hunter sank under the water, before pushing himself upright, gasping for air and wiping himself off.

"What was that for?! I can't swim!"

"I was getting the mud off! And the water's only like a foot deep!"

Leon looked around slightly, realizing he was keeping above the water fairly easily and pushing himself back to his feet. "None… nonetheless, be more careful! I'm not trained to fight in the water like you are! I'll just sink in all this armor!"

"Quit complaining! I got the mud off of you, didn't I?"

"Yes, but-"

"LOOK OUT!"

Both hunters turned sharply at the shout, catching sight of a large oblong slab of stone sailing towards them, and both yelping in shock and dove out of the way as the boulder crashed into the water right between them, creating a large splash that peppered them with droplets of water.

" _Hoy_!" Logan bellowed at them. "Shut the hell up and pay attention to the fight!"

The two apprentices jolted slightly at the chiding and spared a sheepish look. Leon quickly pushed past Sonia, running over to grab his lance and rejoin the hunt even as water continued to seep down his armor. Sonia pushed out of the water as well and made her way back towards the Tetsu, where the beast was trying to chase down Bram.

The archer fired a wild shot at the creature's face, but the projectile glanced harmlessly off the beast's left tusk, forcing Bram to turn and sprint away as the demon frog lumbered after him. Before the creature could run him down, however, Logan slid in from the side and swung his great sword in a low arc, clipping the Tetsucabra in its hind leg and knocking the appendage out from under it. The toad flopped onto its belly, but was back on its feet in a moment, twisting around to face the great sword user only to find the hunter swinging his blade around again to smash the weapon into the creature's tusk. There was a sharp _crack_ as a chunk of the bone fractured, sending shards of the tusk clattering to the ground, but it only managed to cut a few inches in, leaving most of the tusk remaining. The Tetsu winced in pain, but pushed back against Logan as the hunter tried to dig his blade further into the beast's tusk, forcing him to leap away before the Tetsu could swipe at him. The beast's head snapped down to drive its tusks into the ground, and it pulled another large stone from the earth and held it in its jaw.

As Sonia circled the Tetsu, looking for a chance to leap in, a new song began to lilt over the rocks. Vi's new song that was much faster and sharper than the one before it, giving off the sound of a lively and excited drum dance. As the last note struck with a loud _thump_ , Sonia felt a rush of energy wash over her. She suddenly felt _great_ , as though she could run for miles without breaking a sweat! This must have been the pink-armored huntress' stamina song… was this what the effects of dash juice felt like? She'd only tried a sip of one once a year or so ago, but hadn't finished the drink due to the twisted taste; honey, bitterbugs, and rare meat did _not_ make for a delicious combination.

The huntress immediately stopped circling the Tetsucabra and darted straight towards the amphibian with a speed she wouldn't have otherwise thought possible, to both her _and_ the Tetsu's surprise. Without feeling any fatigue she felt like she could practically _fly_ over the rugged terrain, pushing herself to speeds she'd never managed before, and was on top of the Tetsu before it realized what was happening.

The Tetsu still had a boulder in its mouth, and spun as quickly as it could before crushing the stone between its teeth, but Sonia darted to the side as the stone fractured, sliding around the blast of shrapnel that burst forward. As the Tetsu shook its head and spat out the lingering chunks of rock, Sonia slipped around the toad's forelegs and swung the beaks of her blades down onto the toad's elbow. The monster wailed in pain as the sharp tip fractured several of the small scales along its limb, twisting around to try and punch its tusks into the huntress.

Sonia was easily able to slip out of the way, however, leaping backwards and letting the toad's thick tusks sail harmlessly in front of her. As the Tetsu recovered, Sonia lunged and smashed her weapon's beak against the beast's tusk, releasing a very satisfying crack as the pick fractured off several shards of the heavy bone. She managed to swing several more times without slowing down, heaving the point of her blades as hard as she could into the notch that Logan had created earlier and digging it a little deeper before leaping away from another of the Tetsu's swipes. An arrow cracked against the Tetsu's forehead, right between its eyes, and Sonia lunged again as the beast winced back, but had to skid to a halt when the demon toad snapped its jaw down, punching its tusks into the earth and ripping up a wide slab of stone.

Sonia yelped as she flopped onto her back, but she rolled backwards and onto her feet again. The stone continued to tilt as the Tetsu slid its head underneath and shoved from the other side until the slab began to tilt in her direction. Sonia dashed to the side before the unearthed boulder toppled over, breaking to pieces behind her.

The Tetsu was half-buried in the hole it had created as Sonia caught sight of it again, but it just as quickly caught sight of her, crawling over the ledge in her direction. However, Leon charged in from behind the creature, leaping into the hole and driving his lance down into the Tetsucabra's inflated tail. The Kecha lance nearly punched straight through the appendage, and blood gushed out of the engorged tail as Leon yanked the point of his lance out. The great toad squealed in pain as it lost its footing, sliding back into the hole and nearly toppling over onto its side, but it managed to twist its head around and kick its hind leg at the lancer. Leon raised his shield in time, though the force from the Tetsu's powerful legs launched Leon up and out of the hole entirely and onto his back with a wheeze of pain.

As the Tetsu turned around again, it was caught off guard as Logan rushed it from the front, swinging his great sword around to smash into the beast's tusk, splintering the bone even further and making the toad slide back into its hole fearfully. Logan rushed forward to attack its spine from his higher vantage point, but the demon toad quickly retaliated by digging its tusks against the side of the hole and scraping off a wave of shrapnel. With a snap of its head, the Tetsu threw the shards of stone up at Logan, forcing the hunter to raise an arm to protect his face.

Sonia darted around to flank the creature from behind, grateful to the Vi that her song allowed her to sprint almost constantly and allowing her to circle the beast in record time. However, as she prepared to charge, the world seemed to dull around her. A wave of weariness washed over her, and legs grew weak, sending her dropping to a knee and nearly falling onto her face. All at once, she felt as though she hadn't slept in a long time; she wasn't breathing hard and her legs weren't hurting or sore, but she just felt so _weak_. Vi's stamina song must have worn off, Sonia realized. Now she felt terrible though! Or… was this just what she normally felt like? Was this a side effect? She tried to get back to her feet, but her body was struggling to readjust to a limited amount of vigor.

The Tetsu cocked its head at her as she tried to push herself up before lowering its head and gurgling slightly. An arrow shot through the air, punching into the soft hide just behind the creature's jaw and making the toad wince and twist its head slightly, and Leon rushed in from the side, planting himself between her and the Tetsu to defend her if the beast charged.

The beast didn't charge, however, nor did it try and throw a rock. Rather, it coiled its head slightly and worked its jaw before snapping its head forward. From the back of its throat, a sickly green bile sprayed out, jetting directly over Leon's head. Sonia barely had time to register the attack before the fluid hit her chest and knocked her onto her backside. Sonia panicked for a moment before realizing that the bile didn't… _hurt_. That was surprising. It had hit her with the force of a rough shove at most, knocking her over, but the bile wasn't eating at her armor, and wasn't burning her skin either.

Then the smell hit her, a curiously sweet scent that had a twisted rottenness hidden inside. The next thing she knew, Sonia found herself staring at the clouds, and couldn't figure out why. She tried to move her arms and legs, but she couldn't. She tried to raise her head, but could barely get her neck to work. She had felt tired when the stamina song had worn off, but now she felt absolutely _exhausted_. She felt… _empty_ , as though all her muscles had just stopped working at once. She could barely even keep her eyes open at the moment, and she wasn't even sleepy; she just didn't have the energy to keep looking around. She could hear panicked shouting nearby, and the bellows and stomping of the Tetsucabra nearby, but even though her heart began to pound in fear and her breathing grew sharp, she just couldn't summon the energy to stand or to even roll over.

A flash of light burst below her range of vision, and Sonia winced slightly as the sound of the Tetsu howling in shock. A moment later Bram appeared over her, looking absolutely horrified, though there was relief in his eyes when he realized she was conscious.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, kneeling down and wrapping an arm under her shoulders to lift her up slightly.

"I don't… I don't think so," Sonia gasped. Mercy, she was almost too weary to even _talk_. "Bram, I can't… can't move!"

"You can't… what? I don't… I don't know what to…" Bram replied miserably.

The archer suddenly flinched as a loud crash and a furious bellow from the Tetsucabra sounded out. Sonia couldn't turn her head at all, and could only see flickers of motion on the edge of her vision, but the crash had sounded close, and the beast's footsteps seemed fearfully close. Bram was apparently as worried as Sonia was, because the next moment he reached under her and lifted her into the air. The huntress couldn't keep a grip on her dual blades, and the weapons slipped from her grip as the archer unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder, and he reached down to collect them before darting away from the lumbering monster. Sonia couldn't twist her head around to try and figure out where the Tetsu was, and could only hang down with her nose and the brim of her cap bumping against the plating of Bram's Kut-Ku armor. Sonia couldn't help but notice that as the archer ran, his stride was staggered and uneven…

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the archer to turn and come to a halt behind a large boulder. Bram dropped the dual blades to the ground before he carefully pulled Sonia back over his shoulder and lowered her to the ground, leaning her up against the boulder. He'd barely laid her down before he staggered, dropping to a knee and nearly falling onto his face, coughing and covering his nose and mouth with his hand.

"Mercy! This must be the stamina-draining bile I read about. Is it the smell that does it, or is the fluid itself a muscle relaxant? But…"

"What's happening, Bram?!" Sonia wheezed. "I thought it was only supposed to make you tired!"

"I'm not sure…" The archer reached into his pouch, pulling out an air filter and putting it across her face. "Here, hopefully this will keep the smell out of your nose and mouth."

As the filter was put over her jaw and nose, Sonia felt slightly relieved as the sickly sweet smell of the bile vanished. But she still couldn't move at all, and though she could start to feel her strength returning, it was slow coming. A moment later Vi appeared next to her, kneeling down next to the dual blade user.

"Is she okay?" the horn wielder asked, leaning in before wrinkling her nose at the smell of the bile.

"I don't know…" Bram admitted. "It's like her body's shut down… She said she can't move at all."

Vi had a somewhat guilty look on her face, however. "I think… I might know what happened."

"What?" Bram asked quickly, and the pink-armored huntress shifted nervously.

"Has Sonia ever used dash juices before? Or hunted with another horn user that offered a stamina buff?"

Bram frowned uncertainly, and glanced at Sonia, who used what little energy she could muster to shake her head slightly.

"I thought that might be the case. My stamina song is… a lot like a dash juice: seemingly boundless energy and stamina for a few minutes. But even though the energy _feels_ boundless, there's still a regular toll on the body. However… for people that haven't really used dash juices or felt similar effects before, they can sometimes push themselves too hard and there can be a rather hard crash." Bram glanced poignantly at Sonia as the huntress' eyes widened in shock, but Vi quickly waved her hands. "I mean, not this bad!"

"But… combine that energy crash with the Tetsu's stamina bile, and maybe…" Bram cursed under his breath. Sonia tried to push herself into a sitting position, but she barely leaned herself an inch away from the rock she was against before she ran out of strength and flopped back again with a groan. Bram continued to look worriedly at her for a moment, before another loud crash echoed around the rock. The archer looked around the side of the boulder, frowning at whatever he saw.

"I need to get back out there," he muttered, looking towards Vi. "Can you-"

"I'll watch out for her. You get back out there."

"Thank you," he replied, turning back to Sonia. "Try and keep calm, Sonia. I promise I… and the others, will protect you." With that the archer darted around the side of the boulder and back towards the battle. Vi leaned around the side to watch him go for a moment before kneeling back down towards Sonia.

"Again, I… I'm really sorry about all this, Sonia…" she muttered. "If I'd known the song would affect you this badly, I never-"

"It's… it's fine. You didn't know..." Sonia groaned, trying to lean forward. Vi pushed her back against the boulder, however, with very little effort.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not going anywhere until you recover your stamina, and who knows how long that'll take?"

"But-" Sonia started, but Vi kept a hand on her shoulder, keeping her down. The dual blade user whimpered at her own helplessness, sighing as she waited for her strength to recover.

* * *

Logan glanced back as Bram appeared in the fray of battle again, firing an arrow between the Tetsu's eyes. The shot glanced off the creature's thick scales, but the great toad still flinched in shock, staggering back a couple steps and glaring furiously at the archer.

"The girlie okay?" Logan asked.

"I'm not certain," Bram admitted worriedly. "That bile hit her hard. I'm not sure how long recovery will take either, but Violetta's looking after her right now."

"Hmm. Well, either way, thinking we gonna need to switch things up, now that we down a hunter." The great sword user leapt to the side as the Tetsucabra unearthed a boulder and hurled it at the two of them, forcing them to break in separate directions. "How you doing with those sleep coatings?"

"My coating bottle is almost empty, but it doesn't look like it's slowing down much!" Bram shouted, firing an arrow at a gap in the creature's plating. A trickle of blue fluid slid down the side of the Tetsu's body, and the creature shivered slightly, but didn't seem phased. "I just haven't gotten enough into its bloodstream. What about you, do you have any traps?"

"A pitfall and a shock, but I gonna need time to set either of them up."

"Give them to me," Bram said. "I'm not doing much damage here anyway. You and Leon keep it occupied and I'll set the traps."

"Tch… Yeah, fine, you better at planting these damn things than me anyway," Logan replied, reaching into his pouch and tossing two round discs towards Bram. The archer caught the trap, and quickly darted away. Logan turned around to face the Tetsu again as it unearthed another boulder, but Leon rushed in from its side and punched his lance into the beast's lower jaw. The demon toad wailed in pain, and the boulder slid from its grip, sliding back into the hole it had been dug from. "You hear that, Leon?"

"Yes!" the lancer called out. "Let's wear it down!"

As the Tetsucabra focused on Leon, Logan rushed around the creature's back, charging the creature's tail. He'd noticed that the toad would inflate its tail whenever it tried lifting boulders as some kind of counter-balance, and Leon's lance had pierced into the appendage with ease earlier; perhaps if he could cut it off, it would give him and the others a greater advantage. Sure enough, as the Tetsu waddled backwards and plunged its tusks into the earth again, the creature's orange tail seemed to swell up, shifting to a paler white color and enveloping the spikes which lined the appendage. Logan slid to a halt next to the tail, grabbing the hilt of his great sword and cleaving it down.

He'd been hoping his blade would cut straight through the tail, but he wasn't quite that lucky. His great sword ripped through the stretched flesh, sinking almost a solid foot into the appendage, but there was a loud _crunch_ from within the tail, and his weapon ground to a halt, half-buried in muscle and scales. From the other side, there was shriek of pain from the Tetsu, and Logan could hear the crash of stone against stone as the demon toad dropped the boulder it had managed to unearth. The Tetsu turned sharply a moment later, nearly yanking the blade from Logan's hands, but the hunter managed to keep his grip as the blade tore free of the beast's tail, sending a spray of blood across the ground. As Logan swept his blade up to block the Tetsu's claws, he could see blood continue to gush from the wound, and the creature's tail quickly deflated back to its smaller state, contracting the blood flow and grinding the spray to a lesser trickle. Near the middle was a utterly shattered spike, shards of it wedged into the creature's hide, likely what kept Logan from cleaving the beast's tail off completely.

A moment later, the Tetsucabra coiled up and leapt towards the hunter. Logan cursed, realizing he couldn't possibly dodge, and ducked low while swinging his great sword in front of him. Even with the Tetsu in the air, he wasn't nearly low enough, and the creature's jaw clipped his blade and shoulder as it sailed over him, throwing the hunter across the ground a couple yards. Logan groaned in pain as he rolled back to his feet, but cursed again as the Tetsu leapt around to face him and coiled itself up for another attack. Logan prepared to duck again, but rather than leaping like it did before, the Tetsu kicked off the ground into a stampeding charge, swinging its tusks back and forth as it thundered toward him. Logan knew he wouldn't be able to dodge or duck under this one.

"Brace yourself!" There was a clanking sound next to him, and Logan looked up to find Leon standing next to him, the lancer planting the base of his shield into the dirt. Logan nodded, pushing to his feet and planting himself beside Leon in as strong a blocking stance as he could. The Tetsu's eyes darted uncertainly between them but continued its bullrush.

A moment later the Tetsu crashed into them, and both of the hunters were lifted completely off their feet as the beast's tusks scraped against the sword and shield. Logan and Leon were both thrown in separate directions by the blow, and though Logan managed to land and keep his defence up, Leon faltered under the Tetsucabra's harsh assault, tripping and falling onto his back. The creature immediately snapped its attention onto the fallen lancer, turning to face his way. Leon held up his shield desperately to defend himself, but the Tetsu was looming over him already.

As the creature's maw opened wide, an arrow shot through the air and punched into the Tetsu's tongue, making the beast yowl in pain and stagger backward. The Tetsu tried to close its mouth, but the roof of its mouth pressed against the nock in the shaft, making the creature wince in pain as the tip of the arrow pressed down further. With a distressed whine, the demon toad twisted its head around in an attempt to dislodge the arrow, but had little luck. Logan quickly swung his great sword into its sheath before dashing over toward Leon as the lancer tried to scramble out from under the Tetsu's swinging tusks, pulling him away from the beast and helping him back to his feet. The black-skinned young man's face was slick with sweat as he gasped for air.

"Thanks… I thought that might be the death of me."

"Eh, you woulda been fine… probably. You a hunter hey? You gonna need to have tough skin to deal with the _real_ challenges later in you career."

"Yeah. You're right…"

Logan nodded as another arrow shot past them and punched into the Tetsucabra's left wrist, sinking into the creature's hide and making it squeal in pain. Logan turned around to look towards Bram, who was standing about thirty yards away.

"The trap's set up and ready!" the archer called out, motioning to the small silver disk, which sat sparking on the ground next to him.

"Got it!" Logan replied, before turning to pat Leon on the shoulder. "Hoy, you get back there and catch you breath. I'll lead it over there."

"Understood," the lancer nodded.

Logan returned his attention to the Tetsucabra as Leon backed away towards the trap. The demon toad was still working to get the arrow out of its tongue, and managing to get some leverage with its upper incisors. Finally, the beast managed to knock the shaft loose, allowing the arrow to clatter to the ground in front of it. However, as it closed its mouth and worked its jaw, its tongue lolled out of its mouth, hanging limply between its tusks. The Tetsu whined and shook its head, and even Logan was confused about what the creature was trying to do before spotting a trickle of blue fluid mixed in with the Tetsu's saliva; it was sleep toxin, and the tranquilizing effects had numbed the beast's tongue.

Logan lunged in, and the Tetsu narrowed its eyes on the hunter and tried to bellow ferociously, but with its tongue flailing around, the resulting cry was lackluster and wasn't nearly loud enough to make Logan flinch. The Tetsu seemed shocked as its roar began to die away, only to find Logan standing right in front of it and bringing his great sword down towards the toad's face. The Tetsu tried to pull back, but the tip of the sword clashed off the creature's snout, sending the bulk of the blade down to crunch into its lower jaw, right at the base of its tusk and splitting the tusk even further.

The demon frog grunted in pain, working its jaw before swinging its tusks at the hunter and forcing him backwards. As it stomped forward after him, however, the creature winced slightly as it put weight on its left leg, looking down to find the arrow wedged into its wrist. The creature tilted its head in agitation, but as it raised its foreleg up to its maw to yank the arrow out, Logan leapt forward, making the demon toad jolt and return its attention to him. The beast scowled angrily at the hunter before bellowing another roar of fury. This time it managed to do so properly, and Logan winced from the intensity of it. Almost before he could recover the beast was bearing down on him, though with a slight limp from its injury. That was what Logan had been hoping for, however, and he quickly slung his great sword back into its sheath and turned to run towards the shock trap. He could hear the Tetsucabra grunting and snapping its teeth behind him, but he refused to look back until he leapt over the trap and slid to a halt next to Bram and Leon.

He spun around right as the Tetsu thundered over the shock trap, pressing its belly right onto the center of the discus. With a shriek from the beast, the trap unleashed a cascade of voltage into the demon toad's body, making the creature skid to a halt and spasm violently. The Tetsu wheezed in shock and pain as its jaw hung open, immobile from the paralysis.

"Now! Get it!" Bram shouted as he shot an arrow into the Tetsu's shoulder.

Logan and Leon both leapt forward, circling around to different sides of the creature, Leon towards the Tetsu's right, while Logan made a beeline to the left toward its nearly-broken tusk. Arrows sailed over their heads, punching firmly into the weak points in the creature's plating, either natural or ones created earlier by Sonia's Kut-Ku picks. Sliding to a halt in front of the beast, Logan crouched low, pulling his great sword behind him with the blade pointed towards the sky as he gathered as much strength as he could muster. With a roar of his own, he swung the blade up over his head and down towards the creature's skull.

The great sword cleaved directly into the side of its face, breaking through the thick scales and shredding into the creature's left eye. A gush of blood sprayed out from the wound as the blue eyeball was sliced down the middle, and the blade continued to cleave down, tearing a long gash down the side of the toad's face, before dropping down and crashing once more into the base of the beast's tusk. With a loud crack, the base of the tusk shattered, breaking it off and sending the massive bone arcing through the air before it clattered to the ground nearby.

Even through the paralysis of the shock trap, the Tetsucabra screeched in pain and staggered back, flopping off of the shock trap and twisting its head in agony. Logan had dealt the Tetsu with a heavy wound, though the creature's thick skull seemed to have saved it from a killing blow. The others had left their own damage as well: Bram had peppered the toad's joints with arrows, turning the beast's body into a bit of a pincushion, and Leon had been punching his lance into the Tetsu's legs to try and cripple it.

Despite the terrible gash left across the side of its face, however, the Tetsucabra was still standing, and as its remaining eye turned to glare at the three hunters, it was obvious the beast still had fight in it. The creature snapped its jaw down to unearth another boulder, but while its remaining tusk punched into the soil easily, the shattered remains of its broken tusk only scraped uselessly off the ground. As the earth split, the Tetsu began to lift the boulder from the earth, but without both tusks, the stone slipped from its grip, dropping to the ground and shattering. The Tetsu whined in frustration, trying a second time, but again the stone failed to hold together.

Logan smirked, charging forwards as the Tetsu plunged its tusk into the earth again. However, rather than trying to hoist a boulder in its jaws, this time the demon toad used its single remaining tusk to heave the stone through the air. Logan barely had time to register the attack, and on instinct he dropped flat onto his belly, covering his head with his hands. He winced as the boulder whooshed over his head, kicking up a gust of wind in its passing, but somehow he'd managed to avoid being struck. Thumping footsteps called his attention back to the Tetsu as the beast charged towards him, and before he could get to his feet, the creature was upon him.

Logan rolled to the right as the Tetsu stamped its talons down towards him, the force of the blows cracking the earth and flipping Logan onto his back. However, the creature lost sight of him for a moment without the use of its left eye, and tried to twist its head around to spot him. An arrow punched into the Tetsu's foreleg, however, making it flinch and turn to seek out Bram, only to wince in surprise as Leon rushed up and thrust his lance into the soft hide just behind the demon toad's jaw, making it wail in pain. That gave Logan time to scramble out from under it and back to his feet, but before he could attack again, the Tetsu began spraying a jet of green bile from its mouth while twisting its head, hosing down the ground in front of it.

"Don't inhale the fumes!" Bram shouted desperately behind him, and both Logan and Leon covered their mouths with his arm before pulling away from the steaming puddle. With a small moat separating them and the Tetsu now, the demon toad was able to back away and gather itself.

"Damn this thing's tough!" Logan growled. A solid hit to the side of the creature's skull, taking out one of its eyes, and shattering one of its tusks, and the beast was just as fierce as before, if not a little angrier. "Bram, set the other trap! We need to finish it!"

"Let me do it!" Leon volunteered. "Bram, if you can shoot its joints like you did its legs, you can cripple it better than I can!"

"Hmm… Alright, I'll do what I can," the archer replied, pulling out a much larger metallic object and tossing it towards Leon. As the lancer backed off, Bram nocked an arrow and fired without hesitation at the Tetsucabra's right eye. The creature jolted in shock, twisting away so the arrow would clash off of its forehead, allowing Bram time to pull back another shot and fire it into the Tetsu's inner right elbow.

Logan darted to the right, circling around the Tetsu's blind side. The toad tilted his head at the sound of the hunter's footsteps and began twisting around to try and get its eye on him, but Bram began circling to the left and drew another arrow. The Tetsu hesitated at the sound of the creaking bow, glancing back towards the archer as the arrow was loosed. The creature winced as the arrow sunk into its foreleg just above the elbow, trying to move its arm, but the shaft was wedged in deep and the creature had trouble. Logan lunged for the Tetsu's hind leg, but it heard him coming. Without its eye, the creature could only swing its leg out blindly, swiping at the air, and Logan was easily able to dodge.

Logan and Bram continued like this for another minute or so, dancing back and forth between attacking the Tetsu and keeping the beast focused on them. Bram's arrows slowly started to fill the hide at the creature's joints, and the toad began to slow down. The Tetsu's tight defense forced Logan to keep his distance rather than getting the chance at a proper attack, however, and even when a chance to attack arose, his cuts were always too shallow for his liking. But the Tetsu was growing more and more agitated as time passed, and its swings were growing wilder and less sharp.

"It's ready!" Leon called out from behind them. Logan glanced back, and sure enough a large circle of land had been turned soft by the pitfall trap.

"This our chance to finish it, hey?" Logan shouted as he and Bram turned to pull back. "Just need a solid shot on its head. Keep its attention!"

"Understood," Bram replied. The two hunters spun around, running towards the trap, and the Tetsu lumbered after them, bellowing in anger.

"Behind you!"

Logan craned his head to glance back fearfully at Leon's shout, only to wince as a jet of vile green liquid shot through the air towards Bram. Thankfully, the archer was able to twist his body to dodge the bile, but the fluid splattered against the stone right in front of him. Bram slid to a halt in front of the puddle, but must have caught a whiff of the bile smell, because he staggered slightly, raising a hand to cover his face and nearly dropping to a knee.

It was enough time for the Tetsu to catch up with him. Bram tried to leap out of the way of the creature's tusk, but the demon toad snapped a foreleg out, swatting the red-headed hunter with its palm and sending him skidding a few yards across the rocky terrain with a cry of pain. Logan cursed, turning to dash towards Bram, but the Tetsucabra was already on top of him again.

" _Get away from him_!"

Logan blinked in surprise as flash of violet flew in from the side, with Sonia leaping into the air, planting her feet onto the Tetsu's jaw, and smashing the heads of her dual blades onto the demon toad's face. The Tetsu squealed in shock as its scales and plates shattered, shaking its head in pain, but Sonia leapt off before she could be thrown off, dashing forward as soon as she hit the ground to assault its torso and hind legs. With a bellow of fury, the Tetsu abruptly raised the right side of its body and prepared to smash it down, but rather than leaping backwards or to the side, Sonia instead dashed straight forwards and under the creature, sliding under its belly and past its legs before the beast could slam down.

The Tetsu splintered the earth beneath it as its right legs smashed into the ground, and with a grunt the creature turned to try and find Sonia. It was confused for a moment when it didn't see her, and even raised its foreleg to see if it had crushed her beneath its feet. It jolted in shock when Sonia attacked from the other side and twisted around to try and see her, only for the huntress to leap up and smash the heads of her dual blades into its snout, making it nearly topple over it shock.

Logan slid to a halt next to Bram, helping the archer back to his feet as the younger man quickly slugged down a potion to stave off the pain. As Bram waved him off, Logan turned back towards Sonia. "Oy, girlie! What the hell you think you're doing?"

"I'm fine now!" she called back, waving her arms. Logan frowned and took a step towards her, but the huntress held up a hand. "Really! You and Bram get to the other side of the trap, and I'll pull pull it your way! Be ready to finish it off"

It certainly seemed like she had the situation under control. Her movements were a little more sluggish than what Logan was used to seeing her at, but she was still outpacing the Tetsu pretty well. Logan doubted that Vi would've let Sonia rush out into battle if she didn't think she was ready for battle, either…

"Well, be careful!" Logan shouted, grabbing Bram and yanking him towards the trap, much to the archer's disdain.

Sonia backed away from the creature as it thundered towards her in rage, stampeding across the rocks. With the creature's attention fully on her, Sonia spun around to sprint towards the trap with the Tetsu hot on her heels.

Then she slipped. As the huntress turned to dash away from the charging Tetsu, her foot landed on a bit of loose rubble, and she yelped as she dropped to her knees. She scrambled back to her feet as quickly as she could, but before she could move again, the Tetsu was on her.

Sonia was sharp enough to spin around to face the creature in an attempt to prepare herself from the oncoming attack. The Tetsucabra lunged, opening its mouth wide to envelop the huntress in its maw, but at the last moment Sonia leapt backwards, just barely keeping herself out of the beast's fangs as they snapped shut in front of her. However, as the creature snapped its jaw shut, it also twisted its head sideways and snapped its remaining tusk to the side, smashing it into Sonia's leg. The huntress screamed in pain as the hurled her off her feet and through the air, sending her flying over the beachhead and crashing into the pond.

" _Sonia_!" Bram howled in horror, snapping an arrow into place and firing it, the head punching into the exposed hide under the Tetsu's left eye. The demon toad winced slightly from the close shot, but kept its focus on the huntress as it thundered towards the water to follow her.

Logan dashed forward to intercept the creature, glancing fearfully out towards Sonia as she burst out of the water, gasping for air, but something seemed wrong. She was still in the shallows, and couldn't have been in water much deeper than her chest, but huntress was having trouble staying standing, and her face was contorted with pain.

"My… my leg!" she gasped, and Logan cursed to himself as he ran. Was it a sprain or a break? Either way, he needed to keep the creature off of her!

"Bram!" he shouted. The archer barely seemed to register him, running out into the water after Sonia. "Damn it, Bram, shoot the Tetsu! We need to slow it down before it gets to her!"

The words seemed to register with Bram, thankfully, and the archer slid to a halt in the water, glancing towards the demon toad as it splashed into the shallows. With a loud curse the archer snapped out his bow, drawing an arrow and firing it towards the Tetsu's legs, which struck the mark almost perfectly as it sank into the hide of the creature's foreleg. Another arrow was fired a moment later which hit within a foot of the first, and the Tetsu flopped onto its belly.

"Good! Leon!" Logan shouted, turning to face the lancer, only to find the young man charging into the water.

"You can fight the Tetsu better than I can!" he shouted back, pushing through the shallows. "I'll get Sonia!"

Logan nodded thankfully; Leon might as well have read his mind. Also, from the shoreline, he could hear music rolling over the water, and felt a wave of relief wash over him as Vi played a healing song, before immediately starting into playing the same song again. The great sword user turned the charge into the water after the Tetsucabra, growling under his breath as the water slowed him down the second he splashed into the pond. However, Bram was still pelting the Tetsu's legs with arrows, which gave Logan time to catch up with and throw himself in front of the Tetsu, swinging his sword out and waving it in the creature's face.

"Hoy! You keep you eyes on me, hey?" he bellowed, pulling his weapon back and swinging it in a wide horizontal arc at the Tetsu's face.

He was caught off guard, however, when the creature pushed forward, closing the distance and blocking the blade with its remaining tusk before he could get enough momentum put some real power behind his swing. Before he could recover, the Tetsu snapped its head forward, headbutting the hunter and throwing him onto his back into the water. Logan tried to push himself upright, but before he could the Tetsu swung its foreleg out and swatted him out of its way. The great sword user was left gasping and sputtering as he pushed himself out of the water, cursing again when he realized that the Tetsu was ignoring him and charging towards Sonia again! Even the arrows that Bram was using to turn the creature into a pincushion with weren't dissuading the beast.

Sonia seemed to realize her predicament as the Tetsu lumbered towards her, and began awkwardly flailing around. As Logan struggled to wade through the shallow water after the demon toad, he could see potions and other small objects bobbing to the surface around the huntress, and he realized she was digging through her pouch for something. A few moments later, she pulled a small cylinder about the water and raised it over her head even as she worked to stay afloat.

"Close your eyes!" she shouted, pulling the pin and hurling the canister straight up.

Logan paused to cover his face, and a moment later there was a burst of light and the Tetsucabra wailed in shock. The hunter opened his eyes again to spot the Tetsucabra staggering backwards in the water, its one good eye squeezed shut as it shook its head. Logan rushed towards the creature, but Bram beat him to it. Somehow the archer had covered the distance through the water and was already right next to the beast. Rather than using his bow, however, the archer surprised Logan when he leapt up onto the blinded toad's hind leg, using it as a stepping stone and throwing himself up the Tetsu's curved spine. Bram ran up the creature's back, and even as the demon toad seemed to register that the hunter was there, Bram pulled an arrow from his quiver, raised it over his head, point down, and drove it down into the beast's spine through one of the gaps Sonia had broken loose.

The Tetsu shrieked in agony and immediately began lashing around, trying to dislodge the hunter from its back. Bram was nearly thrown off instantly as the Tetsu flailed, but managed to cling to the arrow's shaft. Logan didn't know how the archer had managed to keep his arms from being dislocated, much less keep his grip. After a few seconds, the Tetsu paused to catch its breath, and the archer struggled back to his feet, pulled another arrow out and drove it into the Tetsu's back as well.

This time, however, as the Tetsucabra flailed back in agony, Bram wasn't able to hold on, and the archer was thrown off and sent crashing into the water behind it. The Tetsu bellowed in rage and snapped around, searching for where Bram had hit the water, but didn't charge immediately. Logan was confused for a moment, before realizing that the Tetsu was still blinded from the flash bomb. As Bram broke the surface of the water, gasping for air, the Tetsu tilted its head in his direction, focusing on the noise as the archer pushed back to his feet, soaking wet.

A strangled gasp and a loud clanking suddenly rang across the waters, however. Logan cursed, turning his attention to Sonia. Leon had reached the huntress and was leading her around the Tetsu towards the shoreline. However, both of them were moving very clumsily, with Leon's heavy armor and Sonia moans of pain echoing over the water. The Tetsu's head tilted slightly, trying to follow the noise as it slowly turned in their direction.

"Hey! Stupid frog! Over here, dammit!" Bram shouted from the side, firing an arrow into the beast's hide and trying to pull the creature's attention away from Sonia and Leon. The creature cocked its head in the archer's direction, and Leon had the wherewithal to stop in the water to try and cut off the sound he was making, but couldn't stop Sonia's pained gasps. Rather than turning to face Bram, the Tetsu continued to aim itself in Sonia and Leon's direction.

"Hoy! Stop!" Logan bellowed, but the demon toad leapt forward into a sweeping charge, with its tusk sweeping left and right in a wide area of attack.

However, Leon promptly threw Sonia forwards towards the shoreline, pulling up his shield and leaping between her and the Tetsu. There was a thunderous crash as the demon toad crashed into him, nearly knocking the lancer off his feet. Due to its blindness though, slamming face-first into a wide metal slab seemed to shock it to a sudden halt, shaking its head in a daze as Leon pressed forward, smashing his Kecha Wacha shield into the beast's snout. The Tetsu recovered quickly and tried to bite at the shield, but Leon snapped his lance forward when it opened its maw, jabbing the tip into the top of the toad's mouth, making it squeal and step back in pain.

"Get up!" the lancer bellowed desperately, glancing back at Sonia. "Get back to shore while it's focused on me! Quickly!"

Sonia nodded before struggling back upright and limping through the water back towards shore. Bram made a beeline for her, while Logan struggled through the water towards the Tetsu to help out Leon. Sonia stumbled several times when her leg gave out beneath her, but both Bram and Vi met her just before she reached shore, the archer wrapping an arm around her and helping her stand as he pulled her out of the water.

Though he had managed to stop the Tetsucabra's attack on Sonia, however, the toad was still much larger, much stronger, and much less hindered by the water than Leon. The Tetsucabra growled viciously, smashing against the orange shield, battering the lancer as its fractured tusk scraped loudly against the Kecha materials. Somehow, Leon managed to keep from falling, but each successive blow against the shield was wearing him down. Soon enough, the lancer was overpowered, and there was a loud clang of metal and a cry of pain, and a moment later Leon flew past Sonia and Bram, crashing onto the rocky beach and rolling onto his side. The top of the lancer's tower shield had been terribly dented, and all of the barbs that had lined the side had been snapped off. Leon wheezed as he struggled to his feet, but Logan could see that he was clutching his left arm in pain, and the Gendrone scales and hide had been badly shredded just below the shoulder. Leon's lance was nowhere to be seen either, likely dropped and sunk below the water.

The Tetsu turned as the lancer tried to push to his feet. The creature's gaze focused intently on him, and Logan knew that the creature's vision had to have returned by now, and that it had finally shifted its attention away from Sonia. The great sword user finally reached the shoreline, glad to be out of the water as he picked up the pace to dash along the water line towards the fallen lancer, but he knew he wouldn't make it in time as the demon toad bellowed and charged towards Leon.

Before it reached the hunter, however, Vi lunged at the creature from the side. The huntress shouted in fury, taking the Tetsu off guard as she smashed the bell of her hunting horn into the side of the demon toad's skull. The beast wailed in shock, toppling over and flopping onto its side. Vi glared at the beast for a moment before rushing in the lancer's direction, helping Leon up to his feet as well before dragging him away towards the same rocky outcropping that Bram had taken Sonia towards.

"Logan, this can't go on!" the huntress called out. "We've got two injured, so I'm calling it here! As soon as Leon and Sonia are safe, I'm finishing the Tetsu off!"

The great sword user cursed as he glared at the Tetsu. The demon toad was on its last legs, but only he and Bram had the strength to keep fighting, but with Sonia injured Logan doubted Bram would want to continue the fight. They wouldn't be able to run either, not with two injured; even if they used a flash bomb, they wouldn't be able to get far before the Tetsu recovered. If Vi stepped in to help, the battle would certainly be over quickly… but Tuulikki probably wouldn't accept that kind of victory, and Logan sure as hell wouldn't!

"Wait!" he called out. "What about the pitfall trap? We can still do this!"

Vi looked uncertainly towards the lingering pitfall trap. The trap was still in place, with voltage surging through the outer circle as the Saturnian that kept the pit itself jumped around in the silty soil. She glanced back towards the Tetsu as the demon toad rolled back to its feet, wheezing for air. The creature was certainly showing the wear from the battle.

"Ugh… fine! But you only have one shot! If you can't finish it, then I will!"

"Deal, girlie!" Logan shouted, turning his attention back to the Tetsucabra. "Hoy, froggie! You done yet, or you still want a piece of me?"

The Tetsu shook its head, and turned to focus its eye on the hunter, glowering angrily. Logan immediately spun around and sprinted towards the pitfall trap as the Tetsu charged his way. He could hear the creature lumbering after him to run him down, but didn't look back. However, as he reached the edge of the trap and began skirting around the edge, the sound of the Tetsucabra charging after him cut off, replaced with the sound of breaking stone. Logan spun around just in time to see the demon toad finish breaking a broad slab of stone from the earth, immediately flinging it in the hunter's direction.

The boulder wasn't thrown quite hard enough, but upon hitting the ground once, it didn't immediately fracture, but bounced once and continued to roll in the great sword user's direction. Logan tried to dodge, but his first impulse was to leap right, which nearly sent him into the pitfall trap, and before he could recover the boulder was almost on top of him. All he could do now was swing his great sword around and block.

The boulder struck the flat edge of his great sword with a loud _clang_ and a rigid _crack_. Though the stone had lost a lot of its momentum hitting the ground and rolling, it still had more than enough inertia to smash into the hunter, launching him backward several yards and hitting the ground hard. Logan was seeing stars as he opened his eyes and shook his head. He could already hear the sound of the Tetsu's footsteps thundering towards him and quickly pushed to his feet, trying to get his bearings again. The boulder that had hit him had ground to a halt right next to the pitfall trap, and already Logan could see the bulbous shape of the Tetsu around the edges as the creature let out a roar of victory, charging straight for Logan around the stone-

-and straight into the pitfall trap. The Tetsu wailed in shock as the earth under its feet suddenly gave out, the soft earth enveloping its forelegs in a flash and sending its upper torso and head plummeting a couple yards into the earth. In less than a second the Tetsu's upper body was buried up to its eyes in silty soil, with its hind legs and tail flailing around wildly in the air behind it. The creature struggled to free itself, but was soon caught in the underlying net, and Logan could see the edges of the cords straining against the Tetsu's claws.

The great sword user himself was cursing as he pushed to his feet. His chest and arms ached painfully from the blow he'd taken, but he'd taken worse hits than this from Therian monsters, like Uragaans and Zinogres; he was still standing, and could use this chance to finish the Tetsucabra off! However, as he swung his great sword around, he paled at what he saw: the boulder had send a long and jagged crack through the core of his great sword, nearly splitting the blade in two! As sturdy as the iron blade was, it could only take so much punishment, and with his great sword like this, the blade seemed like it could break if he tried to block anything else, much less attack with it. He'd need to go for the head, but with the Tetsu half-buried in the center of the pitfall trap…

Then an idea struck him. Logan looked at the boulder the Tetsu had thrown at him: it was almost three yards tall, with one side relatively flat, cracked and broken from the rocky earth… but those cracks could be scaled, couldn't they? As quickly as he could, Logan leapt up the side of the slab, hauling himself up to the top. The stone wasn't perfectly balanced; he could feel it leaning and swaying ever so slightly as he scaled it, but still he carefully pulled himself over and perched himself on the peak of it, glancing over the edge where the Tetsu was. The creature was quickly getting its feet back under it and looked as though it would soon be able to leap out of the pit.

The great sword user jumped towards it before it could do so, however, grabbing the hilt of his sword and heaving it over his shoulder. If his sword only had one more attack in it, he'd put everything he could muster into the blow, even gravity! The Tetsu was just kicking off as it raised its gaze upwards, realizing as it was starting its leap that Logan was falling towards it. The great toad couldn't stop its jump, however, and before it could react the Tetsucabra leapt face-first into Logan's great sword.

There was a sickening _crunch_ as the blade of the great sword cleaved into the beast's head, splitting the Tetsucabra's skull right between the eyes. Between the weight of the blade, the power of Logan's swing, the pull of gravity on the weapon, and the Tetsucabra's upwards leap, the metal blade tore through scale, hide, and bone until it was wedged a full eight inches into the demon frog's head. The Tetsu let out a sharp screech of pain, but the noise was cut off almost instantly.

However, the momentum from the toad's leap didn't vanish after its death. Logan found himself spinning as the Tetsu's carcass twisted in the air, with his great sword wedged in its skull. There was a sharp shattering sound, and Logan suddenly found himself sailing through the air before hitting the ground at an angle and bouncing once before rolling to a halt several yard later. A moment later there was a heavy _thump_ as the Tetsu crashed to the ground nearby.

"Oof… that was a little stupid…" the hunter muttered to himself, groaning as he pushed himself upright and pushing some of his black hair off of his face. He'd had to have dented his armor with that little stunt… Nothing felt broken though, which was lucky. He must have hit the ground at enough of an angle to avoid a hard impact.

He quickly looked over towards the Tetsu, splayed out on its back, and felt relieved when the creature didn't move. He still had a grip on the hilt of his great sword, but as he pulled it around, he realized that it felt very… light. Sure enough, looking down, the large crack that had been made in his blade had finished its traversal, and only about half of Logan's blade remained attached to the hilt; the remainder was still lodged in the skull of the Tetsu. Logan sighed, slinging the remains of his weapon into his sheath. He supposed he was due for a new blade anyway; maybe he'd be able to make something decent with whatever Tetsu materials he managed to carve off this creature.

Bram appeared from behind one of the boulders nearby and approached the toad cautiously, just in case it somehow had one last stand, but a moment later the archer walked over. "It's dead! Honestly, I'd be terrified if it was capable of surviving that type of injury…"

"Hoy, that a relief," the great sword user sighed, standing up and wincing from a crick in his shoulder, though rolling it a couple times seemed to relieve the pain.

He strode over to the carcass of the Tetsu, where Bram was tugging against the chunk of Logan's great sword in an attempt to pull it free. There was a sickly tearing sound as the archer managed to yank the blade out, and a stream of blood and other organic matter poured from the wound. The Tetsu's body twitched slightly as the great sword was pulled free, making both hunters flinch worriedly, but the beast remained still after that.

"Heh. Guess it hit its brain, hey?" Logan chuckled, taking hold of his weapon. Bram looked unamused however, and quickly turned to hurry over to the boulder where he'd dragged Sonia. Vi was standing out in the open now, waving them over.

"Not a bad finish," she told Logan as he neared. "A little messy, but a good battle considering it was your first Tetsu."

"The other two all right?" Logan asked, circling around the huntress. Sonia and Leon were both propped up against the boulder, with fresh bandages wrapped around their leg and arm respectively. Leon seemed to be taking things rather well, despite his left arm lying rather limply on the ground, but Sonia seemed absolutely miserable with the situation.

"They're fine for the most part," Bram replied. "Sonia's leg is sprained, and Leon might have a hairline fracture in his arm. His shoulder was dislocated, but we shoved that back in. They won't be hunting for the rest of the week, probably, but they'll live."

"Hoy, that's a relief, hey?"

"It's dead then?" Leon asked, slight disappointment in his voice.

"'Less you Gahin monsters can survive a lobotomy, it ain't getting up again."

"I see…" the lancer sighed. "Well, then, could I ask a favor? Can you try and recover my lance? I lost my grip on it out in the pond."

"Eh? Oh, ja, no problem," the black-haired hunter replied, rolling his shoulder. "Give me a chance to get this crick out of my shoulder, hey?" Logan glanced down at Sonia too, realizing that one of the huntress' dual blade holsters was empty as well. "I'll look for you other sword, eh, or whatever it is while I'm at it, eh, girlie."

"Hmm? Oh… yeah. Thanks," Sonia murmured, barely registering the question before returning her attention to the ground in front of her. Logan frowned worriedly; Sonia rarely acted this melancholy. What had brought this on? It wasn't the first time she'd been injured during a hunt…

"I'll send up a flare and let the watchtowers know that we're successful," Vi nodded. "In the meantime, Bram, do you want to get started on carving the Tetsu? If you can gather materials for Leon and Sonia while you're at it-"

"I can do that," the archer replied, standing upright and patting Sonia on the shoulder before walking over towards the demon toad's carcass.

"Leave some for me, hey?" Logan grinned as he made his way to the water, and Bram nodded. As the great sword user approached the pond, however, he frowned at the sight. Had the water always been so muddy? Or had their battle stirred up the waters? He had thought finding Sonia and Leon's weapons would be a cinch, but even Leon's massive, bright orange lance couldn't be seen through the churning silt. "Hoy, this gonna be a pain…"

* * *

"I want to apologize."

It took Sonia a moment to register the words, before she looked up in surprise, turning to face Leon. "You… do?"

"Yes. I… I said too much back in Harth. I was in a bad mood at the time, and I took it out on you when you didn't deserve it."

"A _bad mood_?" Sonia asked with an edge to her voice. Leon winced slightly at the tone, and nodded solemnly.

"I know that's no excuse. That's why I wanted to apologize," the lancer said. "Can I… would you let me explain?"

Sonia scowled at Leon for a moment, but her eyes drifted down to his injured arm. After a moment of contemplation, she nodded.

"Um… thank you. Well, the… the last time I was in Harth, about three months ago, I got my leg broken during a hunt. You probably heard about that from Tuli. Vi and I joined up with another couple hunters, an apprentice and master pair, to hunt a Gypceros. Anyway, the thing is, my leg wasn't broken by the Gypceros, but because of… another hunter. A _gunlancer_."

Sonia was shocked at the sheer venom in Leon's voice as he uttered the last word, as he turned to glower at the ground in front of him. "You… the other hunter _attacked_ you?"

Leon blinked in surprise at the question, before shaking his head quickly. "No! No, no… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It was purely an accident on his part."

"What? Then why are you so…"

"Because his gunlance caused a rockslide and I broke my leg pushing him out of the way… and then he acted like it was _my_ fault. Because he ended up killing the Gypceros and saying I should've done more to help during the hunt. Because he never apologized… or he _did_ , but only because his hunting master _forced_ him to, and I knew he didn't mean it. Because he-" Leon paused mid-sentence, his hissed words cutting to a halt, looking abashed with himself. "Like I said, it wasn't your fault. Being in Harth reminds me of that hunt, and when we went to see Dominic, there was a gunlance artisan right across the street, which only made me angrier, and then Dominic himself just brushed off my ethics like I was…!"

The lancer paused mid-rant again, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. After a couple deep breaths, the black-skinned young man shook his head. "I'm sorry. These are just excuses, and I shouldn't have lashed out at you like I did, especially since I was angry at someone else."

Sonia remained silent for a few seconds more, before slowly nodding. "It's… fine."

"No, it isn't," Leon muttered, crossing his arms - or trying to, since his left arm was still injured - and lowering his eyes guiltily. "I know my choice to be a follower of the Shield is a personal decision. I know it's an unreasonable and selfish of me to expect others to follow the same path. I'm sorry that I snapped at you, and I'm sorry that I tried to make you feel lesser for making different choices than me."

"Leon, please. Really, it's fine," Sonia sighed. "Besides… I should apologize to you too."

"Apologize? For what?"

"Your arm… Because of me, because I slipped up and got caught by the Tetsu, you had to protect me and-"

"Oh, that? Don't worry about that, Sonia," the lancer cut in. "It wasn't your fault, you just slipped on some pebbles. It turned out fine in the end. Do you think I wouldn't have tried to help you just because you tripped?"

"Still, I should've-"

"There wasn't anything you could have done about that. It was just a bit of bad luck."

Sonia tensed at the words, clenching her teeth. "It… it's not that. I… I don't-"

"Hoy! Found one!" Sonia looked over at Logan's shout as the great sword user pulled Leon's Kecha Wacha lance out of the water, before wading over to shore and dropping it onto dry land. "Gimme a few more minutes, Sonia. You blade gonna be tricky to find in all this mud, hey?"

"Oh. Yeah, that's fine. Take your time…"

Leon frowned worriedly. "Is… something wrong, Sonia?"

Sonia was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Leon looked like he didn't believe her, and even opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it again uncertainly. Before he could get anything out, Violetta walked back up to them.

"Well, the Guild's been informed, and they're probably sending a wagon out to collect the carcass. They should be here in a couple hours if you're willing to wait that long for a ride back to the village."

"That's fine," Sonia replied quietly.

"Alright then, we should be back to the village a little past nightfall. Once we're back, you can get some rest and recover. You guys did a really good job out there today, and I'll be sure to let Tuli know, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks…"

* * *

"You sure you're okay?" Bram asked, keeping his eyes focused on Sonia.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine, Bram," the huntress replied. "I just… I'm just tired and need a little rest."

The two hunters had just entered the Stellazzio's wagon circle outside of Harth. The sun had dropped over the horizon not too long ago, and the hunters had already reported the kill to the Guild. The Guild's hired dismantlers would take their share of the Tetsucabra's carcass and return a fair share of the unnecessary materials to the hunters the next morning. Though, Bram had apparently picked apart a fair number of scales and plates from the Tetsu's hide, and Logan was clinging rather proudly to the tusk he'd broken off the beast.

Dominic had been pleased with their work as well, tossing them some extra coin for their work on top of the Guild's payment. It was a nice bonus, but the old Troverian was careful to keep from referring to the pond as his 'fishing hole' when Leon was around. The lancer almost hadn't accepted the extra pay, but some quick words from Vi had encouraged him to take it anyway.

Now they were back to the wagons. With the day's business done, the men and women of Stellazzio were gathered up, and some were calling out to the hunters to tell them the story of the hunt. Logan and Vi were both perfectly willing to tell the tale, but Sonia, Bram, and Leon were all in no mood for storytelling. Sonia's leg was still bothering her, and she wanted nothing more than to get some sleep. Bram was worried about Sonia. Leon… Sonia didn't know what Leon's issue was, but the lancer quickly made his way back to his own wagon, disappearing into it without another thought.

Sonia put Leon out of her mind as she and Bram reached her wagon, however, and the archer helped her inside. Bram didn't need to say anything to her before the huntress slumped onto her bed, reaching down to undo her greaves. Peeling off the lavender boots and the socks beneath, Sonia winced slightly at the sight of the bruised flesh beneath. Bram was unfettered, however, immediately kneeling down and gingerly studying the appendage.

"It doesn't look bad," Bram said. "Sprained, but we should probably find you a clinic in town tomorrow morning… maybe tonight. Just to get it looked at."

"Not tonight, please," the huntress sighed. Bram kept his gaze on her until she sighed. "Tomorrow morning. Bright and early. I promise. Just… let me get some sleep. I'm tired, Bram…"

"Fine," Bram replied quietly, pushing to his feet. "First thing in the morning, then. I'm going to be up for a while yet. My wagon's not far, so if you need me-"

"I'll come get you," the huntress promised, and Bram nodded. The hunter made his way to the door, and Sonia hobbled along behind him. As he walked through the door, he paused and glanced back at her.

"Sleep well, Sonia."

"Yeah… thanks."

With that, Sonia closed the door, finally alone. As the door clicked shut, Sonia exhaled in exhaustion, slouching slightly and pressing her forehead against the doorframe. Her hand remained clenched around the knob, and for a few moments she just stood there with her eyes closed.

"That was a risky gamble, girl, trying to pull that Tetsu towards the trap when you weren't fully recovered."

Sonia winced slightly at the cracked, masculine voice, but sighed and shook her head. "I know, I know…" she whispered. "I don't need you to tell me."

Sonia could practically feel lips curling into a twisted smile. "I do so enjoy reminding you though. You're such a risk taker Sonia, betting your hand with so little to wager. My favorite type of person."

"Shut up," she growled.

"But then, all you hunters are like that, aren't you? Every single hunt is a gamble… and you hunters just _love_ to put your lives on the table and leave them in the hands of fortune. What kind of person throws themselves against creatures twenty, thirty, a _thousand_ times their size with the intent to kill? Creatures so large that if they only sat on you they'd crush you? The very idea isn't just a gamble, Sonia… it's _madness_." Again Sonia could feel eyes leering at her. "And how easy it is, in such a situation, for things to go wrong."

"I didn't-!" The words were half out of Sonia's mouth before she ground her voice to a halt, seething at herself. "I saw… I should've kept my eyes on my feet. I should've watched out for loose rocks. I should've-"

"You don't need to blame yourself," the man purred, amusement in his voice. "That Leon boy said the same, didn't he? How were you to focus your attention on both the Tetsu and everything around you? How were you to keep track of every little loose stone and pebble? It wasn't your fault. It was just a bit of… _bad luck_."

Sonia clenched her teeth at the words, and her grip on the doorknob tightened. The man chuckled under his breath. "Now, now, there's no need to worry. The dice didn't fall in your favor this time, but you and your friends have always had a bit of good luck on your side. You were lucky against the Seltas, when Tuulikki happened to be passing by at the time and kept the bug from killing any caravan members. Your boy Bram was lucky for that rainstorm that saved him from being badly wounded by the Kecha Wacha. You were lucky fighting the Yian Kut-Ku, that it didn't turn its head a little more and hit a wagon with a fireball. You were lucky that Leon was looking at the pond when the Tetsucabra ambushed you, or you'd be toad food.

"But with the good must come the bad. A few loose pebbles is hardly the only harbinger of failure. All it takes is the sun in your eyes, a mistimed flash bomb, a single misfire of a bowgun, and the whole hunt falls apart. It's so easy to lose everything with a single hand. But it's not a _hunter's_ fault when fortune isn't with them. Sometimes things just go sour, don't they? Sometimes it's something _so_ small, something nearly inconsequential, even as simple as flipping a coin-"

There was a crack as Sonia's fist slammed into the doorframe, making the wagon shiver from the blow. The shadows on the wall flickered as the glowstone on the headstand shook on its perch. The huntress released a breath she hadn't even known she was holding in, letting it out in a slow hiss. "Just… just go away."

There was a low laughter, a dull rattling sound like rolling dice. "Fine. I can tell when I'm not wanted. But just remember to show caution in the future, girl. There won't always be someone there to save you when things go wrong. Your luck won't always hold out."

"I don't _need_ luck," Sonia snapped, spinning around. "I'll be strong and skilled enough to-"

But the wagon was empty. There was no sign that there had been anyone there at all, nothing out of place or shifted. Only the window in the back of the wagon was propped open slightly, letting a gentle breeze into the wagon. Sonia sighed, and felt herself slouching wearily, finally releasing the doorknob from her grip. Her palm was red and aching as she opened and closed her hand, letting the blood return.

She let her gaze settle on the item chest that had been shoved to the back wall. In a daze she walked over to it, slowly opening the lid and peering inside. The box was filled with the hundreds of materials she'd collected during her career as a huntress, but her eyes immediately went to one thing in particular: the fractured remains of a bone hammer's grip. It was a beginner's weapon, so the grip wasn't elaborate or finely-designed, just a thick iron rod with a small knuckle guard at the base. The hilt was covered in dust, and had seen little use. The only thing odd about it was the missing head of the weapon, broken off and leaving the top of the hilt with only a few lingering shards of monster bone.

Sonia stared blankly at the hilt for a minute or two, but a sense of unease eventually overwhelmed her, and she shivered, closing the lid of the box and stepping away, rubbing her shoulders as though she was cold. Weariness suddenly took hold of her, and the huntress only paused long enough to strip out of her armor before stumbling over to her bed, flopping down onto the mattress, and burying her face into the pillow.

Despite how tired she was, sleep didn't come quickly, and it felt like hours before she finally drifted off. As she did, she could still hear the rattling laughter from before in her skull, the tumbling sound, the rolling of dice.

* * *

 _A lone figure sat in the corner of an endless room. A featureless floor and stark white walls stretched endlessly at perpendicular angles from each other, continuing on into the distance farther than the eye could see. Sonia was curled up as tightly as she could in that corner, burying her face into her legs and trying to hide herself away. Even with her eyes glued shut, however, she shivered as a dull rumble echoed through the room, and though she tried to keep herself from looking, her eyes opened up on their own against her wishes and her gaze turned towards the endless interior of the white room._

 _Two dark shapes rose up from the ground far in the distance. They were wide and tall, stretching out long like plateaus. Rugged lumps and hills rolled across the tops, blanketed in shadows and haze. A moment later two more shapes rose up into the sky, slimmer and taller than the first two shapes. They leaned over the shorter shadows like ravens looming over their prey. Crooked curved beaks grew long out from their faces, stretching down as though to pierce the shapes below them. The beaks opened, and deep voices roared across the room, making the earth shiver from their sonorous tones as each spoke in tandem with the other._

" _...burns…"_

" _...fire…"_

" _...poison…"_

" _...tearing…"_

" _...blood…"_

" _...fractures…"_

 _Sonia curled up tighter into herself where she sat, and covered her ears with her hands, trying to blot out the words that were being spoken, but the deep intonations pierced through her and could be heard no matter how hard she tried to push them out._

" _...too close…"_

" _...came at its call…"_

" _...saw them first…"_

" _...wide open…"_

" _...too fast…"_

" _Stop talking," Sonia begged. "Please stop… I don't want to hear this…"_

" _...wrong place, wrong time…"_

" _...just poor fortune…"_

" _...the others…"_

" _...hidden away…"_

" _...lucky…"_

" _Don't say that!" Sonia cried._

" _They couldn't have known."_

" _They couldn't avoid it."_

" _There was nothing they could have done."_

" _No! There must have been something-"_

" _Don't fight it. You heard them," a rattling voice laughed, and Sonia's eyes snapped up. A shadow stood right in front of her, its details hidden by the brightness of the walls behind it. Sonia could see the figure smiling wide, however, his crooked white teeth glowing like beacons. "There was nothing you could do, was there, Sonia? It was simply-"_

"No!"

Sonia gasped as she snapped awake, sitting bolt upright. The motion sent her head cracking against the shelving above her bed though, and she immediately cried out in pain, falling back and clutching her forehead in agony. Even that barely mattered to her, the memory from the nightmare still haunting her mind, and her breath hitched painfully as she found herself close to tears.

* * *

A light rapping on Bram's door jostled him from sleep. It didn't take him long to regain his bearings; he'd been working at the small desk he had in the wagon, and must have dozed off.

Before him, scattered across his desk, were a small collection of the cathangea seeds he'd managed to gather in the last few days. He'd been studying them when he had some spare time, trying to figure out what they were made of. Of course, he hadn't found anything yet; less than a week of research wouldn't offer him much with such limited materials and equipment, but he was in no great hurry. Hoping to find flowers and seeds out in the wilds was risky, and buying herbal remedies for research might be pricey, so better he just start growing them himself. When he took Sonia to the clinic tomorrow, maybe he should stop by a florist and get some flowerpots.

Thinking of Sonia jolted Bram back to the present, and he leapt to his feet to hurry towards the door. As he opened it, sure enough, there was Sonia standing there in little more than her pajamas.

"Sonia? Is something-"

Before Bram could even finish, the huntress pushed through the door, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face against his chest. He could hear her harsh and staggered breathing, and could tell already that she was close to crying. The archer sighed, quietly shutting the door behind her before wrapping his own arms around her and stroking her head comfortingly. The two of them stood in silence for several minutes, until Bram felt her breathing begin to even out.

"Did you see him?" he asked cautiously, though he could guess the answer.

"...No," Sonia replied. That wasn't the answer Bram had expected, but she followed it up quickly. "He spoke to me though."

"Ah. And… bad dreams?" Sonia didn't respond, but nodded her head against his chest. "I see. Do you want to stay here tonight?" Again she nodded. "Alright. Come on."

Bram carefully led Sonia over to his bed and sat on the edge. Sonia continued to cling to him, shifting her grip from his torso to his arm as they sat. Bram slowly scooted them backwards across the mattress until they were leaning against the wall of the wagon, before pulling up his bedsheets and wrapping Sonia up in them. The huntress remained latched to his arm even so, refusing to let go.

The pair of them remained like that for a long time, Sonia clutching to Bram as the archer comforted her. Eventually the huntress grew drowsy again and lay down, resting her head on Bram's lap but holding one of Bram's hands in hers, and eventually falling asleep as he stroked her hair. Bram sighed in relief as the huntress' breathing grew slow and steady, leaning his head against the wall. It would be another hour before he could bring himself to fall asleep as well.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a big red toad!**

 **Ah… This chapter shows how much I really liked the Wheel of Time. Mat Cauthon is by far my favorite character in that series.**

 **I always wondered why the Tetsu never used its ability to burrow into water and mud. Some of you might be confused about that bit, but if you watch the Tetsu introduction video, you might see that the Tetsu is doing pretty much the same thing that he does in the chapter, hiding in the stream that's going through the bottom of area 9. It's subtle, but it's there, I guarantee it! Except, in this story, the Tetsu doesn't go for a couple of passing Jaggis with its surprise attack, but the hunters instead… Same thing with the boulders. You fight it in muddy areas and the tundra, but there's never any deviations to its attacks like the Deviljho's boulder-flinging has. It's a little unfair in my opinion.**

 **For that matter, I recall there being mud/snow resistance skills in 4U, but were there even any monsters that could inflict muddy status (or whatever it's called)? There was snow status, sure, but not mud. Maybe that's something they'll give to Rust Duramboros if that particular subspecies makes a comeback in Cross.**

 **Of course, I'll need to do a DLC chapter one of these days where Sonia and friends encounter the gold-crown-small Tetsu they had in one of the event quests. Those of you who were observant may have noticed that particular event quest was actually titled "A Lost Civilization". Now I don't have** _ **nearly**_ **enough ego to believe that this was an official shout-out to my story (maybe a happy coincidence)… but it still gave me no small amount of glee, especially since the reward is tickets to produce the Clockwork insect glaive. Needless to say, I was rather ecstatic about the whole thing. Or I could do a gold-crown-large one instead and name him "Clifford, the big red frog"... Heh.**

 **Also, Bram does a rarity and actually 'mounts' the Tetsu, though it doesn't work out too well for him, obviously. I've decided that, if mounting was a thing that actually happened, it would follow a method more along the lines of Shadow of the Colossus, rather than the one in-game.**

 **One final thing, and this is important: two weeks from now I'll be releasing the first chapter of a new story, The Lost Civilization: Charon. Because of its predicted length (almost as long as Underground and After Life combined) and the amount of time it'll take me to write it, I'll be posting it as a completely new story here on the site. So, unless you're subscribed to me as a writer and not just to my stories, keep your eyes open for that!**

 **Playing: MH4U, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Splatoon, Disgaea 5, Fallout 4, LOZ: Ocarina of Time 3D  
Listening: Chavez, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance OST, Undertale OST, U2, Badly Drawn Boy, Wings  
Reading: **_**The Martian**_ **by Andy Weir,** _ **Dungeon Meshi**_ **by Kui Ryouko,** _ **Girls of the Wild's**_ **by Hun  
Watching: One Punch Man, The Martian**


	15. Cheeko

Cheeko

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"-and as the clouds faded and the sun returned to the sky, we found ourselves sitting on the beach of none other than Cheeko Sands itself. For all the time we'd spent searching for it, it seems the village really is a place you can only reach when you are lost."

"...What? Just like that? Thought it was an island."

"It is indeed, my friend."

"But none of you wagons is boats, hey? How you get to the island in the first place?"

"Ah, now that _is_ the big question… and one I cannot answer. I do not even know myself! It was quite the hassle to ferry the caravan back to the mainland, and cost no small amount of zenni."

"How you get youself so lost you get found on an _island a mile off the coast_?!"

"My friend, if I could answer that, I will have solved one of the many mysteries which has plagued me these last thirty years, and likely uncovered a few secrets of the universe along the way. These days, I am merely pleased that none in our caravan were harmed during the whole kerfuffle, and that I managed to discover the location of Cheeko Sands as I had set out to do. Though I often wonder what happened to that Najarala that plagued us…"

"Eh, guess some things better left unanswered, hey? 'Specially if it was as big as you saying it was."

"Such a sentiment may be accurate. Traveling to Cheeko Sands was quite the arduous challenge in my younger years, when you were forced to intentionally get yourself caught in a storm or chased by some dire beast."

"Thinking getting lost is a lot less trouble than being chased."

"You will get no arguments from me, my friend. A Wyverian acquaintance of mine told me his tale of finding the island where he chose the latter option. He claimed to have intentionally aggravated a powerful Zamtrios, and his flight from the monster led him straight to Cheeko. It was… admittedly not his most brilliant plan, despite being successful."

"Ja, that don't exactly sound like the most… Hoy. Hoy, wait. You friend… You say he pissed off a _Zamtrios_? Ain't those the big shark-frogs way up north in the Tundra?"

"They are more common in an area called the Frozen Seaway, but otherwise you are correct."

"Then… wait. We as far south as you can get in Gahiji! How he get chased by a monster in the _frozen north_ to a little island in the _tropics_?!"

"You keep asking me questions I do not have the answers to, my friend. Such quandaries have left grander minds than my own strained and confused. But if that conundrum is leaving you baffled, then I fear it will only bother you further to know that during his escape from the Zamtrios, my friend was separated from his ship and entire crew, save for a Felyne protégé of his. His flight carried him from a glacier in the far north to an island in the far south… _on foot_."

" _What?!_ How he supposed to- No. No more. I ain't gonna think about this anymore, or I gonna fry my noodle."

Steward laughed to himself and patted Logan's shoulder as the two of them walked near the front of the caravan. "That would be wise, my friend. It is as you said before: some questions are simply better left unanswered."

Logan sighed wearily as he tried to force his bafflement out of his mind. As much as he tried to take things in stride, sometimes he heard stories like the ones Steward had just told him that left him utterly befuddled. He wondered if the reason it bothered him so much was because of his Lost heritage… there were a lot of his countrymen that were eager to try and figure out a lot of what they considered oddities in the world. While Logan had essentially grown up in this world and didn't really know anything about what it had been like during the Lost's era, some innate thing was always gently tugging at the back of his mind, forcing him to question some of the world's strangeness.

"So we ain't gonna have trouble finding Cheeko or nothing is we?" Logan asked, returning his attention to the caravan master. "They say you can find it only if you been there before - and _you_ been there before - but hearing all these stories 'bout getting lost to find this place ain't real encouraging, hey?"

"Worry not, my friend. The days of searching out Cheeko Sands by the whims of fortune are gone," the older man replied confidently. "The Felynes of the village were no less agitated by the lack of visitors as travelers were about finding the island in the first place. Cheeko advertises as a place for hunters to hire Palico partners - a very popular practice - but business tends to grind to a halt when your primary consumers cannot find your shop.

"Eventually the Felynes took matters into their own hands by building Cheeko Cape, a town on the coast with the sole purpose of attracting hunters to an _easy-to-find_ location, where they can be efficiently ferried to and from the island itself. It is much less hassle than the former methods required."

"Thinking they ain't much methods that's _more_ of a hassle in the first place, hey?"

"Ha! I suppose that is true enough. Needless to say, it seems that their plan worked. I have seen Palico employment _quadruple_ in ten years since the town's inception, by those hunters that are in need a helping hand - or helping paw, I suppose. Cheeko Cape on its own has grown from little more than an ferry dock and inn to nearly a town in its own right, and there is a constant stream of traveling hunters passing through."

"Which means they's _business_ to be had for Caravan Stellazzio, hey?"

"Now you are getting it, my friend."

"Hey, Chef! Has the ocean come over the horizon yet?"

Logan groaned at the nickname, turning to glare at Sonia as the huntress approached. "Told you to stop calling me that, girlie."

"But why?" the huntress asked, smiling at him with false innocence. "You certainly look the part, don't you? Why else would you need such a giant kitchen knife?"

Logan sighed, glancing at the blade on his back. He'd decided to upgrade his great sword with the Tetsucabra materials he'd gathered while they were still in Harth, improving the weight and sharpness of the blade. Dominic had promised a much more powerful blade upon completion, and the resulting weapon certainly offered that: the sharpness still wasn't anything to write home about, but the weight and durability of the blade would easily double Logan's attack power once he got used to the balance.

What Dominic had _not_ mentioned was the weapon's design, which, as Sonia and the other hunters were so _fond_ of pointing out, looked like a giant kitchen knife. The design was called the Funayuki Reaver, a 'popular' great sword design (so Logan had been told) that was said to have been the favored blade of His Immenseness in Dundorma as a young man, though with his great height it had been used as a short sword instead. It was a nice story, but it didn't make Logan appreciate the design any more.

"Young Sonia may be correct," Steward said with a sly smile. "Perhaps we should put you to work helping Burmecia in her food stall. Some of those bumblepumpkins and king truffles she cooks up can get rather large, and no mere kitchen cleaver could compare to a blade like your own."

"Oh, don't you start too," Logan growled.

"He's right. The blade isn't _that_ sharp," Sonia prodded. "Maybe all it's good for is spreading butter over megabagels?"

"Hokay, you can shut up now, girlie," Logan groaned as the huntress burst into fits of giggles. Even Steward was doing a poor job hiding a smirk behind his hand. "Ja, ja, laugh it up. Don't know why you the one got the pretty design while I looking like I is missing a chopping board."

The huntress puffed her chest out slightly at the words. "Well that's what you get for asking an _armorsmith_ to make you a _weapon_. At least I asked him to make something he specialized in."

"Eh… guess I can't really argue 'bout that…"

After recovering from their fight against the Tetsucabra, Logan and Sonia had been eager to use their newly acquired materials for some much-needed upgrades. However, there was a bit of friction involved when they'd been forced to decide between asking Cleyra or Dominic to forge their new equipment. Both parties had certainly made strong - and very _loud_ \- arguments about how they were the superior smith, but in the end the hunters had decided to have Dominic make their equipment. He was the one who specialized in working the materials from monsters in the Hollow region, after all. However, considering the resulting Tetsu weapon the Troverian had made, Logan felt he might have made the wrong decision in the end…

For all the frustration Logan had for Dominic's weapon design, he had to admit that his proclaimed talent for armor design was up to snuff. Sonia had instead vied for armor, and the result was quite exceptional. Logan had been worried about what type of armor the old Troverian would construct, given how the huntress preferred to be light on her feet and have good mobility, and the thick plates and scales of the creature didn't seem as though it would offer that; Sonia had only ever worn the basic leather armor and Jaggi armors, after all, and changing to scale and plate mail was a big jump. Dominic had proven his skill, however, presenting Sonia with a solid yet flexible armor set made from the giant frog's scales. Sonia even claimed the set wasn't too much heavier her old Jaggi set, thanks to Dominic forging the armor with only the thinnest but strongest scales and then strengthening them with armor stones, providing her with a much-needed boost of defense while only slightly hampering her mobility.

The only point of contention that Sonia had with the armor was the pauldrons. The shoulder pads themselves were a little bulky for Sonia's tastes, but the two tusk tips that the Troverian had added for decoration did not meet the huntress' approval at all. She'd bickered with the Troverian over the tusks, not wanting them to catch them on anything when she dodged, or even worse, stabbing her in the temple if she moved her arm wrong. Dominic had been a bit stubborn about changing the design, but between Sonia's complaints and some offers on Cleyra's end to make the changes if he wouldn't, the Troverian eventually acquiesced and sheared the tusks off, leaving the shoulder pads bulky but much easier to move in than before.

Logan had also managed to get a new set of armor himself as well. A few encounters with Ioprey out around the Hollow as well as in the Everwood had given the great sword user the materials he'd needed to make a new set of armor from the poisonous creatures. It wasn't as good as Sonia's Tetsu armor, admittedly, but there hadn't been enough materials collected for them both to get a set, and the huntress definitely needed the defense boost more than he did. However, it was certainly a step up from the alloy armor he'd been wearing since his training in Lintukoto, and it felt better too, but that was just personal preference; sturdy metal plating was certainly nice, but Logan always felt much more satisfied wearing armor constructed from monsters that he'd slain.

Sonia was still smirking in amusement, however, as she patted the two blades hanging from her belt at the base of her back, a new couple of black-and-orange swords made from Bnahabra and Altaroth materials that Sonia had collected. "Now these are a pair of blades that are worth having. Made by someone that actually _forges_ weapons for a living, wouldn't you know it?"

Logan scowled at the huntress irritably. "Don't remember you being so flaunty when you get those Kut-Ku blades made, hey? And _those_ was made by Cleyra too, remember?" Sonia faltered slightly at the words, and Logan smirked wickedly. "And then you found out the hard way that you new weapons weren't that useful 'gainst beasties that don't got the heavy scales and plates, hey? So _then_ you get those blades made outta all the spare insect parts you got, only to have the bug girl give you the stink eye for a couple days."

"That glare could bore holes through stone…" Sonia shivered. " _Pecker…_ alright, so maybe I'm in no position to talk."

"Just making sure you know that, hey?" Logan chuckled. He reached up to pat the hilt of his great sword. "Still, hope we fight something soon that I can swap this thing out with."

Sonia nodded at the thought, reaching up to adjust her mask; the Tetsucabra armor didn't so much have a helmet, as much as a bright red facemask attached to her head with a pair of thick cords wrapping behind her skull. When the huntress wasn't in a battle, she tended to keep the faceplate resting on top of her head to keep her vision clear. "You've got Kut-Ku and Kecha materials sitting around, don't you? Why not get Cleyra to forge those into something battle-worthy?"

"Eh, I would, but she said anything I make from those beasties ain't gonna be as good as this sword, even if she was the one making it 'stead of Dominic, hey? Said my best bet was to look into mining some good ores and upgrading my buster sword."

"Why not use that Zinogre blade you have strapped to your wagon?" Steward cut in. "I've seen Cleyra scrutinizing it, and it seems rather well-crafted by her word."

"Nope, not gonna," Logan replied quickly. "I swore I wasn't gonna use my good equipment 'til I passed this country's hunter's exam, and I gonna stick to that, hey? Love that Zinogre sword, but I ain't going back on my word. Gonna prove to the bug girl that I is skilled enough to be a hunter in this country, even if I was starting from scratch."

"It is commendable to adhere so strongly to your word… Though it would make your life easier to do otherwise."

"If I wanted easy, woulda become an innkeeper like my momma. Ain't nothing easy 'bout fighting beasties twenty times you size, hey?"

"Hmm. Point taken."

"Anyway, point is, I'm stuck with this oversized cleaver for a while, 'less the bug girl lets us fight something with more mettle, like a Rathian."

"I'd be down for that!" Sonia said eagerly.

"Figure you would, but even if she said it was okay, _I_ wouldn't let you." Sonia pouted slightly, but Logan gave her a stern look. "I've fought Raths back in Theron, girlie, and if the ones here on par with them, you ain't ready to fight one yet."

"'Yet' being the key word."

"It gonna be a little while before it ain't 'yet' anymore, hey?" Logan chuckled, ruffling the huntress' hair and leaving the Tetsucabra mask crooked on her head. She scowled irritably at him as she straightened it back up. "You just keep you focus on the monsters we _can_ fight, and prepare for the hunter's exam in a couple months."

"Yeah, yeah…" Sonia muttered. "Hopefully we can fight _something_ new and interesting in the Primal Forest. If nothing else, it seems like it'll be pretty fun to explore Cheeko Sands and see all the Felynes."

"You pretty excited to get there, hey," Logan noted.

"Of course!" the huntress replied. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to actually hire a Palico or anything, but I still can't wait to see what sort of Felynes there are to hire. Palicos here seem so much more prominent than they are back home. I've only seen, what, maybe eight of them in Theron, and that's including every trip I've taken to Tanzia and Orage."

"Maybe you hire a Shakalaka instead? They kinda funny."

"Mmm, no. I never really cared much for Shakalakas."

"Shakalakas?" Steward asked with a frown. "I thought their kind were only found in Schrade? And I was not aware that they were… _cooperative_ enough to be a hunter's ally."

Logan shrugged. "The lot of them bicker with each other more than they bicker with hunters, from what I seen, hey? And they's a _lot_ of them in Tanzia. Not real sure where they coming from. Maybe they swimming cross the ocean?" Logan paused and frowned, furrowing his brow in thought. "Now that I think 'bout it, I never really saw them in Loc Lac… or in Perir… Huh. Where _is_ they coming from, and how come they like Tanzia so much?"

"Maybe they like the lighthouse," Sonia suggested. "I've seen a few of them wearing masks that look like lanterns and… barbeque pits, so maybe there's that."

Logan thought about that for a second, but eventually sighed and shrugged. "Guess it don't matter. Anyway, how come you don't like them, Sonia?"

"I don't _dislike_ them. They're pretty nice when they're not giving you backhanded compliments, but Grandpa always told me not to trust someone if I haven't seen their face…"

"Ah. That why you momma has that 'no helmets' rule in her store?"

"I think so. You gotta be able to read a person's expression if you're bartering with them, or you'll get ripped off."

"Hmm, guess so. But that'd be a problem with them mask-lovers, hey?"

"Right. I don't think I even know what a Shakalaka's face _looks_ like… It's not even in any of the books I've read with them in it. But you know, I'm surprised you never got a Shakalaka partner yourself."

"Eh, I ain't one for having subordinates. Partners and teammates is fine, but hiring people to work with is… eh, ain't too fond of the idea. 'Specially those twitchy little things."

"Huh… Well, putting that aside, is there anything else you're looking forward to while we're in Cheeko?"

"Hmph. Not really."

"I fear that, beyond Cheeko's Palico hiring services, there may not be much more for hunters such as yourself to amuse yourselves with, aside from hunting in the Primal Forest area," Steward said apologetically. "Harth had its smithies and workshops, but I fear that, unless you have an interest in Felyne armor design or fishing, there may be less to see."

"Thinking the Primal Forest should be enough, hey?" Logan grinned. "Heard they's a lotta monsters there you ain't gonna see anywhere else. Oughta be a few things we can kill."

"Yeah, but Tuulikki said we're probably not going to be able to fight anything new."

"Yes, the Primal Forest is a truly thriving locale," Steward nodded, "but many dangerous beasts live within that even the most intrepid hunters are hesitant to face. Najarala, Gravios, Tigrex, Zinogre… Truly a precarious lineup."

"Almost sounds like there aren't gonna be any chances for us to hunt anything," Sonia replied despondently.

"Ah, worry not, young Sonia," the caravaneer encouraged. "Such fell beasts generally nest within the core of the hunting grounds. Like the Hollow, the outer ring should be safer for low-ranked hunters and apprentices."

"I guess so. The list of new and interesting monsters we can fight is kind of short. I wanted to take a shot at fighting a Nerscylla, but I don't think Tuulikki would be that willing to take us out to hunt one down."

"Wouldn't mind taking down a few of them myself, keep the thing's head 'round as a paperweight," Logan growled darkly.

"Why? Just to spite Tuulikki?"

"Eh? No, that… is a nice bonus, but… Forget it."

"Have you spoken to Selene yet?" Steward asked.

"Yeah, I asked her yesterday," Sonia replied. "She promised she'd keep an eye out for any interesting hunts that met Tuulikki's standards. Things like the Congalala, Gypceros, or any of the Dromes we haven't fought yet."

"Eh. Better than nothing, hey?"

"There's supposed to be Zinogre in the area, though. Maybe you could take one down and show Tuulikki what you're really made of!"

"Heh, that ain't a bad idea," Logan smirked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, but he shook his head in the end. "Ah, she would probably just get angry at me, even if I win, hey?"

"Yeah, probably. You'd probably do pretty well though; the terrain's been pretty level recently."

"Ja, ja…"

It was far more tropical down closer to the coastline of the country, and the more temperate trees had gradually shifted into lush forests and jungles as they traveled. The roads became a little trickier to follow as thick grass grew in patches across the wagon tracks, and the paths narrowed as abundant ficus trees sprouted up on all sides, covering the road in shade. Logan couldn't help but be reminded of the Flooded Forest back home; while it wasn't a swamp, the area was an exceptional wetland, with numerous trickling creeks and small ponds littering the terrain, and the road had small streamlets which passed over the road itself. Water was very abundant in this part of the country.

The terrain had, surprisingly, started to level out a little bit as they neared the coastline, with tall but loping hills, rather than the jagged jumps that the Therians had been forced to adapt to. There were still irregular inclines, of course, but they were far fewer in between. There was one truly dangerous-looking area off to the north, a particularly large peak towering over the rest of the hills surrounding it. What looked like massive ruinous archways could be seen even from this distance, and Logan could see the shapes of a couple large wyverns circling the highest peak. The Primal Forest hunting ground, perhaps?

But visiting the hunting grounds was a plan for another day. The caravan reached the ocean as the sun was beginning to set, shifting from a blinding yellow to a duller orange. As the wagons crested the last hill, the sight of trees and hills ahead of them vanished, replaced by greenish-blue water stretching off over the horizon. The forest they were traveling through slowly petered away closer to the water, where a wide peninsula stretched out from the mainland and out into the ocean.

At the very tip of the landmass, several wooden and stone structures could be seen built next to the shoreline near a long road that traveled down the eastern coast of the peninsula, surrounded by a tall timber wall, with two gates at the east and west ends. This was no doubt Cheeko Cape. Even from this distance, several caravans could be seen huddled up near the walls of the town. As they approached, Logan could see boats sailing out from the docks, making their way away from land. Oddly, as he followed their path, he could barely see a few small islands about a mile off the coast, but they seemed hazy, fluctuating like a mirage in the evening light; those had to be Cheeko Sands. Maybe that was why the islands were so hard to find.

The caravan came to a halt just outside the town gates, setting up their shops as the sun began to touch the horizon. Once Stellazzio was opened up for business, the hunters were allowed some time to explore Cheeko Cape. Sonia made a beeline for the docks, forcing the rest of the hunters to hurry to keep up with her, but all of them were shocked to find that the last boat had long since left for the island.

"What? How come?" Sonia asked. "It's not even that late yet!"

"Sorry, young lady," the woman in the ticketmaster's booth apologized, "but those are the rules. Only Felynes are allowed to be on the islands after nightfall. Ships stop sailing during early evening, and all visiting hunters and tourists must leave on the last boat."

"But _why_?"

"Sorry, but it's a rule that's been around ever since Cheeko Cape was founded: no ships are received after sundown. There are only residential houses, a few shops, and the Palico hiring hall on the islands. The Felynes welcome visitors while the sun's up, but they prefer to have their privacy at night, so all inns are here in Cheeko Cape. The only exception is Cheeko's mayor, the Cat Granny, but anyone else will need to wait until morning to visit. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."

"Hmph… Well, alright," the huntress muttered, sulking as she shuffled back towards the rest of the hunters. Bram chuckled as he patted her head consolingly. "So much for _that…_ "

"We'll just go tomorrow morning," the archer replied.

"We've still got the rest of the village to explore if we want," Vi said, looking around. "With all the hunters here, there's bound to be _something_ to do in town."

Unfortunately, as Steward had warned, Cheeko Cape seemed more like a station or depot than a real town, filled with several inns and numerous shops, as well as the local Guild hall for hunts in the Primal Forest, but very few permanent houses or huts for people to live in. Logan supposed it was just a stopover for hunters to pass through on their way to Cheeko Sands, and a place to sleep while they were in the area. Since all visitors were asked to leave the island at night, there tended to be a lot of people filling the inns near the docks.

Fortunately, with all the hunters around, that meant that the inns and bars were usually filled with hunters sitting around telling stories. Most of them were bragging about Palicos they'd managed to hire, or those that they'd wanted to hire, or comparing the Palico cards and payments of the Felynes they'd hired. Some older hunters were regaling tales of Palicos and Felynes they'd hired in the past. Sonia seemed to lap up the stories eagerly, and though Logan still didn't like the idea of hiring a Palico, a lot of the stories he heard were certainly tempting him.

It was well past nightfall by the time they managed to get away from the inn and make their way back to the caravan, to fall asleep quick and catch the earliest ship to the islands that they could.

* * *

The hunters were on the first ferry to Cheeko Sands the very next morning, a wide three-deck transport ship, setting sail for the island even before the caravan began selling their wares. They weren't the only ones either; the ship had several dozen hunters on board, making their way towards the distant island. Logan couldn't help but feel slightly underdressed, however; most of the other hunters were making their way to the island in full armor, while he and the others with Stellazzio were in their casual clothing. Logan supposed that they were dressing to impress, and to attract a skilled Palico, you needed to appear skilled yourself. Logan supposed it was a good thing that they were only here to sightsee today.

It took almost a full hour for the ship to reach the island, by which point the sun was a healthy distance into the sky. The main island only had a few docks, and the ship pulled up towards the first one it came up to, and soon the ropes were thrown over the side and the boat was tied down.

As the gangplank hit the deck and the hunters made their way off the boat, Logan whistled at the sight. Cheeko Sands seemed like a very… _relaxing_ place. The island consisted of wide stretches of warm, sandy beaches where Felynes lounged about, sunning themselves, fishing the waters, collecting shells, or gathering up crabs. Warm sea air blew a salty breeze across the shore, the calls of seagulls echoed through the air, and the pristine blue water lapped gently against the beachhead. Maybe this was the type of thing people meant when they discussed 'seaside vacations' or things like that.

Several small huts and buildings had been built further inland where the sands faded to grass and palm trees. And they really were _small_ , built appropriately for Felyne-sized inhabitants. The taller huts were just barely higher than Logan's head, but most only rose to his neck. Most houses appeared ramshackle and lopsided, and for a while Logan thought they had been built from driftwood. Apparently it was just a design choice, though; as he observed some of the first few houses, they were all much more sturdily built than they first appeared, built from solid timber and stone before having a healthy layer of driftwood and scrap lumber nailed to the exteriors. Logan supposed the cobbled-together design was merely an aesthetic choice to give Cheeko Sands a feeling of simplicity.

There were only a couple buildings on the entire island that looked tall enough to cater to non-Felynes, a wide open cantina and a building similar to a Guild hall. The cantina consisted of only a long structure with a bar counter out front and a stretch of kitchen equipment behind it. There were no chairs at the bar, but several dozen round tables were settled onto the beach in front. The Guild hall appeared pretty standard, though constructed with the same driftwood design as the rest of the houses.

Almost before he'd stepped onto the sandy beach he and the other were barraged by a crowd of Palicos that were gathered up near the docks. Raucous calls and offers of service were shoved into their faces as eager Felynes presented copies of their Guild cards and certifications to the hunters making their way off the boat. Logan found himself nearly stuck in the small mob as a couple dozen Palico cards were forced into his hands and slipped into his pockets.

"Hoy, hoy, give me some space!" the great sword user snapped, but the yowls and shouts from the Felynes around him drowned him out.

He barely had time to decline their offers and explain that he wasn't hiring before another Felyne would take its place, eager for a chance to try and explain his or her worth. Eventually Logan just took the cues of some of the armored hunters and shoved his way through the crowd. He sighed with relief as he managed to free himself from the cluster of Felynes, pausing to catch his breath and dig through his pants to pull out the cards that had been slipped into his possession.

"First time here?" a muted voice asked with a dull chuckle. Logan looked up to find himself face-to-face with a hunter wearing full Rathalos armor. Logan couldn't make out any of the man's facial features with his visor down, however, but he was very tall and bore a great sword across his back that was made from Pink Rathian materials.

"Eh, ja," Logan replied, grinning slightly as he held out his card-filled hands. "That obvious, hey?"

"Ha, thought as much," the hunter replied. "First thing you have to learn about this place: know how to say 'no', especially to the Felynes near the dock. The Palicos that gather there are the rookies and lower-ranked minions, not bad if you're looking for Palicos that are cheap to hire. They're the desperate type though, eager to work with anyone for pocket change just for the chance to prove themselves. It's worth it if you can find a rookie with potential, but chances are good that most of them aren't worth wasting your time on."

"Sounds like you got some experience there, hey?" Logan replied, straightening up and flipping through the cards he'd been given. "Eh… ja, guess most of these Palicos don't look like they got much experience. What this? 'Level'? That like hunter rank or something?"

"Pretty much," the hunter replied, flipping through a couple cards of his own. "They're ranked from level one to thirty, with thirty being the premier Palicos, though only G-rankers can really afford anything higher than twenty-five. All the rabble by the docks are usually rank one through four or so."

"Ja? Then where the rest of them at? The good ones?"

"Usually they're already hired by a hunter. But here's your second lesson when it comes to Palicos: if you're looking for real quality, the Palicos you want to hire aren't the ones that come to you; you have to go to them." The hunter motioned towards the rest of the island. "Look around, and you'll see some of the Palicos wearing impressive gear. If you see one that looks skilled, ask if they're looking for work, and if they think you're worth their time, you'll get their card and a price for service."

"Huh… that's an odd system. Ain't really like any of the Guild's systems."

"Tell me about it," the hunter groaned. "I was real disappointed the first time I came here myself. My old pappy said that, in his day, Palicos used to work for peanuts, or even for free."

"Eh? For free? How that work?"

"Well, mostly free. A hunter would provide them with food and equipment and a roof over their head. Other than that, they just worked for exposure, I guess. They used to be more about doing the work for pride than for payment, and then they… unionized or something. Now they're more like a mercenary corps than anything else. They get paid and they keep any equipment they're given."

"Guess a Felyne's gotta eat, hey?"

"Hmm, maybe. Wish it was back to the old ways though. If anything else, it means I wouldn't have to pay them. There's my last lesson for you: money makes the world go round, and you need to try and spend as little as you can on hiring minions. Try and find one that's pretty skilled but still kind of cheap."

Logan frowned uncertainly at the advice. This guy's lessons seemed to be sketchier with each passing sentence. "Huh. Well, I ain't really hirin' at the moment, hey, but I keep that in mind."

"Should've figured. Your type always prefers to run solo from what I've seen anyway. Nothing wrong with that though if it means you get a bigger cut of the rewards."

"My… _type_? What you mean by-"

"Hey, hold that thought, friend. I think I just saw a Palico wearing Kirin armor! I'm not gonna pass up a chance like this." The hunter turned and quickly shoved a copy of his Guild card into Logan's hand. "The name's Roger, friend. Look me up when you get back to Dundorma!"

"Back to…? Hoy, I ain't from-" Logan's words petered off as the hunter darted off, however, rushing through the sand towards a distant Felyne wearing white and pale blue armor. "What was that about…"

"Logan! Logan, look!" The great sword user turned at Sonia's voice, and blinked in surprise as the huntress approached. The girl was completely bogged down with dozens… maybe more than a _hundred_ Felyne Guild cards, spilling out of her hands and slipping out of her pockets. Behind her, Bram seemed to be suffering from the same card overload, looking hopelessly at the stacks of cards that had been foisted onto him. "Haha! Look at them all!"

"Thought you weren't planning on hiring a Palico, girlie."

"Oh, no, I'm still not, but jeez! When we ran out of room in our hands, they just started putting them in our pockets!"

"You should probably make sure you still have your wallets," Leon advised. The lancer had his own collection of Palico cards, and Vi and Tuulikki had similar amounts as well, but it seemed Sonia and Bram really were as popular as they claimed, because they both easily had several times more than all three of them combined.

"Oh, shoot, you're right," the huntress muttered. It took her a few moments to shuffle the cards around before she managed to free up her hand and pat at her pockets, dropping several of the cards into the sand even so. "Still there. We're good."

"How did you guys get that many cards?" Vi asked curiously. "Are you… popular with Felynes or something?"

"I've never felt like Felynes were particularly fond towards me," Bram replied as he tried to organize the cards he'd received. "I get along well enough with the Felynes I do know, but they've never really been drawn to me or anything."

"I know a few Felynes," Sonia replied, "but they're just the ones I've known for a long time. Our family has an occasional housekeeper and babysitter named Leif, but he's been a friend of my mom and dad for _years_. He always said I smelled funny though, like a 'dog person'."

"What's a dog?" Tuulikki asked.

"Dad said it's an extinct animal that's like… a really small Zinogre that's cuter and furrier, but can't control electricity. People had them as pets! Leif said I inherited the 'dog' feeling from my dad, and said it's some 'great curse' that makes a person have trouble appreciating the value of Felynes."

"You know, I think I've had a Felyne say that about me before," Leon muttered. "What's so different about the Palicos though?"

"I don't know," Sonia shrugged, grinning as she held up the cards. "But I like it!"

"Maybe we just look like we'd be the types to hire a Palico one day," Bram pondered, slowly straightening his cards into a neat collection.

"Hmm… Maybe. I mean, I wouldn't _mind_ hiring a Palico, but not until after I passed the hunter's exam." The huntress shuffled around, trying to get a better grip on her own collection of cards, only to have a dozen or so fall to the ground and stick in the sand. Bending over to pick them up only caused more of them to slip loose of her grip and out her pockets, covering the sand with a small rain of Palico cards. "Oh, geez. Popularity or not, what am I even gonna _do_ with all these cards?"

"Maybe you could use them for kindling the next time the caravan stops to make camp," Leon replied as he knelt down to help the huntress, receiving a thankful smile in return.

"Aw… that seems like such a waste though."

"Well, you're not going to hire all of these Palicos," Tuulikki stated, "unless you want to pay a fortune for a small army of Felynes to follow you around-"

"Ooh, actually-"

"-which is most certainly _not_ allowed by the Guild."

"Are you sure?" Sonia asked, earning a flat look from the silvery-haired huntress.

"You will be hard-pressed to find someone more learned in Guild law then me. Trust me, leading a battalion of Palicos on a hunt is _not_ allowed. But as I was saying, unless you're willing to pay a lot of money, you're not going to hire all these Palicos."

Leon frowned as he flipped through a few of the cards he'd helped gather up. "I think you have several duplicates in here anyway. Some of these Felynes must have been quite eager to be hired; I've counted five cards from a Palico named Tofu by himself… unless it's actually five _different_ Felynes named Tofu. Let's see… No, they're all the same."

"You'd be better off getting rid of them, Sonia," Bram agreed. "You have enough clutter in your wagon as-is without keeping a bunch of Palico cards around when you're not even planning on hiring one."

"Hmm… But you never know-"

"Then you can come back here and look for one then."

"Aw, pecker… yeah, alright. Guess we've got some fire tinder for a few weeks, then."

"Might be a few _months_ if the Palicos further inland is any like the ones we seen near the docks, hey? Next time we come, we gonna need to bring a barrel and tell the Palicos to toss they Guild cards in there."

The hunters spent the next couple hours exploring Cheeko Sands and taking in the sights. Logan had to admit, however, that much like Cheeko Cape, there really wasn't too much to see around the village once you'd gotten past the initial wonder after stepping off the boat. It was just a regular village, really, only inhabited by Felynes. The Guild hall was there for hunters to sign a contract with whatever Palico they'd decided to hire, and there were a few interesting shops to visit, including an armorer and weaponsmith that specialized in creating equipment for the Felynes. A few of the shops had some interesting goods to buy, including seafood-flavored rations, seashell jewelry, and some expensive stones called armor and power charms. Logan had to admit that the charms seemed interesting, but the price was beyond what he could afford right now. There was also some sort of fishing… attraction of some kind over by the smaller islands to south, but the line was huge, and Logan had no patience for that.

There was also a smaller shop in an alleyway that had _way_ too many different strains of Felvine for sale in little pots, tagged with strange names, and a small stand selling Felvine 'bombs', whatever those entailed. The whole thing was too sketchy for Logan's tastes, so he did his best to ignore it. He still remembered the exciteshroom craze that went through Tanzia when he first hit high rank. That had been a weird year.

It wasn't even noon before Logan was pretty much done looking around, and he found himself relaxing in the beachside cantina with Sonia. The huntress had gotten bored surprisingly quickly as well, and without any desire to hire a Palico or any interest in what the shops had to offer, Sonia had fizzled out. She seemed to have had more run-ins with overeager Palicos, because she actually bought a small reed satchel which appeared to be absolutely bulging with Guild cards.

At least the food looked good here, even if the menus consisted of about a thousand different types of fish and a hundred or so tropical fruits. Logan had ordered the Bomb Arowana out of pure curiosity - he didn't even know you could _eat_ them without the fish exploding into fish guts the second it died.

"Oy, oy, girlie," Logan muttered, pointing at Sonia's head. "Been meaning to ask: what's with the hat?"

"Hmm? Oh, this?" the huntress replied, reaching up and patting her head. Atop her fluffy brown hair was her old Jaggi helm in all its lavender and tangerine glory, with even the metal brim jutting forward. "It's my Jaggi cap."

"Ja, I see that, but why you wearing it?"

"Uh… because it's comfortable? I know I've got the new Tetsu armor, but I felt like it'd be such a waste to just sell my old armor or scrap it. Vi said she'd help me figure out how to repurpose all my old armor for other stuff. But I'm gonna keep the cap. I like it."

Logan raised an eyebrow at that. "So you is taking you hoarding habit to a whole new level? Don't even wanna waste you old and ragged armor?"

"There's gotta be _something_ I can use it for. The cap is still a cap, even if I've got better armor. Keeps the sun out of my eyes just as well as it did before."

"Ja, ja… You know, you keep this up, you wagon gonna be a storage wagon again, but only filled with _you_ things. You _really_ gonna be sleeping on you horde like a storybook dragon, hey?"

"Oh, come on, I'm not _that_ bad…"

"Heh, you say that, but I'm counting the days 'fore you start asking Bram to 'borrow' some space in our wagon. Thinking it gonna be before we even get to Dundorma."

The huntress scowled at Logan and was about to retort, but paused before doing so, glancing behind Logan curiously. The great sword user turned to see what she was looking at, and spotted a small collection of Felynes in a small argument. Logan couldn't hear what they were all saying, but one of them, a Palico judging by the armor, was clearly chastising a group of three others. Logan quickly realized that the three receiving the chiding were older than your average Felyne; the one at the front seemed middle-aged, with scruffy black fur and weary yellow eyes, and Logan was pretty sure it was female. The two Felynes behind her were much older, with black and grey fur, using small canes to walk around. All three of them had very defeated expressions on their faces as the Palico turned and stalked away.

"Wonder what that's about," Sonia muttered.

"Ain't our business," Logan muttered, preparing to turn away.

Before he could, however, he was surprised when the middle-aged Felyne in the front raised her head and turned to look directly at him and Sonia. The Felyne seemed to contemplate something for a moment before turning to the two older Felynes behind her and discussing something fervently with them. Logan and Sonia shared a concerned look with each other, and soon the three Felynes turned and began making their way towards them.

"Guess we're gonna find out," Sonia muttered, and Logan grunted uncomfortably as the three Felynes came to a stop next to their table.

"Excuse me, miss and sir, but could I please purrtition your help, nya?" the black-furred Felyne in the front asked meekly.

"What kind of request?" Sonia asked cautiously.

"Oh, well… Let me introduce myaself first. I am Fig, the Cat Granny's supurrvisor, nya. You see, mya son Nibble went out to hunt a Congalala a couple days ago, and he has yet to return. I know he's purrficient enough to fight one but… I am getting very worried for him, nya. He should have returned by now if he was… if he'd been successful. There haven't been any flares or anything requesting help either…"

"That's terrible!" Sonia gasped.

"It is, but… why you telling us 'bout this? How come you ain't gone to the Guild with this kind of thing?" Logan asked. "Ain't they some Palicos that can hunt this thing down and help you son?"

"I could, but… I'm afraid I cannot make this an official quest," the Felyne said quietly, her ears drooping slightly.

"How come?"

The Felyne was quiet for a moment, digging her toes into the sand. "Well… you see… the truth is… Hmm… I don't have any money to pay anyone with. I can't afford to go to the Guild right now, nya."

"Oh…" Sonia muttered. "But even so, if someone's life is on the line, the Guild should-"

"The Guild don't do _anything_ for free," Logan grumbled, crossing his arms. "Hunters die all the time, hey? Human, Felyne, or anything else, they ain't gonna go out of they way to help a single hunter 'less they's something in it for them. Can't afford to."

"That's terrible…"

"That's the way it is, girlie."

Fig nodded solemnly. "It's true, nya… But I know that hunters sometimes do… 'tours' of hunting grounds to explore and gather myaterials. I was hoping that I could purrsuade some hunters to do one of those tours and look for Nibble."

"We could do that!" Sonia said eagerly. Logan raised an eyebrow at her, and the huntress shrugged. "What? We were going to go out into the forest anyway, so why not try and find Nibble while we're out there?"

"You'd be better off ignoring this request." Logan looked up as a blonde-furred Palico strode up behind the others, wearing thick green armor that he was certain came from Seltas materials. It was the same Felyne that had been talking to Fig earlier on, and he gave her a withering look before turning and bowing slightly to the hunters. "Allow me to introduce m-myaself. I am Spike, level twenty-eight Palico, in charge of Cheeko Sands' defense. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but you need not worry about this work. Nya."

"What?" Sonia muttered. "But we don't mind-"

"You need not get involved in all this," Spike said sternly to Logan and Sonia. "This is a Felyne issue, and we will take care of it. We won't ask you hunters to head out and rescue… _Nibble_ for nothing. Palicos will be sent out tomorrow to make sure he's alright. Nya."

Fig opened her mouth to say something, but one of the older Felynes behind her placed a paw on her shoulder. She sighed and hung her head slightly. Logan frowned uncertainly. That wasn't exactly the reaction he'd expected from someone who'd been told that a rescue team would be sent out to save her son.

Sonia hadn't been paying attention, however, because the huntress smiled in relief. "Isn't that great? Looks like Nibble will be okay after all."

Fig was sullen for a moment longer, and Spike coughed lightly. Her ears suddenly perked up, however, and she raised her head, smiling at the huntress. "Yes, that's wonderful news, nya. I'm so thankful… I'd hate to hear that something bad has happened to him…"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Sonia said encouragingly. However, Spike's eyes had narrowed a little, and he seemed to growl a little under his breath.

"Thank you," Fig replied. "Nibble's such a kind-hearted and generous child. He's such a good boy…"

"He is _not_! He's a rabble-rouser and troublemaker!" Spike suddenly hissed, glaring at Fig. The older Felyne wilted a little under the words. "He has done nothing but cause problems since the day he started spouting off about-"

The Palico seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing. Sonia's eyes had gone wide with shock at the outburst, and he was getting a few odd looks from the other hunter sitting at nearby table. The Palico quickly straightened up and cleared his throat. He didn't bother trying to recover his calm demeanor, however, and gave both Logan and Sonia a stern look.

"P-pawdon my outburst… Nya. Just… leave Nibble to us," he muttered sourly, glaring at Fig. "You humans shouldn't have to deal with Felyne problems." With a huff of agitation, the Palico turned and stalked away, disappearing down an alley.

"What… what was that all about?" Sonia muttered, staring off in the direction Spike had stalked off in. "What did he mean?"

"The others here don't… like Nibble," Fig admitted. "He's… a bit of a pariah in our village, but… he has a good heart. Even if his attitude leaves… something to be desired, he really only wants what's best for us. For Felynes."

"Ja, but what did he mean?" Logan asked. "What kinda stuff you boy do to make folks not like him?"

Fig was quiet, rubbing her paws together uncertainly. However, one of the older Felynes that had been hovering behind her spoke up. "He is angry at the world. He believes… many things that the other Felynes here in Cheeko do not. Nya. He asks us to change our ways in methods that would be… challenging for us. He is young and frustrated. He does not understand the world… not yet."

"Perhaps he never will," the other elder Felyne agreed. "Young hunters, our Nibble is loud and rambunctious, and often comes off wrong to others. But he wishes to improve the world, in his own way, even if it puts him at odds with others. He is still our kin, and we still love him, and no matter his choices, we want him to come home alive. Please help him, if you can."

That hadn't been a real answer, and Logan knew it. However, he still couldn't help but empathize with Nibble and his family a little bit. As one of the Lost, he knew firsthand what it was like to be disliked just for being different… Not to mention the reception he'd received here in Gahiji was still in his mind. He still wondered why Nibble was a pariah, but the Felyne wasn't in jail or anything, so it couldn't be anything too terrible. Nibble might have been disliked, but he didn't seem to be a felon.

Judging by the look on Sonia's face, however, it seemed like the huntress had already been convinced. She quickly leaned forward, clasping hold of Fig's paws and nodding eagerly. "I understand. I'll find Nibble for you, as quickly as I can!"

A look of genuine relief covered Fig's face as she looked thankfully at Sonia, and Logan couldn't help but sigh; no matter what Nibble had done, Fig only seemed to be acting the role of a worried parent. "Thank you so much, nya… I've been so worried."

"No problem! But, uh, I'm not entirely sure how we're supposed to find Nibble in a whole hunting ground."

"I can help with that," Fig replied. "The local Guild hall has a map of the area. Let's go look at that, and I can give you the area that he was going to, and a few ideas about where he might be…"

* * *

The hunters set off first thing the next morning, taking off from the caravan and following the peninsula back towards the mainland. The directions Fig had given them pointed them towards the northwest, off in the direction of the Primal Forest hunting ground, which, sure enough, was located on and around the tall peak which rose into the sky a few miles inland.

Before heading out, Logan and the others did as Fig had suggested and signed up for a Harvest Tour, allowing them to pay a fee to explore the hunting grounds for a couple days. Though they wouldn't get any pay, any monster they fought was theirs to carve, though they were required to send up a flare after every kill, since Cheeko was still given the lion's share of the monster's materials. There was a limit, however: they could only kill a maximum of three large monsters before being required to return to the Guild and report their work, and they were given a list of monsters that they weren't allowed to fight if it could be avoided; apparently Seltas and Najarala had suffered poor breeding seasons this year, so killing them was not allowed. And finally, the hunters were also _heavily encouraged_ to keep to the lowlands and midlands, where the less dangerous monsters tended to dwell. Any low ranked hunters or apprentices that encountered a more dangerous monster were encouraged to run, and any injuries or deaths caused were not the responsibility of the Guild.

"I still don't like this…" Tuulikki groaned in frustration as the hunters left the caravan.

"Hmm? How come?" Bram asked. "You agreed to let us search for Nibble and help him out."

"Only after Sonia came back and announced that she'd already volunteered us all to help," Tuulikki said with a frown, rubbing the brim of her nose between her fingers. "You're not supposed to accept quests without my permission, much less accept a quest for free. It sets a bad precedent."

"So you're saying I should have just left Nibble for dead?" Sonia asked with a huff. "Just for the sake of _precedent_?"

"That's not what I'm saying…" the glaive wielder groaned. "But you're twisting the Guild rules to go on some rescue mission. The rules are there for a reason, not to be twisted to suit the situation."

"But Fig didn't have any money! How was she supposed to-"

"You said the local Felynes promised that they'd send some Palicos out to search for this Nibble, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, but you didn't hear them! They obviously weren't taking this as seriously as they should've been!"

Tuulikki sighed, shaking her head. The action caused Ketrak, who had been sitting on the huntress' head, to slip off, forcing it to open its wings and hover in the air over her head. The Kinsect had finished its chrysalis in the time since their Tetsucabra hunt, and now looked slightly different. It's black and blue shell had gotten slimmer, but both its pincers and its wings had grown in size, and now the bug was nearly a full two feet long, much to Logan's dismay. Its colors had grown sleeker as well, and its once dark grey shell and pale blue wings had changed to a glossy black and deep cobalt, respectively, with its claws shifting from a dull orange to something nearer to crimson. Needless to say, Tuulikki was very proud.

"You and Leon weren't on the best terms during the Tetsu hunt, were you?" Vi pointed out. "That didn't stop you from helping each other when you were in trouble during that fight, right?"

Sonia grimaced uncomfortably at the point, giving the horn player a betrayed look. Logan didn't know how Sonia and Leon had come to terms when he wasn't looking, but at the very least they were being amicable. They were still a little stiff around each other, but things were getting better.

"Cut her some slack," Leon replied. "She's just doing what she thinks is right. Besides, if Fig had made the same offer to us, I probably would have accepted just as easily."

"That isn't encouraging, Leon," the silver-haired huntress sighed. "It may not seem like much, but there is meant to be a process to things like this. The Guild has a system in place. Fig could've found other ways to make an official request without all the cloak and dagger trying to use… _loopholes_ to help her son."

"You being awful stubborn 'bout all this," Logan noted.

"Tuli is well-versed in Guild law," Vi replied with a shrug. "Comes with being her father's daughter I guess."

"My father is one of the most knowledgeable people on the rules of the Guild in the region," Tuulikki nodded, puffing out her chest before leveling her gaze on Logan again. "I do not like the prospect of bending the rules to suit one's own needs."

"That don't surprise me, hey?"

"I allowed you to take this 'rescue mission', didn't I?" Tuulikki huffed.

"Ja, after we spent an hour convincing you."

"It's bad enough that you're breaking Guild rules to help Nibble, but diving headfirst into a hunt that you may not be ready for is another. If Nibble has found himself in a truly dire situation, this hunt may be out of your depth and put you in danger beyond your skills. Also, it could cause the loss of _my own_ bells, alongside Vi's-"

" _Hoy_ , why you gotta bring that up again?" Logan groaned, glancing over towards Violetta. The huntress' pink armor was slightly less vibrant than it used to be, as the huntress had removed all of the bells that had once hung from the plating. Nearly eighty of them had been gathered up, and were now stored in the horn user's item box.

"That wasn't their fault," Vi said sternly to Tuulikki. "It may have been their hunt, but I was just as surprised by the Tetsucabra as they were, so I deserved to lose my bells. I gave them up willingly, so stop trying to pass the blame onto them."

"But you had so _many_ ," Tuulikki groaned. "They were a symbol of your skill!"

"And I'll get them back eventually. Just because I had to remove them doesn't mean I'm any less skilled than I was before. Besides, I'm sure nobody in Lintukoto will forget how many I had at one point."

"But what about everyone else? Nobody in _Cheeko_ knew how many bells you had…"

"That's fine by me," Vi replied, wrapping an arm around Tuulikki's shoulders and smiling at her. "You may like to put me on a pedestal, Tuli, but I don't really mind what other people think of me. As long as you and Leon think I'm something special, that's enough. Oh, and our Therian friends, of course."

"We appreciate the inclusion," Bram chuckled, earning a thumbs-up from Vi.

At first, traveling north was relatively easy. The coastline was relatively level and smooth, but rose increasingly taller the further they got from the ocean. Things got more rugged deep within Primal Forest proper, where tall stone outcroppings sprouted from the earth closer to the core of the hunting grounds. The hunters kept to the edge of the territory, however; they had no need to travel into the depths of the Primal Forest, not today. Lush foliage swelled to life around them, and soon it was as if the world around them had vanished completely, rock walls rising up on all sides and long-reaching branches from the trees at the top blotting out the sky with leaves. Narrow tunnels between the tall crags and cliffs were the only way to easily pass through the area, and the hunters found themselves quickly weaving through several different valleys and crevices.

Logan found the area relaxing though; after spending a week in the Sunken Hollow area, traversing the terrain of the Primal Forest was like a walk in the park. The rock walls were shorter, the land was lusher, and everything seemed far less treacherous. Logan had to admit it was rather beautiful here, especially the crimson lotus flowers that seemed so prominent in the waterways. He was tempted to pluck a couple to give to Vi, but with so many around, he figured it wouldn't have much impact considering how many millions of them they'd seen in the last couple miles.

As the hunters were passing through a tall archway, they found themselves on a high ledge overlooking a sunken gulch filled with a dense forest, thick with trees and other greenery. Vibrant, colorful flowers littered the area, though Logan had always been told that anything bright and colorful out in the wilds was about as dangerous as it was pretty. Considering that he could see some of the flowers growing in pools of water that were practically _glowing_ purple, he could pretty much guess that was the case. He didn't want to know what was making that water purple, but he doubted it was safe to drink. What caught him by surprise at first was how dim the area was. Their path had led them to a more elevated section of the forest, and the sky was cloudless… As he looked up, however, he couldn't help but gasp in shock at the sight looming above.

Towering over them was an absolutely _colossal_ skeleton, so massive that Logan could barely comprehend its scale. The bones eclipsed entire _sections_ of the forest. An enormous ribcage towered into the sky, each separate rib standing as thick and as tall as… Logan could barely think of anything to compare it to. They were taller than the walls that surrounded Loc Lac, and that didn't even include the segments of the bones that were buried underground, keeping the rest of it aloft. Entire groves of trees were growing atop the upper segments of the ribs and spinal column, with the roots and vines hanging down and entwining themselves into the bumps and ridges of the joints. Far off in the distance lay a titanic skill, easily large enough to envelop a village or small town by itself. Looking back the other direction, Logan could see that more of the great beast's bones stretched just as far in the other direction, rising like archways out of the jagged terrain.

"Hoy…" Logan muttered, gaping at the skeleton.

"Humbling, isn't it?" Tuulikki asked, grinning at the Therians.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Sonia sighed.

"No… well, maybe," Logan replied. The rest of the hunters in the group looked at him curiously, and the great sword user scratched his head. "The Loc Lac Tower. Heard folks say that it was made from the tusk of a single, _huge_ Jhen Mohran. Seen a Jhen before though, and I used to wonder how big one of them beasties would have to be to have a tusk like that, hey? Seeing this… _thing_ , though-" he said, motioning towards the grand skeleton, "thinking that maybe it must've been this big at least. What the hell is this thing, anyway?"

"Nobody knows," Vi replied. "These bones have been here for as long as people remember. Even the oldest Wyverians in the country can't guess at what sort of monstrosity this thing was, or how long ago it died."

"Some people speculate that it was a full-grown Lao Shan Lung," Leon added. "Those things are one of the largest monsters on record in their _infantile_ state. Nobody's ever seen a full-grown one… though if they really get this big, I guess that's a good thing."

Logan couldn't help but notice that Bram looked a little amused looking up at the bones, however. Tuulikki was the first to ask him about it, surprisingly. "Something on your mind?"

"Oh… Well, it's just, there's an entire squad of scientists back home who are dedicated to trying to figure out how monsters survive in this world," Bram explained. "They say that some monsters violate something called the… the square-cube law."

"And what does this law state?" Tuulikki asked, her tone clearly showing that she was losing interest.

"It states that as an object grows larger, its volume increases much faster than its surface area."

"...Meaning?"

"It means that larger monsters would be much, much heavier in comparison to their smaller counterparts. They would need much thicker bones to keep standing, but that would only make them heavier, requiring further increase in bone density… Not to mention that muscle efficacy would decrease with size-"

"Is there a point to all this?"

"The point is, according to Lost science and medicine, creatures that large," Bram noted, pointing at the bones, "should have collapsed under their own weight. Their own mass would have fractured their bones and left them dying on the ground."

"Well then, obviously the science is wrong," Tuulikki replied simply.

"It isn't _wrong_ ," Bram replied, crossing his arms. "The science is sound. It just means there are some _complications_ that we have yet to take into account. Small nuances."

"And this amuses you?" the glaive wielder asked.

"A little," Bram chuckled. "Maybe it's just my upbringing, but I find it really funny to watch a bunch of physicists stare angrily at the body of a dead monster, thinking that for all intents and purposes, it shouldn't exist. Especially the bigger ones. My siblings always said if you want to win an argument with a physicist, show them a picture of a Duramboros. That'll shut them up."

Tuulikki gave Bram a very long, distressed look, before shaking her head. "You have a very strange upbringing…"

"I can't argue with that," Bram chuckled.

"If there's one thing you can count on Bram's family for, it's being self-aware about how weird they are," Sonia grinned. Bram blinked in surprise at the words, before laughing.

"I can't argue with that either."

* * *

"Hey guys! Over here! I think I found it!"

Logan glanced over in Leon's direction as the hunter waved from nearby a stone wall. The six of them had followed Fig's directions on the map as closely as they could, and had ended up wading through ankle-deep water in a wide creek bed filled with bright red lilies, surrounded on both sides by towering rock walls. A herd of Slagtoth stood upstream of them, eating the flowers and berries off of nearby bushes. The herbivores were ignoring them for the most part, but a couple of the larger males stood at the ready between the hunters and the herd in case they proved a threat.

As he and the other hunters waded over to the lancer, they caught sight of a low and narrow gap in the wall. It was rather brilliantly hidden, with the light cascading down from above throwing shadows over the hollow and making it a challenge to really see the path unless you knew it was there already. If Fig hadn't marked the location on their map, Logan figured he and the others would've probably passed by the location a hundred times without a second glance.

Fig had marked this location on their maps as the first place to look: the entryway to a hidden Felyne village. While the village had been abandoned many years beforehand, Fig believed that Nibble might have fled to the village if he'd gotten hurt during the hunt, or used it as a base camp as he sought out the Congalala. The village was located between Cheeko and the suspected location of the Conga nest, so the hunters had decided to venture there first to see what they could find.

"Is kind of a tight fit," Logan muttered, crouching down to look into the hollow. While the narrow path might have been an easy fit for a Felyne, Logan would need to crawl his way through. "Ain't sure I can squeeze my great sword through there, hey?"

"I don't believe I'll be much better," Leon muttered. "Unless I take off my shield and lance and drag them behind me."

"Then I'm stuck too," Violetta sighed, reaching up and patting the side of her horn.

"Want us to go on ahead?" Sonia asked. "Me, Bram, and Tuli should fit just fine, and we're just going in to see if Nibble's in there."

"Don't see any problem with that," Logan muttered, leaning down and looking into the darkness. "Don't think anything real nasty's gonna be able to get in there… less it's something real small, like a Seltas. Should watch out for Giggis too, hey?"

"What are Giggis?" Tuulikki asked.

"You don't know?" Logan asked in shock. "They's… oh, right. You don't got any of those bloodsuckers in this country, do you? Hoy, you don't know how lucky you is. Squishy little nightmare worms, and that ain't even including the Nox. You like bugs though, hey? Maybe you like worms too?"

"Not so much," Tuulikki growled, crossing her arms. "There's a _big_ difference between between bugs and worms, Logan. First of all, insectoids have-"

"Hoy, hoy, don't really need a lecture, girlie. I really don't care that much…"

While they'd been speaking, Sonia had crouched down and was already slipping into the small hole, even though her hands and knees were both submerged in the water. "I think it opens up further in!" she called back to the others. "Uh… yeah, it gets wider in a little ways. I can see light up ahead."

"Well, be careful," Logan warned.

"If you see anything too dangerous, you come right back out," Vi told them. "Tight spaces aren't a safe place to fight anything bigger than a Konchu in."

"We'll be careful," Bram promised, crouching to follow Sonia into the tiny tunnel.

"We shouldn't be long," Tuulikki said. "Once we make certain whether Nibble is there or not, we'll return."

"Good luck," Leon replied, and the glaive wielder nodded before entering the tunnel last.

* * *

Sonia pulled herself quickly through the tunnel, crawling carefully through the narrow path. Thankfully, the tunnel opened up after only a dozen yards or so, widening up into a more comfortable tunnel about two yards wide and three yards tall, allowing her to stand upright again. Bram and Tuli were both right behind her, with Ketrak crawling through the small tunnel behind the glaive wielder before skittering across the ceiling over their heads.

"It looks like we won't need to light a torch," Bram noted, motioning ahead. There was only a trickle of light leaking through the tunnel they'd crawled through, but several holes in the ceiling were allowing sunlight to leak in, filling the narrow cavern with a warm glow.

The hunters followed the tunnel, checking each branch for the village they sought, though the first few paths seemed to only lead to narrow crevices where sunlight was streaming down from above. However, as they passed the fifth path, Sonia gasped at the sight.

Before them was a small but cavernous gulch, sunken several yards into the earth. It was circular, and several dozen yards across, with large trees sprouting up which stretched up along the walls towards the sunlight. Unlike most of the rest of the Primal Forest, dozens of enormous mushrooms were growing up from the dirt and from the trunks of the trees. Each one was at least a dozen feet across, and as Sonia walked out of the cave, she found herself standing on one, proving how sturdy they were.

Built around the bases of the trees and on top of some of the wider mushrooms were the structures of the Felyne village. They gave off the same ramshackle vibe that the huts in Cheeko Sands had, though this village wasn't doing it as a design choice, but out of necessity of the location. Some houses had been built under the overhanging mushrooms, propping up small wooden columns and using the heads as their roofs while placing their tables and beds underneath. Others were carved into the trunks of the trees themselves, with little round doors bolted near the roots and little windows dug into the sides. Some were built atop the lower-hanging branches of the trees, with crossbeams holding them up and half-sized ladders and staircases leading up to them.

At the base of the trees and the center of the village was a small ring, a public gathering circle. A fenced in barricade off to the left and under one of the mushrooms appeared to be a small warehouse full of little crates. A fire pit in the center was just large enough to be a healthy campfire for a human, but an excellent bonfire for creatures of Felyne proportions. Off to the right there was a tall, white, vaguely Felyne-shaped statue, though the proportions were very rounded and looked more like a snowman than anything else. There were a collection of trinkets and other small things gathered up at the base of the statue, including chunks of ore, a few tattered books, and several bottles of potions and about half a dozen other fluids and elixirs. It made Sonia feel like it was some sort of offering altar, though to what, she couldn't guess.

"What a pretty place," Sonia muttered, looking into the glade. Glancing down the short drop into the area, she leapt down to the grassy floor below, striding into the area and looking around. Though the village was mostly run down, and any decorations that had been strung up were torn or faded, the village still had a feeling of comfort attached to it.

"It doesn't look as though our wayward Felyne has made his way here," Bram noted, following behind her. "I don't see any signs that _anything's_ been here in a long time."

Sonia had to agree. Almost everything was covered in a layer of dust and dirt, and while most of the buildings still had paint lingering on the walls of the huts, it was peeling badly. All of the houses were dark, and the large fire pit sitting in the center of the village looked as though it had been unused for years. She didn't see signs of footprints - or pawprints - either. This village was well and truly abandoned.

"Don't be lax," Tuli warned, motioning towards the open air above them as Ketrak leapt from the rocks and hovered back down to the bracer on her arm. "A large monster may not be able to travel through the caves as we have, but anything could have entered from above. Be careful."

"Yeah, yeah," Sonia replied, waving a hand. "We aren't going to-"

A flash of motion shot out from her left, and by instinct Sonia slid to a halt. A yellow blur shot only a few feet in front of her head, ripping through the air past her before piercing into the trunk of one of the towering trees. Sonia staggered back in shock, yanking her dual blades out from sheaths in preparation, before realizing what had nearly hit her.

It was a boomerang, small and yellow. She'd seen… _hundreds_ like it back in Cheeko Cape, worn and wielded by nearly every Palico on the island; almost all of them carried at least one or two on them. But this one seemed slightly different. The ones in Cheeko Cape were all made of solid wood, but the side of the one embedded in the statue was lined in a thin coating of dark blue carbalite, forged to a very sharp edge. If that had hit her…

"Who's there?!" Bram snapped viciously. He'd already drawn his bow and had an arrow at the ready, pointing towards the shadows from which the boomerang had flown, and Tuulikki and pulled out her glaive and allowed Ketrak to fly free. "Show yourself!"

From out of the shadows, a Felyne stalked out, glaring fiercely at the hunters. His fur was completely pitch black, offset by his striking blue eyes. His armor was dark as well, with a solid black plate chestpiece and a dark kabuto helm, and his weapon was a thick sword that looked like it was made from Velocidrome materials.

"What are you doing here?" the Felyne growled, unfettered by Bram aiming at him as it pulled out another boomerang from his pouch and held it up threateningly. "This is Felyne territory! You _humans_ don't belong here! Leave now, or else!"

Bram's eyes narrowed on the Felyne as he kept his arrow trained on it. "You don't get to-"

"Calm down, Bram," Tuulikki said sternly, making the archer pause. "He might be the one we're looking for."

Bram frowned uncertainly, but didn't lower his bow. The Palico had furrowed its brow at the conversation, but was keeping a cautious eye on Bram. Sonia quickly stepped forward, and the Felyne's gaze swept in her direction.

"Are you Nibble?" the huntress asked carefully.

A sharp hiss from the Felyne cut the huntress off. The cat's eyes glared venomously at Sonia as it bared his fangs at her. "Do not call me that! My name is _Hannibal_ , _human_!"

Sonia flinched at the sheer bitterness the Felyne used as it spat out the last word. "But… your mother sent us! She told us that you might need help to-"

"I can do this on my own!" the Felyne snapped. "I am _not_ some lackey or minion; I am a _hunter_! And I don't want or need _any_ help from you damn humans! Now leave this place, or the next boomerang won't miss!"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about an island off the coast!**

 **If it wasn't made clear already, I'm rather fond of the Tetsucabra armor design. It's one of the few armors where I like the blademaster design more than the gunner design. It looks sturdy and solid, but still seems like it would offer good mobility, unlike other sets that don't seem like they'd defend you at all or look so heavy that you couldn't move in them. A lovely mix of defense and flexibility. At least for the female design.**

 **Once again, I am trying to bring more Felynes into the story, since aside from Leif, the species effectively vanished about halfway through TLC. Not to mention that it looks like Felynes and Palicos are going to get a few interesting changes to mechanics in Cross. And then there's the Nyanta Hunters, which I'll reserve judgement on until we have a bit more information on them. If nothing else, it looks like a good gathering system since Felynes apparently gather faster. That being said, Hannibal is not named after Hannibal Lecter. He doesn't eat people or other Felynes, no no. He's named after the original, Hannibal Barca of Carthage. Take from that what you will.**

 **I was kind of tempted to have the Veggie Elder show up in this story arc, since he generally pops up in the Primal Forest Felyne area, but I have other plans for that old dog, and he's not intended to show up in Gahiji for a while yet. He has other business to take care of first.**

 **Also, I've discovered that Barnes and Noble is selling the translated version of the Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari light novel! Huzzah! It's called The Rising of the Shield Hero in English of course, but either way I'm excited to own a copy of my own.**

 **Playing: Disgaea 5, Fallout 4, Splatoon, Fire Emblem Fates, LOZ: Twilight Princess HD  
Listening: Animal Collective, Wolf Parade, The Jelly Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Revolutions Podcast  
Reading: **_**The Martian**_ **by Andy Weir,** _ **Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneki Yusagi  
Watching: Steins;Gate (Dammit, Horizon Dreamer, why did you get me into this? I've watched all the episodes and seen the OVAs and I want more!)**


	16. Jungle Boogie

Jungle Boogie

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"What are you waiting for, human?" Hannibal hissed viciously. "I said leave this place!"

Sonia stepped back nervously as the Felyne raised another boomerang, holding it up menacingly. The gleam of the blue carbalite ore which lined the edge of the boomerang looked particularly deadly-looking… or maybe it only seemed that way since the Felyne was aiming it at _her_. Bram still had his bow drawn, with an arrow pointed directly at the Palico, but the black-furred creature hardly seemed to care.

"Wait, wait, wait, calm down, Nib- uh, Hannibal," she sputtered quickly. "We're here to help you!"

"Do I look like I need help?" the Felyne growled. "Did I ever _ask_ for it, human?"

"Well… no, but… Your mother asked us to come look for you! She was worried something might have happened to you!"

Hannibal wrinkled his nose into a scowl, and muttered several dark things under his breath which Sonia couldn't make out. A moment later he refocused on her. "Well, I'm fine, as you can see. Now leave, human!"

"Oh… but-"

"Did I _stutter_? Go. Away!"

"We were told that you were sent out to hunt a Congalala," Tuulikki suddenly spoke up, stepping around Bram. She quickly reached out, pushing against the archer's arm and compelling him to lower his bow. Bram reluctantly acquiesced, but the arrow remained nocked, and the archer remained tense and ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Hannibal's focus shifted to her, his eyes narrowing. "The map we were given shows the Congalala's territory to be several miles to the north of here, but we were informed that if you were injured, you might come here to recover. And here you are; Fig's estimate was correct. Unless the Congalala is around here? I see no signs of it. What brings you to a hidden, abandoned village, if not injury or recovery?"

Hannibal's expression grew dark for a moment, and he muttered several things under his breath. "Fine. I came here to collect myself and recover. I managed to locate the Congalala's nest north of here, but was caught off guard by the monster in a surprise attack. I was overpowering the Congalala and could have kept fighting, but the Congas in its troop were too numerous to deal with, so I retreated to wait for another opportunity to attack. I was injured, but it was mostly superficial, and I'm more than ready to find and finish off that Congalala."

"Sounds like you're just whining to me," Bram muttered.

"Piss off, human! I'm saving it for the Conga, but my boomerang will take off your _head_ just as easily if you don't shut up!"

"If you think you can throw it before my arrow reaches you, go ahead and try!"

"Bram, stop!" Sonia shouted, making the archer flinch. "Please calm down! Hannibal, you said you were injured, but are you sure you're alright? You don't need to-"

"Ha! Don't pretend you actually _care_ , human," Hannibal hissed. "We Felynes mean nothing to your species, and you know it."

"That's not true!"

"Really? Then think about the Felynes you know personally… if you can even claim you know any Felynes personally. What are we to you? Housekeepers? Mail delivery? Chefs? Servants? Sidekicks? Minions? Some stupid form of _comic relief_? Are we ever considered your equals, or are we just your damn happy little helpers?"

"I…"

"We're not _individuals_ to you. You treat us like we're part of the furniture: something that's there, but not worth a second look! We aren't even considered 'hunters' like you humans are; we're 'Palicos', or in your country, 'hunter-Felynes', as if you need to specify the difference between a normal hunter and a Felyne hunter! We don't even get proper armor, just garbage made from a hunter's _scraps_! We're invisible lackeys that never get the credit we deserve no matter how integral we are to your success! Always it's the _glorious human hunter_ that gleans all the fame, while any Felynes that aid them are shunted to a footnote!"

"But-"

"You haven't seen my injury; you don't know how small the wound is. Would you question a _human_ hunter if they said they were ready for battle, or would you take them at their word? Are you only so certain I'm not fit for this hunt because I'm so _small and frail_ , and you _big, strong_ humans are the only one capable enough to finish the job? I told you I was fine, and I _am_ fine! I've answered your questions. Now leave!"

"Not yet," Tuulikki replied sternly, and Hannibal bared his teeth furiously. "Even if you aren't badly injured, why did you attack us? We were neither threatening nor surprising you."

"Because you humans shouldn't be here," Hannibal replied, motioning to the remains of the huts and hovels surrounding him.

"Why not? This village is abandoned, and has been for years."

"Be that as it may, abandoned or not, this village once belonged to Felynes, and was a symbol of our self-sufficiency, proof that we could live without humans! We were strong! We were solitary! We could live our lives free and confident in ourselves without selling ourselves out as… mere _minions_!

"It's disgusting the way we act these days!" Hannibal fumed furiously, and Sonia felt like the Felyne had almost forgotten them in his tirade. "We're being treated like second-class citizens, selling ourselves as _minions_ , or _housekeepers_ , or _secretaries_ , or _mailmen_ , but never aspiring to anything grander! Where our our guildmasters, our businessmen, our scientists, our heroes?

"One of the most 'respected' Felynes in the country is still little more than a sidekick to some hunter whose name is a hundred times more lauded, and even then he's only known by some ridiculous nickname the hunter gave him! Not his _true name_ , not a name he picked for _himself_ , a _human-given_ name! They even tried to push the same thing on me, calling me 'Nibble' just because 'Hannibal' isn't charming enough! Screw them!

"Even the way we _speak_ is an affront to our pride! It's not an _accent_! It's not a _verbal tic_! It's just a bunch of _stupid puns_! It's pointless and ridiculous! Are we trying to make ourselves look idiotic, pretending to be a bunch of harmless, cutesy pets to please humans? We deserve to treat ourselves better than a bunch of freeloading scavengers!"

Hannibal continued to seethe for a while longer, glaring at the ground as he breathed heavily, venting his anger and frustration. Sonia could really only stare at him. She really didn't know what she could say to him. Tuulikki and Bram were just as silent as she was, and Bram's anger from before seemed to have faded, to be replaced by an uncertain look. Eventually, Hannibal seemed to remember they were there, and returned a glare to Tuulikki.

"Now do you understand why I don't want you here, human? This place is practically _holy ground_ , a village where Felynes were beholden and reliant to only themselves, where even if our lives were harsh, we were surviving and thriving by our own powers, not the servile lives we've built for ourselves elsewhere! And now here you are, tainting that legacy!" Hannibal turned his gaze to the earth, glowering angrily. "Why would my mother give you directions to this place…?"

"Because she was worried about you!" Sonia replied. "She was afraid you were hurt or worse! Doesn't that matter to you?"

Hannibal was quiet for a moment before returning his gaze to Sonia. "Fine. I'll let this slide once. But my decision hasn't changed! You can see I'm alive and well, humans, and that I don't need help. I _refuse_ your help. Return to Cheeko, and you can tell my mother that I'm fine, and that I'll be home once the Conga is dead! Perhaps the creature's _head_ will be proof enough to you that I did not and never needed your help!"

With that the Felyne spun around, darting back into the darkness of the tree trunk. The sounds of small footsteps echoed through the glade, and a few moments later, a shadow darted across the upper branches of the tree, leaping out of the hollow and out of sight. The hunters looked between each other in confusion, the only sound around them being the wind in the leaves.

"Well, now what?" Sonia asked.

* * *

"Guess you didn't find him, hey?" Logan asked as the three crawled out of the cavern.

"Actually, we did," Bram grumbled, shaking the water off of his pants.

"Really? Where is he?" Vi asked.

"He wasn't exactly compliant with our offers to help him," Tuulikki replied.

"He was… a lot different than what I expected him to be," Sonia muttered.

"What you mean?" Logan asked.

"She means he was a racist, homicidal jackass," Bram replied with a scowl.

"He _what_?"

The three hunters that had met the Felyne quickly described their conversation with Hannibal and got some concerned looks from the other three.

"Sounds like this Felyne really got a grudge 'gainst humans," Logan said, crossing his arms. "Though… I guess I can see where he coming from…"

"You're trying to _empathize_ with him?" Bram growled.

"Ain't excusing his behavior, Pinkie, just figure I can understand why he feels that way."

"Putting that aside," Tuulikki spoke up, "we know that Nib- Hannibal is alive… and still determined to hunt down and slay the Congalala he set out to defeat. But now that we've met up with him, how should we proceed? Personality and motives aside, he seems determined to deny our assistance."

"I say we just go back to Cheeko and find something else to hunt," Bram said, crossing his arms. "We were hired to find and help him under the assumption that he was injured and needed help. He's fine, and as far as I'm concerned, our work here is done. Not to mention he threatened us…"

"I disagree. Fig asked us to save her son if he needed us to and to bring him home safely," Leon said sternly. "That's our job."

"Technically, that's just our _goal_ ," Tuulikki noted. "We're on a harvest tour, remember?"

"Oh… right."

"I doubt you'd feel the same if you'd met him yourself," Bram scoffed.

"Maybe. Or maybe not. Either way, no matter how he feels about humans, no matter how much pride he has in himself, we were _asked_ to make sure he returns home in as good a condition as we can allow. If Hannibal can take care of this Congalala on his own, all the better, but we should at least ascertain for ourselves whether he can or can't do so. It's easy for anyone, human or Felyne or otherwise, to claim that they can challenge a monster on their lonesome, but it won't do anyone any good if he got in over his head and was overrun. He'd be dead when we could've kept him alive."

"Pride comes before the fall, you mean?" Vi asked, and Leon nodded.

"You say that like is gonna be easy," Logan cut in. "Felyne wants to be treated like any other hunter, hey? Don't think the cat would take too kindly to hearing his skills being put into question and having a group sent out to 'rescue' him when he didn't need the help… Know I sure wouldn't, specially when I was still a rookie…" Logan frowned, running his fingers through his long black hair thoughtfully. "If we gonna do this, we ain't gonna step in 'less it's absolutely necessary, hey? We push our way into the fight too early, and is gonna be like we didn't have any faith in him at all. Is insulting if you pull that kind of thing."

"I can accept that," Leon nodded. "As long as we're not just walking away."

"I say we go after him, just to be safe," Sonia spoke up.

"You… _what_? Why?" Bram gasped. "He threatened you! Why would you even _bother_ trying to help him?"

"Because I… It's like Logan said: I can understand where he's coming from, and why he's doing this… even if his goals and personality aren't, y'know, _stellar_."

"That's a bit of an understatement," Tuulikki noted.

"Yeah, well… Even so, I kind of want to make sure he's successful." Sonia paused for a moment, taking a breath. "I don't know what it's like being raised as a Felyne. I don't know how long it took for Hannibal to get his mindset. But I can understand being raised with people looking at you and thinking you're… lesserthan others, just because of your heritage. Thinking that you're weaker, frailer, or just… less sane than everyone else."

The hunters were quiet for a moment at Sonia's words, and Bram let out a weary sigh. Logan nodded in agreement with her, and so did Leon, surprisingly.

"But it's long since been proven that Lost can be just as capable as anyone else, despite their 'madness' and physical abilities," the lancer said.

"Ja, but you still hear it sometimes, hey?" Logan said, rolling his eyes. "People hold onto they feelings 'bout folks."

"Exactly," Sonia said. "That's why I kind of want to help him, even if he's not the nicest person. Is that stupid of me?"

"I don't believe so," Leon replied. Sonia nodded gratefully, but her gaze turned towards Bram. The archer frowned in frustration and groaned under his breath, but eventually shook his head.

"Fine, let's help the damn cat. Even if he doesn't deserve it," Bram muttered, and Sonia smiled thankfully. "It's not like we've seen any of the other Felynes that were _supposed_ to come and help him, anyway."

"Told you so," Sonia said to Tuulikki, and the glaive wielder shrugged and shook her head hopelessly.

"Fine then, we'll try to tail after him. If we're lucky, he'll take care of the Congalala himself, and that'll be that, but we'll provide support if need be."

With that, the hunters began heading west to make their way into the Congalala's territory, where the map had been labeled with a tower of some kind. Sonia kept her eyes open in search of Hannibal's passing, but she never really saw any indication that the Felyne had been making his way through the area. She wondered if the Palico was keeping to the higher branches or if he was following a path only Felynes could use. She knew that was how the Felyne mail service supposedly delivered letters so quickly: they knew paths and roads that were otherwise unknown or inaccessible to other species.

The route the hunters took did take them a little deeper into the core of the hunting grounds, however, skirting the edges of the towering mountain that rose up at the core and all the way from one side of the massive skeleton to the other. Despite being the fastest route, the six hunters were forced to continue cautiously; this area had a greater risk of encountering higher-threat monsters, and Tuulikki or Vi were forced to scout ahead to keep them from running afoul with anything dangerous. Every once in a while, the hunters could hear monster roars off in the distance, and even from far away, some of the bellows sounded utterly earthshaking.

Thankfully, they managed to skirt the edge of the hunting grounds without incident, and were soon close to the alleged location of the Congalala's nesting grounds. However, Sonia couldn't help but notice a rather rank stench permeating through the trees as they approached, overpowering even the soft smells of the flowers around them. It was so potent that it seemed to burn in the back of her nose and taint the back of her mouth. She could see that the others were having similar reactions: Bram and Logan were wrinkling their noses, and though the Gahin hunters didn't seem as bothered, they all still had sour expressions on their faces, clearly perturbed by it all.

"We're getting close," Vi muttered with a strained expression. "Definitely Congas around."

"Ugh, _that's_ where the smell's coming from?" Logan groaned. "Thought they was a monster graveyard or something 'round here."

"Aren't Congas bright pink?" Sonia asked. " _Pecker…_ I wouldn't have thought such brightly-colored monsters would be so… smelly."

"Some of the most colorful creatures in the world are poisonous," Leon replied. "Ioprey are bright red, Chameleos is purple, Rathians and Rathians come in a whole rainbow of colors. The Congas are very much the same, they just… release a different kind of poison."

"Ew… I know I said I wanted to fight new monsters, but I think I'm losing my enthusiasm."

"I don't blame you," Tuulikki replied. "Congalalas and their kin aren't exactly the most treacherous of creatures to face in the wilds. Their hides are tough, they have quite a bit of strength behind their oafish appearances, and they can be quite deadly if challenged foolishly, but if anything, they're just really… aggravating. Their pungent pungence is just the warning of what you're getting into. The rest… well… let's just say I've heard many stories of hunters challenging Congalalas, but I have yet to hear a tale that made the battle sound _noble_ , and wasn't a slew of vile toilet humor and embarrassment."

"Oh! Speaking of which," Vi cut in with a smirk, "when we get back to Cheeko, remind me to tell you guys a story I know about a Congalala that ate too much and had a heart attack."

"Ugh, not that one!" Tuulikki groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Why not? It's hilarious!"

"No, it's _disgusting_. It's exactly the kind of tasteless story I was talking about. And a poor lie at that."

"What? It really happened! I think. And even if it didn't, it's always good for a laugh."

"All it's good for is an emptied stomach."

"Do I want to know what they's talking about?" Logan muttered as the two huntresses continued to argue.

Leon shrugged. "It _is_ a pretty funny story… but you might want to wait until _after_ you eat before hearing it, I'll say that much."

"Hoy, good to know…"

Sonia took note of several carved pillars rising out of the earth around them as they continued through the woods; she'd seen their like in the Everwood, decrepit ruins constructed from weathered orange stone. The forest around the pillars had all but swallowed them up, and those that Sonia saw were enveloped in moss and vines, or worn down by the wind and rain. Bram had said his sister thought they were some Meridian stone offshoot, maybe something cheaper or easier to make than the indestructible white stone that composed their greater towers, the brick house compared to a marble mansion.

More of the structures began to grow out of the earth as they continued on, eventually shaping into the skeletons of old houses or curling into dilapidated archways and cobblestone paths. Off in the distance, Sonia could see a larger structure rising out of the earth, some sort of temple that had been sheared in half by time and weather, with a large chunk of the top crashed down to the earth. It was built directly in front of a small waterfall, feeding a gurgling stream which trailed off towards the ocean to the south. The tower itself stood at the center of two tiered stone platforms, the lower one a solid half-mile wide with the upper tier narrowing to a quarter mile. Tall columns stretched out in rows across the platforms, with worn down crossbeams balanced over the tops of them. The forest was enveloping it just as it had the pillars they had already passed, coating the orange stonework in a sea of green, dotted with color from various flowers and fungus.

It was quite an impressive sight, but the lingering stench that was growing stronger as they approached put a heavy damper on any awe Sonia might have felt, and indicated that the area was now occupied by more… _flatulent_ creatures than those who had built it.

A small staircase at the base of the structure climbed several yards up to the lowest tier. The once smooth and level platform was crooked and uneven, thanks to the efforts of small trees and bushes growing between the cracks and upheaving the bricks, with tufts of lush grass sprouting between the cracks. The stone crossbeams above them were twined with vines and some thin tree limbs, and a rainbow of mushrooms clung to the bases of the columns and trees. Small pools of moisture had gathered in the sunken areas, though the water was clearly unsafe, given its bright purple hue.

A chorus of deep and guttural grunting echoed through the columns, showing that they were growing close to a group of Congas. The group crept forward cautiously, approaching a broad staircase leading up to the second tier, and peeking over the edge, they found a small troop of four Congas. They were… pretty much what Sonia had imagined them to be, based on the drawings she'd seen in Bram's books, if not a little uglier. Thick, wrinkled, ashen grey skin covered most of their fronts, especially across their chests, pronounced guts, and protruding rounded snout, which were filled with rows of flat teeth. Their arms, backs, and scalps were covered in their signature pink fur, with small smatterings of lime green and bright yellow fur growing in patches, especially atop their crowns.

The group of them were lounging around the area, shuffling between mushrooms and other edible things, sniffing around before plopping down onto their prominent backsides and gobbling down what they could.

"Should we take care of the Congas or go around?" Sonia whispered.

"It might be for the best to remove this pack," Tuulikki replied. "If we're forced to battle the Congalala, it would be good to have some experience knowing how Congas act. Lalas aren't that much more complex than the rest of their pack, just bigger and louder… and more gaseous."

"Probably be better either way," Logan muttered. "Thinking if the Lala's anything like other pack leaders, one shout gonna bring these little beasties running to help, hey? Might be best to thin the herd a little, 'less you wanna deal with a small army of these stinky pinkies… How many Congas is they usually working for a Lala?"

"About twenty," Leon replied. "However, if Nib- Hannibal said that the pack was too numerous for him to deal with, it might be even more than that. Thirty, maybe, or upwards of forty… fifty isn't unheard of, but very rare, though that'd be over its entire territory, not all at once."

"Alright, then we try to be quick 'bout this, hey?" Logan replied. "They's four of them, so we each take out one… you gonna be fine with that, Leon?"

"I'll be fine, since it means Hannibal won't be overrun."

"Hokay… Bram, you circle round, get that one in the back, since you the sneakiest. Sonia, you go get the one near it. Me and Leon gonna get these two close ones, since we the clanky movers."

"Got it," Sonia nodded, moving with Bram to circle through the trees.

Before the two of them could move more than a few steps, however, there was a rustling sound from above, and something dropped down onto Bram from above, landing directly on his shoulders. With a grunt of pain, the hunter dropped forward, flopping unceremoniously onto his belly. Sonia gasped in surprise as the creature that had fallen twisted around from where he stood to glare at her with a pair of angry blue eyes.

"What are you doing here? I told you not to follow me!" Hannibal hissed venomously, pushing his paw into the back of Bram head. "You nearly ruined my trap, stupid humans!"

"Hey, get off of me!" the archer snapped, reaching for the Felyne. Hannibal was too quick for him, however, leaping away and climbing up a nearby column and perching upon the banisters to glare down at the hunters. The archer quickly pushed back to his feet before glowering irritably at the Felyne.

"There are more of you now," the black cat noted sourly. "Wonderful… What are you doing here? This is my hunt, so stop trying to interfere!"

"We came to help you," Leon replied quickly, before anyone else could reply.

"Fool. I will tell you what I told your friends: I do not need or _want_ any help from you humans."

"Well, like it or not, we're here to do our jobs. Your mother hired us to make sure you came back home alive, and we're going to do that."

"Besides, we weren't planning on directly interfering with your hunt at all," Vi spoke up. "We were just coming to observe your hunt and make sure nothing went wrong that would put your life on the line."

Hannibal scoffed at the words. "Ha. I've heard drunken embellishments from pathological liars that would make a more believable tale. You planned to 'just observe' by agitating some Congas, and tip the Congalala off that I'm after it? You would give away our exact location?"

"Our exact… What do you mean? How would killing these Congas tip off the pack leader?"

"Hmph, shows what you know. This Congalala isn't stupid," Hannibal explained. "I've been tracking it for days, and it's fairly smart. After our encounter yesterday, it's being careful. These Congas are scouts; they may act stupid, but the Congalala sent them ahead of it in search of intruders or threats… in search of _me_. It's going to pass through this area soon, and unless they all die stealthily or at the same time, all of them are trained to call out a message if they threatened. The moment they do that, the Congalala will know I'm here, and _that_ means I'll lose the element of surprise. If you 'don't want to interfere', then why don't you humans do me a favor and go the hell away, so you don't ruin my hunt!"

"Can't we help you in some way, though?" Sonia asked. "I mean… there must be something we can do to assist you. We just want to make sure you stay safe…"

"Help me? You want to _help_ me? The ideas of what 'help' means to you humans is a far cry from what it means to me. You can take your 'help' and shove-" The Felyne stopped mid-sentence, however, as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. Hannibal suddenly cackled with a twisted laugh, cocking his head and leering down at them. "Well now, I have an idea. How about this: you can 'help' me, but only if you _don't attack the Congalala at all_!"

"You… what?" Logan muttered. "How that gonna-"

"I planned on taking the Congalala on my own anyway, even before you annoying humans had the gall to follow me. I don't plan on changing that; the Congalala will die today, by _my_ paws, and _only_ by my paws. If you want to 'help' me, _that_ is my caveat: you humans can amuse yourselves by slaughtering the rest of the Conga pack, and I'll take care of the leader by myself! Not a single scratch on the troop leader by any of you, or any shots from the archer there."

Sonia frowned as the Felyne leaned towards them, narrowing his eyes. "Anything more than that, and the Guild will just write down that you _humans_ slew it, and I was just a tagalong _minion_. So how about it? I know how much your glory hound species like to brag about your hunts and accomplishments… I wonder if you could do that when you don't wound the monster at all? Think you can… 'lower' your high-and-mighty selves to play second fiddle to a warrior half your size?"

"Fine. I accept."

The other hunters blinked in surprise at Sonia's abrupt response, looking between themselves in confusion before staring at her. Even Hannibal seemed stunned as the huntress crossed her arms and stared back at him.

"What? I said I accept. I'll keep my focus on killing the Congas while you focus all your attention on the Congalala. Those are your terms, right?"

"Erm, yes, but I wasn't…"

"If you're willing to allow us to help, then I'll help take down the Congas as well," Leon spoke up, nodding approvingly at Sonia. "If it'll increase your chances of success, then count me in."

Neither Bram nor Logan seemed very pleased with Sonia or Leon's abrupt acceptance of Hannibal's 'offer', looking at each other uncertainly as the Felyne himself stared at Sonia and Leon with a flabbergasted expression. After a few moments, Bram finally groaned and released a long and strained sigh.

"I'll help Sonia kill the Congas," he muttered. Sonia could tell he wanted to say more, given the poignant glare he had aimed in Hannibal's direction, but he was biting his tongue. Logan was frowning next to him, but groaned and sighed.

"Fine, then, I help out too, hey? Can't say I don't-"

" _NO_!" Logan jolted slightly at the Felyne's sudden hiss, looking up to find Hannibal glaring at the humans. "This is not what I… I didn't…" The black cat looked frantically between the six of them, grinding his teeth slightly. "There's… too many of you. The Guild only allows-"

"Four hunters in a group. That's a good point," Leon cut in. "I can sit this one out if it's necessary so there are only four hunters taking part."

"Hoy, why don't I sit this one out 'stead, hey?" Logan volunteered. "You is the one that's fought one of these things before, hey? 'Sides, I is the one that's been hunting for the longest, might as well give the rookies the experience."

"Alright, so that means there'd only be four of us, with you as the 'quest taker', and we could help you with this Congalala," Sonia noted, looking at Hannibal.

Sonia wasn't very skilled at reading Hannibal's face - the most experience she'd had with Felyne facial expressions was Leif, and most of what she got out of him was surprise, exasperation, and venom - but Hannibal seemed to falter uncertainly, and their offer had caught him off guard. He looked distrustfully between the six of them, contemplating the proposal; though, considering what Sonia had learned of him, he was more likely trying to find some point of contention in her offer. His scowl grew more intense after a few moments of thought, and he opened his mouth to reply, but paused a moment later. He tilted his head suddenly, and one of his ears twitched and wiggled through his helmet. Hannibal abruptly turned and darted up column, but when Sonia started to say something after him, the Felyne turned sharply to glare at the hunters.

"Don't move!" he snapped. "You really want to help me, then stay here and keep quiet!"

Without another word, the Felyne leapt up the tree and vanished up onto the crossbeams. Bram could hear Hannibal scurrying around for a moment, but eventually the sound was lost.

"Well, now what," Logan muttered flatly. "The cat booked it again, hey?"

Sonia sighed in frustration. "I don't think-"

The huntress cut to a halt, however, as there was a sudden bellow from above the pillars, followed by some howling and a wail of pain. The Congas in the clearing froze where they stood, looking around in shock as several grunts and screeches could be heard. There was a loud crunching sound, and one of the crossbeams several dozen yards away suddenly fractured, crashing to the ground as a massive pink shape plummeted to the ground.

Here was the Congalala, obviously. It looked almost exactly like a regular Conga, but several times larger and with a rather prominent pompadour atop its head, and carrying a large Nitroshroom in the crook of its tail. The creature's fur wasn't nearly as pristine as its minions' were, however, and signs of battle coated the Pelagus' body. Some were old, including a long, treacherous scar across the beast's gut that looked fairly old, but several newer wounds, some of which looked as though they were still healing, lined the beast's arms and back, covered with a thin layer of mud; likely these were the wounds that Hannibal had managed to inflict on the creature in his last encounter with it.

The creature had landed flat on its back and was whining in pain, and from above Hannibal came dropping down towards it, sword at the ready and aiming to plunge the blade directly into the beast's neck. The Congalala reacted quickly though, rolling out of the way and letting the Palico plunge its blade into the grass before swinging its right arm out and backhanding the Felyne away from it. The Palico landed nimbly on his feet, skidding to a halt and preparing to attack again.

Before he could however, the Congalala reared up onto its hind legs and let out a powerful bellow. It wasn't so strong that it forced the hunters to cover their ears like some monsters, but it still shook the trees a little. A few of the Congas surrounding the troop leader grunted in reply, but what caught Sonia off guard was what followed a few moments later. Echoing through the trees was a loud collection of far-off bellows, the return call of many Congas, more than Sonia could discern. The sound was haunting, and Sonia really did not like the implications…

A few grunts and bellows from the clearing ahead of her pulled her attention, however, as several of the Congas began closing in on the Hannibal alongside the Congalala itself. The Felyne glanced around quickly, and as one of the Congas lunged towards him, he leapt up, planting his feet against the pink creature's skull and kicking off of it. Hannibal quickly leapt across the Congas that charged him, bounding over the pink creatures' backs and leaping towards the troop leader so quickly that the Congalala let out a shocked squeal as Hannibal swung his sword at the Pelagus' face. The Congalala ducked just in time, but Hannibal's sharp blade caught at the base of the creature's prominent pompadour, slicing the curved tip clean off as the Felyne sailed over the Congalala, landing on the ground behind the beast.

The troop leader wailed in dismay, patting the top of its head as the shredded remains of its pompadour poofed outwards, before swinging around and bellowing with newfound rage, riling up the Conga's even further. Even as its howl was dying away, several more Congas suddenly burst from the trees, bringing the number of the small pink apes to over a dozen. The creatures paused for a moment to look around, and soon the troop was closing in on Hannibal.

"Come on, we need to help!" Sonia shouted, leaping forward through the bushes. She thought she heard Bram say something crass behind her, but a couple moments later an arrow shot past her, sinking into the spine of the closest Conga. The shot staggered the pink beast, but hadn't been deep enough to kill it, so Sonia quickly swept in, plunging her blade down onto the creature's throat. The Conga squeaked in pain, but dropped to the ground dead a moment later.

The rest of the troop hadn't caught wind of them yet, thanks to the bellowing of the Congalala and their focus on Hannibal, who had begun leaping between the attacking Pelagi in an attempt to approach the troop leader again. Their presence would be discovered eventually though; Sonia could already hear Leon's armor clanking as he moved in to help, and soon the Congas would catch on as well. Without waiting for more, Sonia leapt forward, driving her swords into the back of another of the pink apes before moving onto the next.

She managed to cut down another three Congas before a loud squeal echoed through the clearing, and the Conga she'd been approaching suddenly spun around, looking back at her with shock. Sonia looked up, and one of the Congas on the far side of the group had stood up on its hind legs, and was bellowing and waving its arms. In a moment more of them were turning to face the four hunters - three, Sonia reminded herself as she glanced back; Logan remained in the trees, as was part of the deal. With a shout, the huntress lunged, slashing at her target Conga's face, slicing a shallow cut across the creature's forehead, making blood spray from the wound. The pink beast squealed as blood dripped into its eyes, and it staggered backwards, trying to wipe off its eyes, but that gave Sonia time to lash out and slash at the creature's throat, sending it onto its back as even more blood gurgled from the new wound.

However, now that they knew about the hunters' presence, the Congas were suddenly a much bigger problem, and several of them broke away from attacking Hannibal to come after the humans. Their hides weren't as solid as many of the other monsters Sonia had fought, like Konchu or Rhenoplos, but they were still surprisingly tough. Her swords could pierce the Conga's flesh, but the tips wouldn't cut that deep, and now that they knew she was there the pink apes would take several slashes to cut down, unless she managed to hit them in the neck or in a particularly soft spot. Leon was having trouble dealing with the large numbers with just his lance and shield, and though Bram had yet to be spotted and was turning a few of the Congas into overweight pincushions, it was taking three or four arrows to drop each ape, and soon the archer just began aiming for the creatures' legs to cripple them, so Sonia or Leon could finish them off when they neared.

And they just kept coming! Every ten or twenty seconds, another small group of Congas would charge into the glade from the trees, replacing the Congas that had already fallen. Their numbers were dwindling, but much too slowly. Hannibal had said that this Congalala was the leader of quite a large pack, but Sonia had taken down almost ten of the things by herself and still more were pouring out of the trees.

Sonia was worried about Hannibal himself, but when she looked over to check on his battle with the Congalala, she realized that the Felyne was _fast_. Sonia didn't think any of the humans could match the Palico for speed, not even her or Tuulikki. The pack leader wasn't a speed demon in its own right, but it certainly wasn't a slow and lumbering beast, lashing out fiercely with its long arms and claws. Hannibal dodged the assaults nimbly, however, slipping over and under the beast's heavy swipes and slashing his blade across the creature's arms, leaving trails of blood staining the beast's pink fur.

The beast bellowed in rage, raising both arms and trying to smash them down onto the Felyne, but Hannibal leapt into the air, allowing the Congalala to smash its fists into the earth with enough force that Sonia could feel the earth shiver from the blow even from over a dozen yards away. As Hannibal dropped to the ground again, he landed on the Congalala's arm and dashed up the furry appendage towards its head. The Palico nearly cleaved into the monster's skull with his sword before the Pelagus swung itself around wildly and threw the Felyne off of it. Hannibal spun around, landing cleanly on his feet, bracing himself to charge and attack again as the Congalala wheezed in frustration.

Sonia could see where Hannibal's confidence came from. If not for the horde of Congas, the Felyne really could've dealt with the Congalala all on his own.

Suddenly, the Congalala unleashed a deep bellow from the center of the clearing, and the Congas froze. A second later they all returned its call in unison, and those that were close to the hunters scooted a couple yards away. Sonia looked around nervously, uncertain what was going on, but leapt towards the nearest Conga, only to have the creature leap away from her and continue backing up until it was a solid five yards back. An arrow shot out from the trees, striking another of the Congas right through the heart. The pink ape squealed in pain, clutching at the arrow as blood poured down its chest, staggering for a few seconds before toppling to the ground dead. While some of the Congas glanced over at their fallen kin, none of them moved to attack.

However, from the side Sonia spotted Hannibal suddenly stop his assault on the Congalala, backing away uncertainly before darting for the nearest tree. In a flash he was up to the lower branches, reaching into his pouch to pluck something from within. It looked similar to an air filter, Sonia noted, but made with different materials… Hannibal slapped the object over his snout, shivering slightly for a moment and returning his attention to the Congalala, but a moment later he paused in realization, looking back towards the hunters below.

"Ah… ah! Cover your noses, you fools!" his muffled voice shouted through the leafy object. "They're gonna-"

The Felyne's warning came a moment too late, however, as the Conga pack all simultaneously released flatulence. The area around the Conga pack was suddenly enveloped in a vile brown haze, which quickly spread outwards from the blast zone with frightening speed. Sonia gaped in disgust at the sight before scrambling away from the haze. The vile cloud began to spread out as a light breeze flowed through the trees, and Sonia found herself desperately trying to keep away from it. She could see that Bram had pulled his collar up over his mouth and nose, but Leon seemed to be trying to keep away from the stench as much as she was. She sheathed one of her swords and reached into her pouch to grab a deodorant bomb, but would it really help against this much foulness? As long as she kept out of the main cloud…

She was caught off guard when a couple of the Congas rushed her from out of the brown haze, grunting and bellowing in rage. Sonia cursed, leaping to the left to dodge the first of the Congas and turning to dodge the second, but she was caught off guard when the pink creature coiled up and leapt into the air. Sonia was shocked at the creature's leg power; the beast's head nearly clipped the canopy before it started falling towards her, its arms and legs spread out for a belly flop. Again, Sonia dodged to the side, feeling the earth shiver slightly as the beast hit the ground.

She pulled her sword back to attack the creature before it could push to its feet, but remembered the haze coming towards her. The moment she turned, however, the Conga on the ground swept its arms out, clipping her ankle. Her Tetsu armor protected her from the creature's claw, but the force still knocked her leg out from under her, dropping her to a knee, and before she could recover, the first Conga lunged again, headbutting her in the chest and throwing her onto her back.

The Congas squealed in delight, lumbering after her, but an arrow sunk into the spine of the closest one to her, and the second paused in confusion, looking over towards its partner. In its moment of hesitation, Sonia hurled the deodorant bomb at the creature, throwing the orb directly into the Conga's gaping mouth. There was a sharp pop, and a gust of pale blue smoke gushed from the back of the creature's maw, making it howl in shock and dismay. Sonia leapt to her feet, tensing up to lunge at the Congas and finish them off…

However, the moment she pushed to her feet, a sickly brown wisp crawled over her shoulder. Sonia cringed, spinning around instinctively, only to be enveloped by the oncoming wave of nastiness.

Sonia winced in terror and immediately held her breath. She did _not_ want to inhale at all. The brown haze didn't… hurt. That was a plus. But she could _feel_ her armor and exposed skin being sprinkled with the nastiest thing she'd ever experienced in her life. Still holding her breath, she turned and dashed out of the cloud into clear air, getting several yards out of the way and slipping behind one of the stone pillars and digging through her pouch for another deodorant bomb before she could take no more and gasped for air.

Unfortunately, the Conga's stink still clung to her armor, and her first breath was filled with a rank stench that rushed through her sinuses and almost immediately made her stomach turn over. She quickly slid her mask up over her scalp, holding her hand over her mouth and trying to keep herself from retching, but each breath only made her guts churn worse. Sonia quickly fished a deodorant bomb from her pouch and hurled it to her feet. There was a pop as the bomb burst, and a small eruption of smoke swelled up from under her, coating the huntress in bitter-smelling mist. It wasn't a pleasant smell, nothing sweet or enticing like perfume, but it quickly covered up the stink from the Congas. Or rather, it masked it fairly well; Sonia could still smell foulness coming from her armor and body, and couldn't help but shiver slightly.

However, even as the smoke from the deodorant bomb began to fade away, trails of the brown haze from the Congas began to slip around the sides of the pillar Sonia was hiding behind, slipping around her ankles and feet and making the huntress shiver in revulsion. As soon as this fight was over, she was going to sprint as fast as she could towards that waterfall she'd seen on the other side of the temple ground. If this fight took too long, she was tempted to jump into that pool of purple water off into the corner. Poison be damned, she'd rather feel sick than this kind of… _unclean_.

Some skittering above her caught her attention, and she looked up to spot Hannibal darting through the treetops towards the Congalala, and heard loud clanging and bashing coming from behind her. Sonia glanced around the edge of the column to find the Congalala and a few members of its troop trying to assault Leon. The lancer was managing to keep the Congas away with lance thrusts, and could block the lighter attacks and sidestep the slower, heavier strikes from the Congalala, but he was quickly being overrun. He wasn't countering any of the troop leader's attacks, however, and Sonia cursed under her breath; they had told Hannibal that they wouldn't attack the Congalala, but…

"Argh! Damn it all, sweep its legs, fool!" Hannibal snapped at the lancer.

Leon needed no further permission, sweeping his lance around and cracking the edge of his lance against the Congalala's hind leg, making the creature stumble slightly. Hannibal rushed across the stone beams until he was right over the troop leader, before dropping down and plunging his sword into the Congalala's shoulder. The Pelagus wailed in pain, snapping its head back and swinging its arms back to grab the Felyne, but Hannibal reached forward, grabbing the shredded remains of its pompadour and yanking hard. The Lala squealed in pain, staggering backwards, tugged to the left or right with each successive pull from Hannibal.

Some of the Congas lumbered after their leader, grunting at the Felyne as he tugged the Congalala back and forth, but the rest of them remained focused on Leon. The lancer was doing his best to keep the beasts away from him with jabs from his weapon, but there was only so much he could do. One of the Congas leapt forward, crashing into Leon's shield, but rather than bouncing off the creature grabbed hold of the spines lining the edge and began trying to climb over it. The beast's weight forced the shield's base to slam down onto the stone platform, locking the lancer in place, and try as he might Leon couldn't shake the creature loose, and soon the other Congas were starting to circle around to his exposed side.

Sonia growled in frustration, charging in Leon's direction as the Conga reached the peak of the shield and began to swipe its curved claws at the lancer's head. "Damn it, lose the shield!"

Leon looked at her like she was mad for a moment, but as the Conga's claws clashed off of his helmet, and another one began charging him from the side, he cursed and plunged the tip of his lance into the dirt. He quickly unlatched the buckles strapping his arm to the shield, before shoving the Kecha-material barrier backwards and sending the Conga toppling to the ground. Before the Conga charging him could close the distance, he grabbed the hilt of his lance with both hands and swung it around to block as the charging Conga leapt at him. The pink creature slammed into the side of the weapon, and Leon pushed it off of him and onto its back. With a quick spin, the lancer swung his weapon behind him and up into an overhead arc before dropping it down with a heavy crack onto the Conga's head.

Sonia could see the Conga under Leon's shield struggling to free itself from Kecha-material plate, but she dashed towards it, leaping on top of the inside of the shield and shoving the creature onto its back before reaching down and plunging her blade into the Conga's chest. Another of the pink apes was charging Leon from behind, but before it could reach him an arrow shot from the treeline, sinking into the creature's hind leg and sending it toppling to the ground. Leon spun around as the Conga tried to push to its feet, swinging his lance around to point down at the creature. As it tried to push itself back to its feet, the lancer stepped forward, thrusting the tip of his weapon into the back of the creature's neck and sending the now-dead Conga to the ground dead.

The two of them continued fighting, with assisting cover fire from Bram. The arrows struck the Congas' legs, crippling them and allowing Sonia and Leon to deal with them in a safer manner. The hunters had already collectively killed over two dozen Congas already, and the stone platform was starting to fill up with pink-furred bodies, and small pools of blood dotted the area. However, the numbers seemed to be thinning out at last, and what once was practically a horde of the creatures was now just a large troop. Leon had managed to recover his shield in the lull, and was fighting much more confidently than he had been when he been without it. When she could, Sonia would spare a glance in Hannibal's direction to check up on the Felyne, but the black cat seemed to be holding his own against the Congalala, and every time the huntress looked his way, the massive pink ape had another wound covering its arms or back, and its fur was matted with crimson in several spots.

Unfortunately, the Congalala unleashed yet another powerful bellow through the area, and the Congas around it responded. This time there was no regrouping for the troop, however, and all the pink apes released flatulence in sync, coating the area in a low brown haze once more. Sonia cursed as she staggered away from the vile fog floating her way. She sheathed one of her blades and reached into her pouch to grab the last of her deodorant bombs, but before she could get it ready, one of the Congas lunged at her from the side. Though she avoided being tackled by the pink beast, the creature still clipped her leg and tripped her, and as she flailed her arms to keep her balance, she accidentally let go of the deodorant bomb.

"Wait, no!" she gasped, turning in the direction the bomb had flown. It didn't burst upon impact with the ground, but a couple bounces later the bomb rolled straight into a large puddle of purple water. Sonia winced, contemplating whether it would be worth the risk to recover it or not - she did have a couple antidotes on her - but there was a sudden pop from under the surface, and several bubbles floated to the surface, popping and sending out puffs of light blue smoke. "Damn it!"

Sonia tried to roll to her feet to outrun the brown haze, but the Conga that had tripped her leapt at her again. The huntress snapped her blade around, pointing the tip at the Conga's chest as the creature crashed into her, and the sword plunged through the ape's body, sending a spray of blood splashing across Sonia's chestplate. However, the creature's momentum still knocked the huntress backwards again, throwing her onto her back, and unfortunately right into the noxious cloud behind her. Sonia first breath of the fumes nearly made her retch, and she began struggling desperately to push off the Conga that had landed on top of her. The creature was still alive, though in its last death throes, and Sonia struggled to move the heavy pink ape off of her. The smell of the creatures' farts were quickly overwhelming her, however, and the huntress finally managed to use the blade wedged in the beast's chest as a lever to twist it off of her and leap to her feet out of the fumes.

The moment she was up, she began searching around desperately for the other hunters. Nearby, Leon was hiding behind one of the pillars, half-covered in a billowing wall of light blue smoke, and his expression was one of extreme relief. Sonia quickly scrambled his direction, hoping to smother herself in some of the same smoke, but the haze vanished, sputtering out before she could cover the distance.

"Leon! Deodorant!" Sonia gasped, nearly choking on the smell she'd inhaled. The lancer jolted slightly in surprise as she slid to a halt next to him, then wrinkled his nose in revulsion at her smell. " _Please_ tell me you have another one!"

"Uh… no, sorry, I don't. That was my last one…"

"Damn it, I need… hurk…" Sonia had to grab Leon's shoulder to steady herself as her stomach turned over again. "Ugh… where's… where's Bram? He's been hiding, he should… urp. He should still have…"

"Ugh, stupid human. Do you really hope to become a hunter if you're this unprepared?" Sonia and Leon looked up to find Hannibal scowling down at them. "It's embarrassing to watch you make a spectacle of yourself. Here, take this; it might not fit well, but it's better than watching you stumble around and retch."

The Felyne reached into his pouch, pulling out a leafy green object like the one he was wearing over his own mouth, before tossing it at Sonia's face. The huntress managed to grab it out of the air before it fell to the ground, quickly pushing up her facemask and scrambling to strap the leafy object to her face. Leon looked at her worriedly as she did so, but Sonia paid him no mind as she pulled the cord behind her head and allowed the thing to cover her mouth and nose; it wasn't a great fit, made for a creature half her size, but…

Sonia sighed in relief as most of the foul smell was blotted out, replaced by a sweet, herbal smell. It wasn't a smell that Sonia recognized, certainly not the thick, musty smell like airweed had, but both had a similar bitterness hidden underneath it; Bitterbug extract, Sonia realized, the same substance that was used to make deodorant bombs. Sonia didn't care either way, as long as the stench from the Congas was gone. There was something else in the plant as well, she realized as she took a savoring deep breath, something that kind of tingled in Sonia's sinuses…

And then the burning began. The tingling in the back of her nose suddenly erupted into flame, and it felt as though acid had been sprayed inside her nose. Sonia gasped in shock, but the action only sent the tingling sensation through her mouth, and a moment later the same burning sensation blazed through her mouth and throat. The huntress squealed in pain, ripping the leafy mask off her face, gasping for air and wheezing as she scrambled to grab her water canteen. She vaguely noted Hannibal and Leon giving her a flabbergasted look and she began chugging down her water, trying to soothe her blazing throat. She found herself coughing, however, and she could taste something sour drip over her lips before realizing that her nose was running badly, and wiping off her face left the backs of her bracers covered in a thin film of snot. Tears were streaming from her eyes, and she was having trouble seeing very clearly.

Through the sounds of her own coughing, however, Sonia could hear the deep bellows of the Congalala, followed by a loud thumping. She turned and could see a massive pink shape lumbering towards her through the brown haze, but the shape was distorted and twisted from the tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Close your eyes!"

Sonia squeezed her eyes shut at the shout, and she heard and grunt of effort, followed by a pulse of light beyond her eyelids. There was a bellowing cry from the Congalala, followed by a loud snap and a thunderous crash near her. Sonia opened her eyes again, still not seeing too much beyond the tears in her eyes other than distorted shapes and colors, but now the big pink blob was wobbling around on the ground about ten yards away from her, and several smaller pink blobs were weaving around aimlessly, accompanied by dismayed grunting and howls. Another pink shape approached her, but this one was taller and thinner than the Congas, and reached out to grab her arm and drag her towards the nearest pillar.

"I'll look after her!"

"Understood! I'll distract the Congas!"

Sonia allowed herself to be dragged away, though she tripped over several rocks, roots, and uneven stone slabs. She could barely see anything around her, however, thanks to the tears streaming from her eyes, but she could clearly hear the sound of Leon's lance plunging into the bodies of the blinded Congas, eliciting squeals of pain from the creatures.

Finally Bram came to a halt, and Sonia was leaned gently against one of the stone pillars. "Are you okay, Sonia? What happened to you?" he asked fearfully, tilting her face up.

"I don' know…" Sonia mumbled. Her clogged nose and stinging mouth made it hard for her to speak clearly. "Used someting Hannibal gabe me… It was zo _hot_! Ah, wader!"

"Hot?" Bram muttered, as Sonia groped around the archers belt, feeling around for his water pouch and yanking it off of him. She quickly downed a good half of what was inside, gasping in relief and water dripped off her cheeks and chin. "Why hot? What did he-"

"The hell is wrong with her?" a voice asked from above. Sonia looked up, but her eyes were still blurry and all she could see was a black-colored shape that was smaller than a Conga. Hannibal actually had a note of uncertainty and concern in his voice, oddly enough.

"What the hell was that?!" Bram growled viciously. "What did you give her?!"

"A smell muffler!" Hannibal replied defensively. "I'm wearing one myself, fool! You don't see me suffering like her, do you?"

"Well, what the hell is in it? It sure as hell isn't an air filter or anything like that."

"Of course not. Airweed doesn't grow along this part of the coast. I make them myself!"

"Out of _what_?"

"Uh…" For a moment, Hannibal's voice actually became uncertain and a touch embarrassed. "Felvine?"

" _Felvine_?" Bram gasped. Sonia was just as surprised, wiping her eyes and giving the Felyne a closer look; the black cat's eyes were slightly dilated, and she guessed that Hannibal's words were a little slurred as well. "Why would you something that gets you high during… Ugh, never mind. Anything else?"

"Erm… Bitterbug extract, and hot peppers."

" _Hot peppers_?"

"Yes. The spiciness of the peppers temporarily burns out the sense of smell and taste; very important for a Felyne given our superior noses. The Felvine and Bitterbug extract wouldn't cover the smell of the gas without it, and I don't see the point in relying on deodorant bombs against such foul creatures…"

"Agh!" Sonia snapped. "I _hade_ spicy stuff!"

"That explains that…" Bram muttered. "I suppose that's one way to deal with a Conga's stench… if a little unorthodox. How are you feeling Sonia?"

"My throat hurts lige hell. I gan't really smell anyting right dow, dough," Sonia replied, wiping more of the snot off her face. She could barely talk clearly with her nose clogged, and she knew had to look like a mess at the moment.

"Huh… well, I guess that solves one problem," Bram muttered, before turning to glare at Hannibal. "Though it certainly could've been handled better."

Hannibal looked as though he was going to retort, but eventually closed his mouth, harrumphing before turning to dart away over the stone crossbeams back towards the Congalala.

"Why are we helping him again?" Bram asked under his breath before returning his attention to Sonia. "How are you holding up? Can you keep fighting?"

"I thing I'm gonna be okay," the huntress replied, plucking a leaf from a nearby bush and blowing her nose into it. She still couldn't smell anything, but the fire in her mouth and nose wasn't burning quite as hot as it had been. "I can… I can keep going."

"You're sure?" Bram asked again, and Sonia nodded adamantly. "Alright then. Be careful. I'm heading back out of sight, but I'll keep an eye on you in case things turn sour again."

"Ogay. Thanks Bram."

The archer nodded and darted away, slipping behind one of the larger pillars to hide himself from the Congas. As he did so, Sonia returned her attention to the battle, to find Leon still countering the cluster of Congas that remained. There were just over a dozen of them left, and it didn't seem as though any more were stampeding through the columns to aid their brethren, so maybe they'd finally reached the end of the group, or at least the end of those that were close enough to come at the Lala's call. Leon was doing surprisingly well at fending off the pink Pelagi by constantly stepping backwards in a wide circle and piercing his lance into the Conga's that got too close.

The Congalala, however, was sitting far away from Leon - actually _sitting_ on its rump - and was quickly devouring the Nitroshroom that had been hooked into the tip of its tail since the start of the battle. Sonia frowned nervously; she'd read that Congas were able to add… 'effects' to their belches by eating different mushrooms and berries, like poison, paralysis, or even sleep toxins. There was also notes that it could breathe fire once it had consumed a nitroshroom or fire herb, but Sonia had a hard time believing that. As ridiculous as this creature was - and it topped Sonia's charts in that category - it couldn't do something _that_ outlandish… right? However, as the pink beast finished scarfing down the mushroom, it patted its belly in satisfaction and belched, and a small plume of flame gusted from its gullet. It didn't seem very powerful, but still…

There was a cry of pain from Leon, and Sonia's gaze shot in his direction. One of the Congas had snuck behind the lancer, catching him off guard and leaping onto his back, and now the creatures were starting to mob the Genprey-armored hunter. She quickly looked up towards the crossbeams, finding Hannibal criss-crossing his way towards the troop leader, before darting in the lancer's direction to help him. There was still a brown haze lingering near the ground, and Sonia cringed as she dashed through it; the very sensation of it just made her feel filthy. On the plus side, she couldn't smell anything, but her nose was so stuffed that she had to breathe through her mouth, and the very idea of doing so inside one of those clouds made her stomach turn over.

Sonia crashed into the back of the Conga troop with her blades flashing, cleaving her swords down onto the backs and necks of two of the pink creatures before some of the others caught sight of her and turned to attack. Leon was still struggling with a Conga clinging to his back, however. As one of the Pelagi leapt her way, Sonia remembered how Hannibal had dealt with the creatures and she jumped up, planting her foot on her attacker's snout and kicking off to leap over the next few pink apes. She didn't do it as nimbly as she'd seen Hannibal do it earlier, but it was enough to close the distance between her and Leon.

Sliding around the lancer, Sonia sheathed her right blade and reached up to grab the Conga's pompadour. The ape squealed in pain as she yanked on its hair, releasing Leon and flopping onto the ground, allowing Sonia to twist her other sword into a reverse grip and drive it down into the Conga's chest.

"Thank you," Leon sighed gratefully.

"Don't mention it, just try to-"

A swell of light, accompanied by a deep rumbling sound drew the pair's attention towards the Congalala for a moment. Sonia frowned at the sight of smoke rising up from burning vines around the columns. Hannibal was dashing around the beams above the creature, trying to find a chance to leap down and attack, but the Lala was following the Felyne's movements intently. Rage was quickly getting the better of the beast however, and each moment was filled with more and more frustrated and furious bellows.

With a powerful howl, the Congalala reared back, finally reaching its breaking point. It scooted backwards several yards, before inhaling deeply, letting its belly swell out before snapping its head forward to unleash a thunderous… belch. Sonia had been expecting something dangerous after witnessing the creature belch a gust of fire earlier, but she was still caught off guards when a wave of flame erupted from the Pelagus' gullet, rolling across the clearing and setting the grass ablaze. The Congalala had been aiming for Hannibal, but now Sonia realized that as the troop leader swung his head around, the flames were spreading far enough to reach even her and Leon.

"Quick! Behind me!" the lancer shouted, slamming his shield into the dirt and bracing himself. Sonia quickly leapt behind him, curling herself up and bracing herself.

The force of the flames as they struck against Leon's shield actually shook the lancer as the blaze washed around them, but the man kept himself firm against the wave of fire. The huntress winced as a wave of heat roared around her ankles, and she instinctively tightened herself up, trying to make herself 'thinner' to protect herself. She began cursing as the vines and grass around them caught flame, and licks of fire began to nip at her feet as burning leaves fell on them from above. Sonia winced as the Congalala turned its head and sent another wave of fire through the area, but Leon kept braced in front of her. What kind of gut did this creature have to unleash such a steady stream of fire? Even Rathians and Rathlaos usually only sent out fireballs in short succession or a quick stream of flame. This blaze lasted a good ten seconds at least!

Eventually, it seemed that the Conga had finally run out of gas - literally - as the Pelagus belched and wheezed, and the fire finally cut away, allowing Sonia a moment to look around. Leon sighed in relief, though there were a couple sear marks across his boots. Bram was far enough away that the flames hadn't gotten close to him, but Sonia could see him pressing closer to the battle, given the trails of black smoke that were blotting his vision.

As Sonia leaned around the side of Leon to check on the Congalala, she felt her stomach turn at what he saw. The Congalala's flames had left swaths of blackened grass and bushes smoking along the ground, seared to nothingness. The vines all up and down most of the surrounding pillars had been charred as well, flaking away as cinders continued to burn. It wasn't the effects on the terrain that bothered Sonia so much, however; she'd seen the effects a Qurupeco's flame bursts or a Rathian's fireball could leave if unleashed.

Rather, the Congalala had unleashed its waves of flames, but had either had completely forgotten about the remaining Congas, or simply ignored them. There had been just over a dozen of the smaller apes between the alpha and the hunters, and only three of them had managed to escape unscathed. The rest of them had been enveloped by the flames, and were now screeching in horror and pain as their fur burned. A couple tried to roll around or leap into the nearby purple water, but most of the rest could only howl in agony, before running around desperately or fleeing as though they could run from the flames that bit into their fur.

Despite the shrieks and cries of the Congas around it, however, the Congalala merely shook the last vestiges of fire from its mouth before beading scouring around for Hannibal. It bellowed an order to the remainder of the Congas, but those that were still around were looking around fearfully, clearly eager to run away. Without even waiting for a reply from the others, the Congalala charged forward, making a beeline for the tree that Hannibal had perched himself in. The Felyne was coughing fitfully from the smoke curling up from the base of the tree, and seemed to have trouble opening his eyes.

"Look out!" Sonia shouted to the Felyne, dashing around Leon and charging to intercept the Congalala.

She was too slow, however, and the Conga barreled into the base of the pillar, shaking the entire stone column and knocking Hannibal loose from the top. The Felyne yowled in surprise as he fell, hitting the ground several yards away with a thud, and quickly rolling back onto all fours as he blinked the smoke from his eyes and looked back towards the Congalala. The Congalala bellowed victoriously and coiled up, launching itself into the air into a high arc to belly flop onto the Felyne.

Hannibal tensed as the creature leapt, but rather than leaping out of the way, Hannibal suddenly pulled out his sword, spinning it around and wedging the hilt into a knot in the roots below his feet. Upon releasing the hilt, the sword remained upright, its point aimed straight into the air unwaveringly. Only then did the Felyne leap out of the way, slipping out from under the Congalala as it dropped towards the blade.

The troop leader seemed to realize what was happening, and began waving its arms in the air and screeched in fear, but it was too late. There was a loud _thud_ and a wet tearing sound, and the Congalala wailed in agony, seizing up. The troop leader pushed itself off its belly, and sure enough Nibble's blade had been plunged deep into the creature's chest right up to the crossguard, with the hilt bent nearly in half from the impact. The Congalala began to stumble backwards, crying out in pain as it tried to remove the blade, but it's long talons couldn't get a grip on the hilt of the sword.

As the troop leader's legs began to buckle under its weight, Hannibal rushed the pink Pelagus from the front, leaping into the air and crashing into the beast's chest. The Congalala wheezed as the blow knocked it onto its back, and the black-furred Felyne grabbed hold of the remained his sword's hilt. With a loud yowl, Hannibal yanked the blade free, and a spray of blood erupted from the wound, splattering across the Felyne's black armor and pouring across the Congalala's dark grey skin. The tip and edge of the weapon was badly chipped and dented from the troop leader crashing down on it. The pink beast howled in agony, waving its arms wildly, but Hannibal leapt forward, vaulting over the creature's snout and smashing his blade into the Congalala's skull.

The Felyne's strength and the dented sword made it so Hannibal couldn't cleave into the creature's skull fully, but there was still a sickening crunch, and blood poured from the wound. The Congalala screeched, thrashing around wildly and finally knocking Hannibal off of it, but by then it was too late. Blood was already pooling under it from the wound on its chest, and now its eyes were squeezed shut as its head wound blinded it. The Congalala tried to push itself back to its feet, but before it could, Hannibal pulled out one of his boomerangs, tossing it almost lazily at the Pelagus' hind legs, slicing the skin just above the ankle. The pink beast yelped, only to flop forward onto its belly again.

This time it didn't get up, wheezing and groaning in pain. Hannibal huffed, stalking over to the creature as it lay there. The Congalala gave a weak swing at the Felyne as he approached, but the black cat merely leapt over the attack, landing on the creature's back. Turning his sword to point down, the Felyne held the blade up in the air before plunging it into the back of the Congalala's neck. The pink creature seized up one last time before going limp.

"It's dead?" Sonia asked.

"Obviously," Hannibal scoffed. "Do you really think-"

"Great! Be right back!" the huntress replied, sliding her dual blades into their sheathes before turning to dash across the stones.

"You- What?"

"Hey, where are you going?" Bram called after her.

" _To wash myself off_!"

* * *

"Ugh, I feel better," Sonia muttered, pulling herself out from under the waterfall at the back of the temple grounds. Her armor was still dripping, but that was to be expected, considering that she spent more than ten whole minutes submerged up to her neck, and a good chunk of that was spent dunking her head underwater. "I don't think I've ever been this happy to have a hunt finished before. Or to have a chance to _bathe_."

"I don't blame you," Leon sighed. The lancer was a little ways downstream, and though he hadn't dunked himself below the waist-high water like Sonia had, he had still spent several minutes of his own wiping off his armor and shield. "Congas are never fun to deal with. The stink can really linger if you don't get it out quickly. I lost a good set of Derring armor a few years back after a Conga hunt, actually. The armor was in good condition, but it was a long way back to Lintukoto and the smell just… wouldn't come out. _Ever_. I had to junk it in the end."

"Great… I'm taking a bath in deodorant when we get back to Cheeko."

"If that don't work, maybe we check the local inn, see if we can buy all of they Fatty Tomatoes," Logan chuckled. The other hunters gave him odd looks, and the great sword user chuckled in embarrassment. "Eh… tomato juice is supposed to get rid of smells, hey?"

"How'd you learn that?" Vi asked.

"Erm… got too close to a tranqed Volvidon once when I was little, and in its sleep it, uh… Well. Mamma dunked me in a bathtub fulla tomato juice that night. Guess it worked, but I just smelled like ketchup 'stead of anything else for a couple days."

"Better than Conga butts… _Pecker._ I hope I never have to hunt a Congalala ever again," Sonia muttered, trying to sniff her bracers, but her nose was still clogged and tingling from the hot peppers. "Ugh. Do I still stink? I can't tell."

"Eh, it ain't too bad, but hold still, girlie," Logan muttered, pulling out one of the deodorant bombs he'd brought with him. Sonia spread her arms and the great sword user tossed the orb to the ground at her feet, where it burst in a wave of smoke that coated the huntress and made her shiver in relief.

Tuulikki chuckled from where she was perched up on the bank. "A hunter's first Congalala hunt is always… unique, compared to other hunts. Even if their participation was… minimal, like yours was."

"Yeah, whatever…"

"Hoy, chin up girlie," Logan smirked. "One day you gonna look back on hunts like this one and laugh, hey?"

"Pah, you can say that, but you didn't really participate, now did you?" Bram replied, glaring at the older hunter. The archer had been sitting on the bank for a few minutes, having already washed himself off; Sonia envied him, having been able to keep his distance thanks to his bow.

"He's right, you know," Tuulikki said. "We still have a week in Cheeko ahead of us. I'm sure there's time for you to meet a Congalala or your own to fight, and then you can have a hunt to 'look back on and laugh'. _Hey_?"

Logan turned to scowl at the silver-haired huntress as she smiled at him. "Hoy… Okay, bug girl," he said, earning a glare from the huntress. "What about you? What was _you_ first Conga battle like?"

Tuulikki visibly blanched at the request. Logan raised an eyebrow as the glaive wielder quickly turned away, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips as she cleared her throat.

"It was entirely uneventful," she said quickly, making sure to keep her gaze away from the others.

"Ho, _really_? You sure 'bout that, girlie? Sounds like they's a fun story you can tell."

"No, no… The hunt was very straightforward and professional-"

"Pssh. That's not the way _I_ remember hearing about it," Leon chuckled, striding out of the water and shaking off his leggings. "As I recall, there was a whole story that started with a mistimed flash bomb and ended with you-"

Sonia was always impressed by Tuulikki's speed, but the huntress managed to cover the distance between herself and Leon at a speed that would make a sprinter envious, wrapping an arm around his head and covering his mouth.

" _Nothing happened_ ," the huntress hissed through gritted teeth.

"Ho! Guess they's two stories we gonna get to hear once we back to Cheeko, hey?" Logan asked, grinning evilly.

Sonia laughed a little as Tuulikki fumed, before looking around in concern. "Where's Hannibal at?"

"He already left," Vi replied. "Once he'd carved what he wanted off the Conga, he sent up a flare and booked it back towards Cheeko. He said he wanted to make sure that the Guild knew that _he_ was the one that killed it, not us."

"Huh? Why? Did he think we were going to lie and say _we_ killed it?"

"Maybe," the pink-armored huntress said uncomfortably. "I guess it might be easier to believe a group of four apprentices killed a Congalala, rather than a solo Felyne…"

Sonia scratched her head uncomfortably, but Tuulikki broke the silence first. "Speculating is pointless at this point. Hannibal can report his hunt however he wishes; it was his kill after all, and we did nothing to the beast, save for a leg sweep from Leon. All we did today was kill some Congas, and that's all we'll tell the Guild. Carve what you want off the Congas we've killed, and we'll head back towards Cheeko ourselves."

"Can we even get anything of value off of them?" Bram asked flatly. "I can't imagine using anything as smelly as whatever we can gather from those things."

"I believe there's a bow that can be made from Congas that doesn't require Congalala materials, if that piques your interest."

"...Huh. I guess that might- Wait, what color is it?"

"Guess."

Bram groaned in dismay as Logan smirked in amusement. "Fine. Whatever. Let's just get what we can and go, before the smell really sinks into our armors."

* * *

The smell of the salty sea wafted over the coast of Cheeko Cape, and Sonia allowed herself to savor the feeling of the breeze as she sat on a bench outside the town's Guild hall. Her sense of smell was starting to return at last, and she had to admit, she was happy that the smell of the sea and all that accompanied it was the first thing her nose was able to pick up… though the foul tang that clung to her armor wasn't that far behind.

At the moment, she was alone on the bench, waiting for Tuulikki and Leon to finish giving the report of their 'hunt' to the Guild. Logan and Vi had returned to Stellazzio to give them a heads-up about an impending assault on their noses, and Bram had slipped into one of the nearby smithies to see about that Conga bow that he'd been told about. Sonia had planned to go in and help with the report, but she'd found herself completely tuckered out, and Leon had said she could sit this one out, leaving her alone for the moment as she waited for one of her friends to return.

Sonia slouched wearily, pulling her facemask off her head and shaking her hair. The cool sea breeze felt nice after such a long day. She had to admit, she wasn't usually this tired after a hunt. Maybe it was because she'd never fought such a large number of small monsters at once before… she felt like she'd challenged a small army of the creatures. Maybe it was because she hadn't actually fought the Congalala; after most large monster battles, she was running high off of her victory over some great beast, but she didn't have that pleasure this time.

Or maybe it was just because of how _agitating_ the whole affair had been. Dealing with Hannibal's… _quirks_ , to fighting a bunch of bright pink fart monsters, frying her nose thanks to Hannibal's makeshift 'smell-muffler'... A couple wrinkled noses from passerby showed that she was still a little rank, though most of the hunters that walked past had clearly sympathetic expressions. A couple passing huntresses even subtly gave her directions to a bathhouse in town, as well as an armor-cleaning business; any other time, Sonia might have been insulted, but here she knew they were only trying to help, and she appreciated it. This close to a hunting ground where Congas were common, that kind of thing would be a blessing.

The huntress passed the time watching a couple of the ferries docking, and preparing to set out again back to the island. After a few minutes of waiting, however, Sonia spotted a familiar black Felyne stalk out of the Guild hall's entrance. She'd barely caught sight of him among the rest of the hunters coming and going, thanks to his size, but a few snapped cursed only clarified that it was him. Sonia made to stand and walk over to him, but it proved unnecessary; Hannibal's path led him towards the docks, and the bench Sonia occupied was between the Guild hall and the boats, and the Felyne caught sight of her as he passed.

"Hello," she said simply. Hannibal scowled for a moment, clearly contemplating whether to keep silent and keep walking, or respond. Sonia beat him to the punch, however. "Did you finish your report?"

"...Yes," the Felyne replied. "Took long enough. Even after all these years, the damn counter jockeys don't believe me when I tell them I hunted a beast on my own."

"Sorry…"

"Don't apologize as if you could have done anything, human."

"Um. I don't… What did you tell them? About us? About me, Bram, and Leon?"

"I _didn't_. I told them I fought the Congalala on my own, as I did."

"Oh… Right."

Hannibal muttered under his breath as the pair fell to silence, before shaking his head and turning to stalk towards the docks once more.

"Hey, wait!" Sonia called after him, and the Felyne turned to glare irritably at her. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me. When the Conga… uh, that mask you gave me. Thanks for that. I mean, it didn't turn out that great, but… Thanks for trying to help."

"Hmph. Try to be better prepared for your next hunt, human. You're supposed to be a hunter, and begging for help due to lack of preparedness is unbecoming of our profession." Sonia grimaced at the words, but nodded in sober agreement; she'd bring as many deodorant bombs as she could fit in her pouch the next time she needed to deal with Congas or a Congalala. Hannibal reached back and scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, however, when Sonia sniffled a little. "Erm… how's your nose?"

"Still kinda tingles," Sonia replied honestly. Hannibal only nodded, turning away from her. "But it's getting better. I think I'll be alright once I have a bath. I can't imagine how bad I smell right now…"

"You're no prize petunia, that's for sure," the Felyne muttered, rubbing his nose. "Hmph. But you humans should have it so easy. You don't have to wash the stink out of _fur_."

"Oh, yeah… good point. Uh, Logan said tomato juice helps if that's any… help."

"I know what I'm doing. This isn't my first run in with Congas and their ilk."

"I guess you're right. Well… thanks again, Hannibal. Good luck on becoming a hunter."

"I'm not… Hmph. I'm going back to Cheeko now, human. If you know what's good for you, you won't-"

The Felyne's words cut to a halt as he looked towards the docks. There, sitting near the ticket booth, was Fig, perched atop a small log that was laid flat across the boardwalk. The Felyne happened to look up right at that moment, looking around the waterfront casually, before her eyes landed on Hannibal and Sonia. Immediately her eyes widened in surprise to be followed by a sigh of relief. The older Felyne quickly hopped off the log and scurried in their direction.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright," Fig purred happily as she approached. Hannibal scowled angrily at his mother, however, baring his fangs at her.

"Why did you send someone out to 'help' me, mother? I can hunt on my own!"

"I… I know, nya, but I…"

"Less than two days and you send out a 'rescue party'? Apparently you _don't_ know!" Hannibal snapped. "I am not some helpless kitten, mother! I am perfectly capable of-!"

Hannibal was seething, but paused mid-rant to look around. Sonia realized that several of the passerby were giving them strange looks. The black-furred Felyne spat a dark curse, before returning his glare to Fig and lowering his voice.

"You are hindering everything I am working for," Hannibal growled. "If you're not going to help me in my goals, mother… then stay out of my way."

Sonia could only watch as Hannibal shoved his way past Fig and stalked towards the docks. She couldn't help but notice the looks most of the other Felynes were giving him, sideways glances and scowls that showed that his personality really wasn't well-received in the village. Fig looked despondent as Hannibal dashed away, hanging her head and staring at the ground. Finally she turned and gave Sonia a thankful look, though the huntress could tell the Felyne's heart wasn't really in it.

"Thank you for helping him," Fig said mirthlessly to Sonia. The huntress doubted anyone but her could have heard it, she had said it so quietly.

"We didn't really do anything. Hannibal did everything himself, we just… killed some Congas."

Fig nodded slowly. "I see. Still… you cared enough to offer your help. I may be the only one who will ever show you appreciation, but nonetheless I'm grateful for what you've done."

"Are you?"

Fig was quiet for a long moment, before turning and grinning at Sonia. "Of course I am. A mother always loves their child and wants to keep them safe, no matter how… hard that may be. Ah… please tell your friends that I appreciate their help as well. I'm going… I'm going home." Fig frowned slightly as she looked back towards the ferries, watching Hannibal board the ship. "...On the next ferry, I suppose. Ah… thank you again, Sonia. Please… enjoy the rest of your time in Cheeko. Nya."

Sonia could only watch as the older Felyne walked slowly over to the docks, hanging her head sadly. Sonia wanted to follow her, to say something that might cheer her up… but she had no clue what she could possibly tell Fig to improve her mood. In the end, the huntress could only stand there as the Felyne vanished among the crowd, before sighing and returning to her seat to wait for the others to come back.

* * *

"We start north for Dundorma from here," Steward told the hunters a few days later. The wagons had been closed up and tied together, and the Popos were yoked and ready to go.

Sonia had to admit, she was glad to be leaving. A week around the Primal Forest was long enough. She and the others had managed to catch another couple hunts in the last week, including a Gypceros, which was challenging, as well as another Congalala. Sonia, Bram, and Leon hadn't really been eager to challenge another one of the great pink apes, honestly, but they were all getting sick of the jokes they were getting at Logan's expense, and had willingly taken a fair shot at one of the Pelagi with the great sword user in tow. That had shut him up, though the cost had been spending the last couple days exfoliating in the local bathhouse.

"It will still be a couple months before we arrive at the city proper, but our road leads straight there, and we should arrive a couple weeks before the exam itself, allowing you all plenty of time to settle in. We will still have enough stops for our young hunters to get what experience they can manage before the exam, however."

"That's good to hear," Logan chuckled.

"Our only major stop will be Locke Town, where we should find a lot of business; it is one of the more prominent hunting towns south of Dundorma, and we will be there a full two weeks, provided business remains exemplary. There are certain to be hunts worthy of interest to apprentice hunters there, yes?"

"Oh! That sounds great!" Sonia replied eagerly.

"Indeed," Tuulikki nodded. "The area is quite lush with a variety of monsters, from what I have heard - I have never been there myself."

"I thought that might spark some interest," Steward laughed. "Now, one last thing… We have a few extra tagalongs joining our caravan between here and Dundorma. We will be hitching their wagons to the rear of the train, so you will need to be aware of their presence and make sure to defend them if we are attacked on the road, understood?"

"Understood," Bram replied.

This kind of thing seemed to be pretty common from what Sonia seen over the last couple months. Sometimes civilians or other hunters would tag along with caravans passing through, paying a small fee in exchange for food and protection during the journey, or settled merchants who made short journeys to nearby villages from their own shops.

"Who are we hauling?" Leon asked.

"Fellow peddlers who are making the journey to Dundorma to try and turn a profit. You might go and observe their wares yourself if you so desire. Also, we have several Felynes that are returning home to Dundorma, as well as a couple that are planning to take the Palico exam." The caravan master paused as an uncomfortable expression crossed his face. "And we also have one Felyne who is planning to take the hunter's exam."

Sonia blinked in surprise, immediately looking over towards the rear of the caravan where a few extra wagons were being attached. Three of them were regular sized, one of which was a smithy wagon like Cleyra's, but at the very end were two smaller wagons, with several Felynes with and without armor loitering around and making sure they were properly hitched together. However, her eyes immediately landed on one Felyne in particular, one with pitch-black fur, black armor, and a Velocidrome sword.

"You have to be joking…" Bram groaned, rubbing the brim of his nose and shaking his head.

At almost the same moment, Hannibal looked up and caught sight of them and his expression soured terribly. With a groan and a shake of his head, the Felyne stalked away, eager to disappear.

"This is going to be a long journey," the archer muttered in dismay, and Sonia could only nod in agreement.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a pungent pink Pelagus!**

 **Sorry for the long wait time for this chapter. I was going through a bit of a creative rut in RL, and this chapter just gave me a lot of trouble. Hopefully the next chapter won't take nearly as long as this one did. It's already done actually, I just need to add the final bits and get it edited.**

 **Hmm. Well, Hannibal is certainly an interesting character, isn't he? Not what you normally see in your everyday Felyne. He's actually a lingering remnant of what this story was originally going to be about, a Felyne that came to despise the way his species was treated. Also, while some of you may be wondering about Hannibal's name, he wasn't named after the guy in Silence of the Lambs… or that TV show that came out recently. Also, if I actually wrote vulgarity into my story, Hannibal would curse like a sailor.**

 **Some monsters, you just can't write out a fight with it and have it be dignified at all. Congalala is one of those monsters. Thank you, you nasty pink fart monster. And if you're wondering about the Congalala heart attack story, look up Frontier's April Fools Congalala. Tuli's story will remain untold though, but I'll leave it up to you readers to decide what exactly happened to get her so flustered.**

 **Also: ALATREON CONFIRMED FOR MH GENERATIONS. YES. I've missed that nasty devil.**

 **Playing: Fire Emblem: Awakening, Splatoon, Fallout 4, Fire Emblem: Fates, Dark Cloud 2, LOZ: Twilight Princess HD  
Listening: Dear Hank and John Podcast, Revolutions Podcast, Yo La Tengo, Brand New, Aerosmith, Modest Mouse  
Watching: Steins;Gate (great anime, and Okabe really reminds me of Harker)**


	17. Meanwhile

Meanwhile

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

A sharp, precise rapping sounded against the door to Silas Lockhart's office, causing him to frown in agitation and look up from his paperwork. He was far too busy to pretend to care about anyone who was coming to him with business propositions or other such nonsense. However, his receptionist knew that he was not to be disturbed right now unless it was of the utmost importance, and he'd heard no arguments or scuffles through the door, so if she was letting someone so much as knock, it was probably someone that he would want to let in.

"Enter," he said loudly, mentally kicking himself as he glanced around his office uncertainly to make sure everything was presentable, both himself and his office.

Time had done him no favors as he glanced at his reflection in a mirror he kept in a drawer, but it hadn't been cruel. The twenty-six years since he'd awoken from the Lost crystal had aged him less cleanly than it had other people, hardening his expression and stretching lines out from under his eyes. His goatee had once been a chestnut brown, though little else remained in it but grey now. At least he'd taken to shaving his head early on so he wouldn't have to watch himself go bald. Thankfully, the rest of his body was doing well, even if his face showed his age; this 'hunter's era' demanded its inhabitants be fit, and Silas was certainly in a better condition now than he had been when he'd first awoken here.

While he didn't look his best at the moment, at least he needn't have worried about his office. His room was fairly sparse of elaborate decorations, save for a few small things: several plaques and honors from the Hunter's Guild and other organizations, a few framed engine schematics hung on the walls, and a small scale model of the first true airship his company ever constructed, the same one that critically wounded the Alatreon. Other than that there was only his desk, a few chairs across from him, and a collection of filing cabinets wedged into the far corner. The windows behind him stood from floor to ceiling and were letting in dull light as full cloud cover coated the small city of Nastre in consistent grey tones; a storm was brewing on the horizon.

Silas couldn't help but smirk to himself. His office was nothing as grand as a Guildmaster's, nor as pompous as a merchant lord's, but it was a far cry from when his first airship was constructed. His 'office' then had been the small ramshackle hut he'd been given when he'd first awoken here in Nastre, his 'desk' a crate he'd flipped over and used to write on. He lived out of that 'office', with only the drive to complete his airship keeping him going.

And now, this. The Rising Dawn airship company was unrivaled in Theron, and the company's complex took up dozens of acres, with an office building, a research and development lab, dozens of hangars, and a large landing strip constantly buzzing with movement as airships were loaded with goods and passengers. Most of the land north of Nastre was either claimed by Rising Dawn, or expected to be used by it as the company continued to grow. It was all a true testament to his dedication that he had managed to come so far, making himself one of the most successful and wealthiest Lost in the country, if not the world.

The door to his office opened, and two familiar faces strode in, his daughter and son, Julia and Fox.

"You've returned," Silas noted, leaning back and tilting his head slightly as the pair of them stood in front of his desk. "It's been nearly five months since you left for Gahiji."

"Our apologies," Julia replied, lowering her head. Her expression and tone were serious as always, curt and professional. "Our business took longer to conduct than we initially planned."

"Nonsense. If anything, you've exceeded my expectations. I didn't expect your return for another couple months. Your weekly reports seemed to indicate general success, for which you should be congratulated."

"We appreciate the praise," she responded simply, her expression unchanged.

"Thank you, Father," Fox added, nodding gratefully. The black-and-white eyed young man was a touch more expressive than his sister, but only just.

"Now then," Silas pressed, leaning forward in his chair and resting his arms across his desk, "reports are one thing, but I would like to hear of your accomplishments myself. Things were successful in Dundorma, I'm told?"

"They were, for the most part," Julia replied. "It took some time, but we were able to receive approval from the Dundorma Business Association to allow Rising Dawn to land an airship within the city walls for presentation to the public during the Hunter's Exam. It took more time than we estimated, unfortunately; our information that Dundorma possessed a majority Progressive mindset were exaggerated, and the Purists in the Association made no small effort to dissuade the others."

"They were a very stubborn collective," Fox agreed. "However, the price we were willing to pay for the space and permission were more than the other members could refuse. Our timing was fortuitous as well, as the Association had recently approved a weapons exposé specializing in technological hunters' weapons only a week before we arrived, and the Purists could not easily oust us without presenting themselves as hypocritical. Eventually they were forced to concede, and we obtained an half-acre of land for our airship to land within the city walls."

"Very good," Silas said with a smirk. "This should provide us good publicity in foreign markets. Since you two have spent time in Gahiji, which engine would you suggest we present?"

"I recommend sending one of the J-49 models," Fox replied.

"And your reasoning?"

"It's not our most impressive ship, nor one of our fastest, but the engines are by far the quietest out of any of our current models. I suspect those who harbor Purist sympathies will be agitated if we flew in with one of our noisier engines shaking the city's windows, and will be more amenable if we arrive with an air of calm and safety. If we are to press into the Gahin market, we must do so slowly; once we have a stable foothold, we can introduce other ships. Would it be amiss to send Captain Marcus as the presenter?"

"Not at all. He has a knack for showmanship, and civilians tend to like him. I believe the Gahin people will react favorably to him. He's been in the country before after all."

"I thought that expansion attempt didn't end well," Julia noted. "He almost crashed his ship in the middle of Dundorma."

Silas nodded solemnly, glowering in frustration. Twenty years ago, when his airship company had burst into popularity through Theron, he'd tried to extend Rising Dawn's influence into Gahiji as well. However, things had ended… poorly, and Marcus had been forced to leave the country. "That is true. The circumstances at the time were unavoidable, however, and while I am still displeased with what happened, I have since come to terms with his decisions. This will be his redemption."

"Understood," Julia replied, lowering her head in acceptance. "Should one of us accompany him to keep tabs?"

"No need," Silas smirked. "He's a big boy, and can handle this himself. I'll speak to the PR department in the morning, so our advertising can be perfected before the hunter's exam. Now, what about trade and transport permissions?"

"Our apologies, but we were unable to get anything more than permission to display an airship during the exam," Julia stated. "Requests to develop a shipping and civilian transport system between Val Habar and Dundorma were countered much more fiercely than our request to present an airship during the exam, and not only by the Business Association or by the Purists. A week-long display is one thing, but allowing Therian ships to regularly traffic civilians and shipments across Gahin territory was more than we could hope for at this point."

"Hmm. Disappointing," Silas muttered. There was a near-imperceptible sag in Fox's shoulders, and the man quickly pressed on. "Don't worry about that. I suspected getting permission for such a thing would be borderline impossible in the first place. Theron and Gahiji aren't on bad or aggressive terms with each other, but Gahiji's lightened border restrictions are only a recent development. I doubted they would allow Therian airships constant passage through their skies given our level of advancement compared to theirs, even for something so simple as transport."

"Based on what we've seen of their aerial capabilities, there is little they could do to stop us," Julia noted, but Silas shook his head.

"I have no desire to cause an international incident, and I doubt the Therian authorities would take kindly to us provoking their neighboring country. I have always believed Gahiji would be a slow effort to push our airships into… but the other tasks I gave you should alleviate that issue. Now, were you able to find a possible manufacturing group within the region?"

"We were," Julia nodded eagerly. "Though our time in Dundorma was spent waiting for permission to present our airship to the public, it was not time wasted, as we managed to expand our contacts and seek out useful companies and manufacturers. One such company was, at our best guess, Gahiji's only public airship company, located in the city of Harth, which is inhabited by a… humanoid species called the Troverians."

Silas frowned. "I've heard of them. A sort of… mole-people or something along those lines."

"That's correct. Short stature, broad-bodied, poor eyesight. As planned, we met with a group of Troverian airship designers in hopes of forging a production agreement with them. However, the designs of their current ships and engines were neolithic and droll; even Therian designs from before the Lost arrived were leagues better than what were considered modern in Gahiji. I admit, I did not have high hopes for their potential at first.

"However, they proved to be a surprisingly industrious people. We presented their designers with a schematic for the old L-21 model engines, and they took to the design immediately. In less than ten minutes they had a complete understanding of the design down to the smallest bolt and screw, and several were suggesting design improvements that matched the updates and alterations our own engineers have devised since the engine's initial release. Needless to say, I believe the Troverians will prove an invaluable asset in pushing Rising Dawn airships into the country. Their enthusiasm towards technology and advancement is wasted in Gahiji."

"Good, good," Silas said, allowing a small, excited smile to creep across his lips. "Then we have a deal with them?"

"A preliminary arrangement," Julia nodded. "Despite their exemplary first showing, I wanted to fully gauge their potential, so I presented them with a test of sorts. I sold them the engine schematics, and they've agreed to build their own version of the engine with any and all design improvements they can concoct. In four months, they are to deliver the schematics for their improved design as well as a working model of their engine. If they prove to have talent, we've agreed to sign a mutual development pact that will merge our airship company with theirs."

"Excellent!" Silas laughed. "Absolutely perfect. While Dundorma may not allow Therian ships flying across their territory, Gahin ships have no such restrictions. Rising Dawn will become perhaps the first multinational company in Theron and Gahiji."

"A true accomplishment, Father," Fox said, a smile tugging at the edges of his lips.

"Indeed," the bald man chuckled. "Few will be able to deny the superiority of the Lost and their capabilities once our airships sail over the entire continent, don't you agree?"

"If not, it will be a constant reminder to those that refuse to admit it," Julia replied. "Our very presence has already advanced the world so much, with only more to come."

"Hmm, true enough. Which, I suppose, brings us to the last task that I assigned you," Silas said, leaning forward expectantly. With a nod, Fox reached into the breast pocket of his vest and withdrew a small glass bottle, and Silas' eyes widened in anticipation as his son stepped forward to place it upon the desk.

Inside the bottle was a single shard of crystalline ore, colored a strange mix of pure white and metallic silver. Using only his eyes, Silas might have written off the material as little more than a type of iron, or some rarer decorative metal like platinum. However, what truly made the crystal strange was that, rather than resting at the bottom of the glass tube, the stone's peak was pressed against the cork at the top, while the bottom of the shard actually hovered an inch in the air.

Silas reached forward, his hands shaking slightly in excitement as he plucked up the bottle. He spared a quick glance towards Fox, who nodded encouragingly, before reaching for the cork and carefully pulling it free. As the cork slid loose, Silas slowly raised it up, watching in awe as the shard of ore clung to the bottom of the bottle's cap. Perhaps 'clung' wasn't the right word though; the ore was _pushing_ against the cork. Silas could feel the shard's light pressure, however small.

The bald man set down the bottle, reaching forward with his now-empty hand to pluck the ore from under the cork and hold it between his fingers. It felt strange and unnatural to hold, its weight pushing not towards the floor beneath his feet as he would've expected but up towards the ceiling. Setting down the cork, he held his hand several inches over the shard… and dropped it. Rather than falling to the floor, the ore shot towards the ceiling, 'falling' up into his hand.

"It does exist," the man sighed, raising his hand to stare at the shard resting under his palm. "Cosmicite…"

"The locals refer to it as 'Skystone'," Fox explained. "Old mythos has it that the spirits of the wind once lived in a city in the sky constructed out of Cosmicite, but the city fell from the sky, crashing to the earth and creating the Heavenly Mount. Thus the 'Skystone' pulls forever upwards towards where the city once was, seeking to 'return from whence it came'. But, story or not, the rumors about the crystals are true: however it works, the stones 'fall' _up_. If released out in the open, the crystals shoot into the sky, going until they're out of sight, never to be seen again… as far as the locals know, at least. There are also several noted… side effects and unique properties that the stones have been said to unleash."

Silas was silent for a moment, rolling the crystal around in his hand for a while longer. Then his face hardened again, and he returned his attention to his children. "And can we harness these effects? These properties?"

"Possibly," Julia replied. "It's impossible to be certain without further testing. However, we delivered a sample to our researchers in the Compound, and their initial findings seem to indicate that the stone is affected by electricity and magnetism. They are… rather enthusiastic about the possibilities."

"I have no doubt," Silas muttered, staring at the shard in his hand. With a shake of his head, he made to return the crystal to the bottle, though the odd gravity of the material made it a touch awkward to do so. Soon the shard of Cosmicite was returned to the bottle, and Silas was able to set the glass tube back on his desk without worry. The weight of the bottle itself was more than the shard, so it stayed in place while the crystal pressed into the bottom of the cork. "And you've secured a supply?"

"Yes. The agreement was surprisingly in our favor. The Wyverians in Cathar live modestly, and have little need for the zenny payment we offered. However, we managed to secure a trade deal with them, offering what food and supplies they requested to keep their windmills running and harvests bountiful. Cathar will be a rather challenging place to deliver goods to, considering we'll need to transfer goods through the Gahin border and across the northern side of the country, but in exchange, they'll provide us with a constant supply of Cosmicite. They can promise two hundred pounds of untempered ore a month."

"That's not much," Silas muttered.

"No, but Cosmicite is rare, and the Mount is dangerous. Two hundred pounds is more than worth the value of supplying them with food and materials. Our only other option would be to hire Gahin hunters to gather the ore we require, and the cost markup of hiring through the Gahin Guild would be exponential. We won't get a better deal than this."

Silas frowned, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands together in front of him. "...Fine. That's acceptable. However, upon further visits to Cathar, you are to investigate any options at improving the Cosmicite supply. Trade should become easier once our company merges with the Troverian shipwrights, but until we have airships in Gahiji, I want to maximize our efficiency. Should our research prove fruitful, we will need a much larger amount. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Father," the two children intoned in unison, bowing slightly.

Silas nodded in approval, looking back towards the shard of Cosmicite… the 'Skystone'. An appropriate name for what he had in mind, assuming his plans came to fruition. The future of his airships-

"That reminds me," he said, a thought springing to his mind. "Now that you've returned, we can move to other business. Your timing is fortuitous; it's time to begin our final stages in releasing the LES-3."

"The design is complete?" Fox asked.

"It is, as of last month. Captain Calvert has been putting it through its paces, and he's given it a passing grade in terms of durability and speed, even while fully equipped and manned. It's time to move on to the second phase of testing… which requires selecting the official captain of the ship."

Julia and Fox both nodded in understanding as Silas pushed to his feet and strode to the door of his office, opening it to look at his receptionist. "Miss Pangburn, please call Captain Serenity Dupree to my office immediately."

The receptionist nodded, and Silas quickly returned to his desk to wait for the Captain's arrival. Julia and Fox took positions on either side of the desk as Silas busied himself with other paperwork and documents in the meantime. Nearly twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

Captain Dupree entered slowly, with a slight touch of nervousness to her movements. Silas hadn't personally called her to his office ever since he'd first promoted her, so he didn't blame her for being uncertain as to why she was there. Silas had never been a stickler for mandating a particular dress code - professional conduct was a must, but he had no mandates for clothing - and so Dupree was clothed rather casually, wearing a thick green turtleneck sweater and some loose cotton pants. She had managed to snatch up the only bit of clothing Silas did specify: a navy blue coat meant for the captains of his airships, with the logo of the company emblazoned on the back.

The woman glanced uncertainly between Silas and his children as she approached the desk, pausing a few steps in front of the desk and sliding her hands into her pockets.

"What can I, uh… what did you call me for, sir?" Dupree asked uncomfortably. Silas tapped his fingers together for a couple moments as he appraised her, allowing her to fidget in silence.

"Captain, let me ask you a question," Silas finally said, pushing to his feet and turning to look out the window. Down below he could see a newly-manufactured airship hull leaving one of the hangar bays, rolling along atop a transporter wagon, with nearly a dozen Popos pulling from the front. "What quality do you think I seek out the most in the men and women I hire to captain my airships?"

Silas could hear the woman mulling the question over behind him, muttering quietly to herself as she thought hard so as not to give a wrong answer. "I suppose… competence? Leadership? An air of command? Quick thinking? Good sense at predicting the weather and monster migration patterns?"

"All very good qualities," Silas admitted, with a small nod. "Such traits are certainly taken into account when I decide on who should be promoted to captain aboard a new vessel. But none of those are the deciding factor when I make my decision. No, I look for something different in my commanding officers: _obsession_."

Silas turned to face Dupree again, to find the woman's face scrunched in confusion as she mulled over what he said. "Obsession? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Obsession with flight. With flying," the bald man smirked. "A love, or perhaps a _lust_ for the skies, an unquenchable thirst that can only be sated by having command of a vessel allowing them to conquer the clouds. Someone who _relishes_ the freedom such a position offers them, to the point where the desire to do so is nearly an addiction in itself. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about."

The look on Dupree's face said everything. Silas' words by themselves seemed to have filled her thoughts, and her expression was one of wistful bliss. She quickly snapped out of her reverie, however, pulling her attention back to her employer.

"I suppose I understand where you're coming from," she stated. "I've talked with the other captains and we all have… ah, similar appreciation for flying. I know that we enjoy our jobs, _sir_ , and do our best to keep them."

"And I appreciate your dedication to your work," Silas replied. "But I'm sure you're wondering why I called you here, and what the point of our conversation is."

"Somewhat."

"Don't worry, Dupree. I'm not firing you-" The captain visibly sighed in relief at the words. "-but I wanted to make sure that you understood our relationship as employer and employee. You see, Dupree, I have a particular job that needs to be done, a job that can only be done by you. Or… perhaps it would be best to say that it can only be done by who you _used_ to be."

Dupree blinked uncertainly, but Silas could see a bit of the color fade from the woman's face. "I don't know what you-"

"Don't feign ignorance with me, Dupree. I do in-depth research on all the men and women I elevate to the position of captain, and you're no exception." The man tilted his head slightly and smirked. "Did you really think you'd forever hide who you really were, 'Crimson Dupree, Scourge of the Southern Sea'?"

Dupree went stiff at the words, her eyes wide. The expression vanished quickly enough, however, and her eyes narrowed into a piercing glare. There was murder in her gaze, and Silas could tell that her expression was that of someone who had taken many lives… and was perfectly willing to take more. Silas couldn't help himself as he felt a cold shiver dance up his spine; he knew this woman could kill him with ease, and in countless inventive ways if she had the time. He was playing with fire and he knew it.

However, the woman's gaze darted to the side where Fox and Julia stood. Neither of his children had moved, but their own eyes were leveled on Dupree, and they were tensed, ready to strike if the need arose. Silas knew his daughter and son were quite skilled fighters, and even someone experienced like Dupree would be hard-pressed to fight both of them at once without a proper weapon… probably. Silas wasn't certain exactly how skilled Dupree was at battle, but she wasn't armed at the moment, and even now the airship captain looked wary about challenging his children as well; their reputations left them an anomaly, an unmeasured threat. Dupree was quiet for a few more seconds before shifting her gaze back to Silas.

"Crimson Dupree, the pirate? Is that a joke?" she asked, though her voice was dull and hollow. "Just because we have the same last name doesn't make us the same person, _sir_. Besides, I heard he was killed by a fleet of Tanzian ships almost a decade ago. Also, he was a _man_ , didn't you know?"

"So they say. Eight feet tall, broad as a mountain, hair and beard black as night, red eyes, teeth sharpened to fangs. A true monster to fit the reputation, the way they describe him. Not surprising, considering the pirate rarely left survivors in 'his' wake. I also read the reports of the man's death, and the corpse the Tanzian fleet dragged back to display was a man's. No mountain of a man like the rumors said, but still rather large." The bald man paused for a moment, tapping his fingers together. "But it's rather odd. There are some folks living in the more unsavory port towns, port towns were Dupree's ship was said to dock on occasion, who claim that the notorious Crimson Dupree was actually an attractive woman in her late twenties at the most, a merciless beauty. Amber skin, brown hair and eyes… Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

"Sounds vague," Dupree replied.

"That's true," Silas shrugged. "However, there were some people, those who claim to have been closest to Crimson Dupree, who said that the true way to recognize the dreaded pirate… was the elaborate Lagiacrus tattoo wrapping around her throat."

The woman's hand almost snapped up to the collar of her turtleneck before she managed to stop herself, lowering her hand back to her side and gritting her teeth.

"Something you want to share with me, Dupree?" Silas smirked. "You've always been fond of turtlenecks, haven't you?"

"It gets cold in the upper atmosphere… _sir_ ," the woman growled. "You've got a lot of information, don't you?"

"More than most. Not as much as I'd like. I suppose the only thing I _don't_ know is how 'Crimson Dupree' managed to escape capture, or trick the world into thinking she was a man. Perhaps _you_ can tell me a story about that?"

Dupree glowered at him for a moment before rolling her eyes and sighing. "It was a simple thing. When Tanzia's fleet cornered us, I broke a chair leg and stabbed my first mate through the chest. I put my coat on him, stripped to my underclothes and jumped out the cabin window before the bombardment started. I swam to the nearest ship, begging for help and telling the crew that I was one of Crimson Dupree's captives, kept around to quench the lustful desires of the captain and crew. Dupree's alleged depravity was heavily speculated at the time, and I'm not a bad actor either, so my pretty face and state of undress was enough to convince them. They allowed the 'poor, tortured girl' to hide below deck as they blasted my ship to pieces. 'Dupree' was found among the wreckage after the battle, red coat and everything, and seafarers across Theron rejoiced the villain's death." The woman sighed and rolled her shoulders a little. "I disappeared for a couple years, keeping to myself under a fake name until I saw one of your airships land in Tanzia. After that… well, you've probably got everything else on record."

"How ingenious. Not a bad trick, deceiving the entire coastline. And what about 'Serenity'? I doubt that's your real name."

The woman groaned, rubbing the brim of her nose. "No, that's actually legit. My mother imagined I'd grow up to be a sweet little girl, in contrast with my older brothers… fat lot of good that did her. My crew just knew me as 'Crimson', based on the color of my coat. More fitting, considering my nature, and I guess the name stuck once we started raiding ships. When I got a job here I started using it again… figured nobody would connect the dots and believe that a girl named Serenity was once the most dreaded pirate along the coast."

"I see."

There was silence through the room again, and Silas could see Dupree grinding her teeth as her eyes darted between the three other people in the room, and sparing the occasional glance back towards the door. "So… if you know that much about me, what happens now? You gonna try and turn me in? Cash in the reward? I'm supposed to be dead, but the bounty on me used to be a solid half-a-million zenny in my heyday. But let me warn you, I'm _not_ going down without a fight, and I'll make sure you don't leave this would without a few pieces of you missing."

Silas barked out a laugh at the words, pulling a surprised look from the former pirate. "Come on now, Dupree, weren't you paying attention? I already told you before: I have a job for you. A job for 'Crimson Dupree'… or whatever you want to call yourself now. It doesn't matter to me. You're not useful to me rotting in a prison or hanging from a noose."

Dupree's eyes narrowed on the company owner. "Useful? You mean you're not gonna…? What _kind_ of job?"

"I'll make this simple," Silas said, taking a seat behind his desk once more. He folded his hands together and leveled his gaze on Dupree. "I'm reassigning you to a new ship."

"A new- Waitwaitwait, hold on," Dupree sputtered, raising her hands. "You're giving me a ship? You-"

"I'm not _giving_ you the ship, Captain, I'm merely putting you in charge of it. It is still _my_ ship. I would've thought you'd have understood this after so long working for me."

"You know what I mean!" the woman snapped, pointing at him. "I mean you… _Why_? Why the hell would you give me a ship? _Especially_ since you know who I am. _Was_. Used to be. Why would you give a ship to a pirate? I could- I could steal it. I could… could go rogue and…"

Silas smirked at her. "Captain Dupree, you've worked for Rising Dawn for more than ten years and been a captain for just under seven. If you had plans to steal one of my ships and become some sort of… _sky_ pirate, I have little doubt you would have done so by now. But you haven't. And we both know why.

"I told you before, didn't I? What I look for in the men and women who captain my ships is nothing less than _obsession_ with flying, to the point of addiction. You _know_ as well as any other captain in the fleet that _I_ am the only man who can give you your 'wings'. Stealing one of my ships may grant you some semblance of freedom for a while, but engines break. Parts wear down. Fuel is needed to run the motor. And where would you ever get the parts and fuel for repairs, but here? From me and my company? Stealing a ship would let you fly for a while, Dupree, but once the engine breaks, once the fuel runs out, once the belt and bolts begin to wear down… your wings are clipped. _Forever_. And while the sea may call to a former pirate, it just doesn't sing the same siren song that the sky does."

Dupree had gone stock still, her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed on Silas. The man could see her hands shaking slightly at her sides. Her face had paled slightly, and a trickle of cold sweat was sliding down from her temples.

"However, as long as you don't steal from me, Dupree, as long as you do as I say and maintain this company's status quo, you can keep your wings. I can ignore whatever crimes you've committed in your past as long as you do that for me, _Serenity_. As long as you maintain your loyalty to me and obey my orders, the sky is yours."

The woman pursed her lips before nodding slowly. "I… I understand, sir."

Silas nodded, pleased. "Good. You're an exemplary captain, Dupree, despite your past, and I'd hate to lose such a valuable asset to some Therian executioner. Besides, if there was a ship that a pirate would want to steal, it's the one I'm promoting you to captain."

Dupree frowned and glanced out the window towards the ship leaving the hangar. Already, a swarm of workers were preparing to inflate the blimp and prepare the ship for flight.

"No, not that one. You'll be taking command of our latest model: the LES-3. The first vessel under that classification has been christened the _Blitzenguard_." Dupree's eyes widened sharply at the name, and Silas raised an eyebrow curiously. "You've heard of it?"

"Just the name. There's been… talk among the men about a new project, but nothing concrete." The captain shifted uncomfortably where she stood. "There's been a lot of speculation about the ship's size and purpose, but little else."

"I see…" Silas muttered. "I've been keeping the Blitzenguard's specifications a secret, and I would be very disappointed to hear that word of its capabilities has already gotten out, even if only to my employees. What kind of speculation are the crews giving?"

Dupree shook her head. "Lots of things, but most of it is stuff you'd hear in tavern stories. It's twice the size of a Jhen Mohran. It's mounted with ten dragonators. It's got a grappling hook to pull Raths out of the sky. It can land in the sea and dive underwater. It can fly to the moon."

Silas had to hold back a laugh at a couple of those. Some of the crewmen had wild imaginations. Certainly some of those tasks were possible, but not with the level of technology they had right now. Even with Lost tech bolstering Therian sciences, they weren't anywhere close to reintroducing spaceflight… Rising Dawn did employ some rocket scientists, but not _that_ kind of rocket scientist.

"Most of them seem to agree that the ship is really, really _big_. At least twice the size of a normal airship." Dupree frowned, narrowing her gaze on Silas. "Some say it's a warship."

"Do they? How interesting." Silas pushed himself to his feet. "I will say no more about the Blitzenguard for now, Dupree. You will just have to learn more about it in person. Get your things from your old ship and prepare for a journey."

The captain frowned. "A journey where?"

"Well, we couldn't have our newest airship being out in the open where prying eyes could see it plain as day, now could we?" Silas replied. "Pack for cold weather, Dupree. You're going north, to a town called Hearth."

* * *

Lorelai tar'Margaritte was not happy as she strode purposefully through the broad archways of the Elder Hall, a small dolly clattering along behind her carrying a small box filled with official documents. She wasn't angry, but she'd been boiling with frustration for almost two full weeks now, and she really had nobody to direct her emotions at. Even the clicking of her talons against the stone floors seemed to emanate her feelings of agitation.

She really had no reason to be frustrated, admittedly. Confused, yes. Concerned, definitely. Maybe a touch fearful as well. But frustration? That was simply due to her own pride.

It all stemmed from her most recent research, imparted on her by His Immenseness himself. There had been a recent string of… _incidents_ throughout the country, which were causing an increasing amount of concern among the higher-ups in the Hunter's Guild. Lorelai had been given the task of studying said incidents and searching through the Guild records to try and find any sort of connections or helpful information from all known research and expeditions.

She'd gotten requests like this before; she was good at her job - _damn_ good if you asked her. What concerned her was that the Guild had bumped her clearance up several ranks in the process, giving her access to documents and books that a miniscule percentage of the country had the right to even know about, much less _read_ , all this for the sake of this new research. The urgency of the situation was obvious. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to find much correlating data at all; the Guild records had almost nothing for her, and what little there was offered her little more than conjecture.

 _Zombies_. The word leapt into Lorelai's mind unbidden. She'd picked it up from some of the horror stories her husband loved to scare their children with. Shambling corpses brought back to life through some disease or magic, out to feast on the flesh of the living, with a particular affinity towards eating brains or some foolish notion. She had to admit the tale had an odd semblance of familiarity towards the current situation - lacking the hunger towards brains - but she refused to put any faith in the notion. Dead was dead. Nothing changed that. She didn't know _what_ was causing these reports of monsters coming back to life, but there had to be a feasible explanation.

She just wished she had one to present to His Immenseness…

Ahead of her lay a large pair of doors, stretching up to the tall ceiling, and a squad of Guild knights stood at attention nearby. Lorelai approached the tall doors, standing impatiently in front of them and looking expectantly at the guards. The two on the left muttered between each other for a moment, scanning a collection of papers before nodding in approval. One of the knights marched towards the center of the archway, pushing against the center of the heavy wooden doorway, only for a smaller section of the door to creak open, creating an entryway that was fit for a normal-sized person. Lorelai nodded thankfully, pausing a moment to straighten her long chestnut hair before she stepped through.

Beyond the doorway was a wide, circular room made of pale stone. Most of the room was empty, until you reached halfway, at which point a wide semicircle of assembly seating wrapped around to follow the curve of the room, stacked up in four tiers. The room was ancient, built centuries before even the oldest written records, but was still in use today by the Gahin government. There was enough seating that a full hundred people could comfortably convene in the room, but only about a dozen of the centermost seats were occupied at the moment, where those sitting there could easily converse with the massive man seated upon the throne.

His Immenseness, Lord Leto ka'Polus, lived up to his title magnificently. There were few individuals that didn't need to crane their necks to look the elder Wyverian in the eye, given that the titan was a towering thirty feet tall. Even sitting down, you still had to look up to meet his gaze. His girth was even more impressive by how he chose to equip himself. Heavy blue leather armor covered most of his body, draping loosely but still snug enough to move comfortably in. Solid metallic bracers and anklets wrapped around his wrists and calves, and his torso was covered by a silvery chestplate with elaborate designs lacquered into the metal. Most impressive of all was the long sword he kept clutched in his right hand, an enormous blade as tall as the man himself with an elaborate red sheath.

His stature wasn't the only impressive thing about the colossal Wyverian. True to his species, Lord Leto had led a long life, but even among other Wyverians he had lived an exceptionally long time. Lorelai herself had nearly eighty years under her belt with another hundred more to come, provided she kept healthy, but Lord Leto was on a completely different level. Sometimes she heard the old man reminiscing over stories and battles of his 'youth', most notably the role he'd played in the historic rebellion his father, Polus, had incited over five hundred years ago. The Gahin Revolution was one of the most noteworthy events in the country's long history, and to have someone around who _remembered_ it in detail was astounding. The sheer time that he'd been alive had given His Immenseness great wisdom and insight, and it was hard not to appreciate having a man so experienced in the position as Gahiji's leader.

Truly, his was a stature fitting a man who was king of Gahiji in all but official title. Lorelai wasn't entirely sure where the title of 'His Immenseness' came from, though… Probably a joke that never quite went away, by the way the man himself went on.

"Lorelai," the towering man grumbled in greeting, leaning forward in his chair as she approached and nodding in welcome to the smaller Wyverian. His voice was low and rumbling, like thunder in the distance. "I appreciate you taking time to come here and update us on what you've found. I hope you can present something enlightening for us."

The woman paused at the center of a small circle in the flooring before the throne, bowing politely to the giant. "I have uncovered some information, Your Immenseness. However, I regret to inform you that I have yet to discover anything helpful or concrete. If you'll allow me to pass out these documents…"

Lorelai quickly strode between the men and women sitting around the throne, passing out copies of her research so far. There wasn't much content to it all, but it was all she had. Reaching the throne, she passed a copy to Lord Leto that had been printed on larger paper and in bigger font, but it still looked like little more than a notecard in his fingers. This was expected however, and the Wyverian placed the paperwork on a small desk next to his throne before pulling down on an attached magnifying glass, allowing him to read the words more clearly.

After passing out all the copies to those sitting in the room, Lorelai returned to the center of the room and straightening her back. "As you can see, I started by scouring the Great Hospital's records of virulent diseases and poisons from all over the country. Their library is unmatched when it comes to medicine in Gahiji, so I thought it would be best to start there. While these… incidents have some similarities to certain illnesses recorded, none of them quite fit the bill. Following that, I began scouring Guild records for any sign of similar occurrences happening within our borders."

"Did you find anything that could at least give us some kind of precedence?" Lorelai turned her gaze towards a small Wyverian standing near the base of His Immenseness' platform, Kellogg ka'Marianna. He had a thin, pointed beard, with a pair of thick rimmed and thick lensed glasses, which magnified his already large eyes.

Kellogg was the secretary and scribe of His Immenseness, and just about the polar opposite of the towering behemoth of a Wyverian. In stark contrast, Kellogg was shrunken, and it was easy to overlook him when he stood next to Lord Leto, given that he stood only as tall as His Immenseness' ankles. Still, it was best to keep him in mind, given his station; despite his stature, he was essentially the Guildmaster of Dundorma. Lord Leto had the title, but was far too busy governing the country as a whole to focus his efforts on the inner workings of the Hunter's Guild and all the hunters employed by it. His Immenseness was still the voice and image of the Guild, hosting the Hunter's Exam and presenting the highest-ranked hunters with their deserved accolades, but Kellogg was the man pulling the legwork. He was a fairly soft-spoken old man, but he seemed to take some joy in displaying his position, given his penchant for wearing lush purple robes with gold and silver trim.

"I did, sir," Lorelai said, pursing her lips worriedly. "While I wasn't able to find anything in the historical or archeological data, I did discover that these reports have been coming in for a lot longer than we thought. It would appear that we've been brushing them off due to their irregularity and… admittedly unbelievable nature until the last year."

"How old are we talking about? Three to five years?" Kellogg asked, but Lorelai shook her head.

"Twenty years." There was a collective gasp from around the room, and a spattering of shocked whispers. "The first report - the first still on record - was noted around eighteen years ago, about fifty miles west of the Frozen Seaway. An afflicted Khezu that was said to 'come back to life' after the hunters killed it. It was written off as a fallacy, a delusion of the hunters, and ignored.

"The next report was thirteen years ago, where a Black Diablos was noted as doing the same thing along the southern border of the Blasted Lands. There's actually a similarity between that incident and the most recent reports, in that the hunters claimed there was a 'black haze' around the monster. The Diablos' case was written off as merely being the creature's breath when it was enraged, which a Black Diablos is wont to do when provoked.

"There are seven other reports between then and now - I've put copies of the documents in your folders - but they were all just as sporadic, separated by years rather than months and weeks. They occur all over the country as well, so nobody really connected the dots. More reports might have been received but remained undocumented, since… Well, until the recent outbreak, I assume reports of monsters 'coming back to life' would be considered delusional, and not without reason.

"On the subject of recent events, the current trend for this phenomenon began about six months ago by my studies, around the time that the Ash Kecha Wacha was properly classified by the Guild. I bring up that particular beast because it looks like there was some situations where hunters were bringing in normal Kecha Wachas and believing that they were one of the subspecies. Their reports claimed that the Kechas they fought were a purple-black coloration and had a far more aggressive nature than the common Kecha, fitting the Guild's description of the new subspecies."

"Hold… Hold on now," Lord Leto muttered, looking through his magnifying glass. "There's nothing in these Kecha reports noting the monsters coming back to life."

"I'm aware, sir, but if this dark haze is connected to the whole situation, then these 'hazy' Kecha will be one of the afflicted monsters. It might just be that the Kechas were…" Lorelai twisted her head slightly, grimacing as she searched for the right word. Unfortunately, nothing else came to mind, and she sighed in dismay. "It might be that the Kechas were 'brought back' before the hunters encountered them in the first place."

His Immenseness harrumphed loudly, and his brow furrowed as he scanned the documents once more, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he stared at the words. Finally he looked back to Lorelai. "Do we have anything more? Anything at all? A source, a cause… a path?"

"We might have a path," the researcher replied. "I can only speculate over the last six months or so, I fear, but it looks as though whatever is causing this has been moving around fairly quickly. It started in the northern highlands with the Kecha Wachas, moved east to the coast, then followed the coast south and west until it reached the Primal Forest area. Almost a dozen separate reports of monsters 'coming back to life' stretch across that area, but don't branch too far away from a certain line of travel. The last report we've received was of a hunt to slay a Black Gravios… only for the hunters to return with the corpse of a regular Gravios. Same story: black haze, incredibly aggressive."

"There is a path?" Kellogg frowned. "That means… there's a source. Something alive that's causing this."

"I agree. All signs indicated that this 'black haze' is being caused by something, but we don't have enough information to make an accurate guess as to _what_." Lorelai shook her head. "Rumors and whispers, that's all we have. Our only real lead is the Tigrex report from five months ago which includes a mention of a 'dark demon beast', but it's the only one, and only one of the survivors saw it."

"Do _you_ believe a monster is causing this?"

"It's not impossible. It could be something similar to a Seltas Queen's pheromone suggestions given to Seltas, but with a wider range of effect. You'd have to get a monster specialist on that."

"And why has the activity increased in the last half-year?" Lord Leto pressed. "If this is being done by a monster, why nearly twenty years of dormancy, only to start now?"

"I… I don't know, Your Immenseness," Lorelai admitted. "Perhaps it's something to do with a monster's maturity, like a Basarios growing into a Gravios. Perhaps the monster behind this has only now reached the point where it can do… whatever it's doing to a greater degree. Again, monster biology is not my field of expertise."

Leto leaned back in his chair, stroking the tips of his moustache in thought. "And what would your answers to the same questions be if this is all being caused not by some _thing_ … but by some _one_? What if some sentient being is doing all this with nefarious intent?"

Lorelai took a deep, wavering breath, and exhaled slowly. "I would suspect that someone's been working on something very dangerous for a very long time, and they're confident enough now that they're willing to expand their operations, even at the risk of being uncovered. If someone is planning something nefarious… they're going to play their hand very, very soon."

Lord Leto nodded solemnly. "That's what I was afraid of. Continue your research. I want weekly updates with your findings, and inform me immediately if you discover anything vitally important."

"Yes, Your Immenseness," Lorelai replied with a bow.

The giant Wvyerian turned to face Kellogg. "Inform the rest of the Guildmasters throughout Gahiji of what's going on. Keep it discreet, but I want them to start sending out feelers for any information they can find about these… undead monsters, this black haze, whatever. And start looking for a tracking squad. I'm sick of waiting around for more information. I want someone from the Hunter's Guild actually _hunting down_ whatever damn thing is causing this."

"Ah… ah, yes, Lord Leto," the smaller Wyverian nodded. "But, ah, perhaps we are moving too quickly? If we act too brashly, it may cause problems down the road. We don't need to jump to conclusions-"

"What we don't need is for the Gahin people to start panicking about some disease bringing dead monsters back to life!"

Lorelai stepped back fearfully under the Wyverian's booming voice. She knew that the old man wouldn't hurt anyone; his reputation as a hunter was astounding, but she'd never seen him so much as shove any creature that could be described as 'sentient'. Even so, his voice and his size could strike a fear into the hearts of anyone when he was angry… Thankfully Leto seemed to realize the effect he'd had, glancing around as the aids and attendants nearby looked nervously in his direction. The Wyverian coughed once, straightening up and lowering his voice.

"I apologize for that" he said calmly, his self-control restored. "But as I was saying, we cannot let this get out of hand. Whatever is causing these rumors must be uncovered quickly. I'd _like_ to think that the Gahin people would take this rationally if it was revealed to the public, but if there's one thing I've learned as leader of this country, it's that the more people there are who know about a dangerous subject, the more irrationally they will act. No matter what the cause of these incidents is, if the people hear of this, they will expect the worst and fear will make them panic. I want to know as much as I can about this damn dark haze before the public begins to get a grasp on it, so when they start asking questions, I can give them more than an 'I don't know' and an apology.

"The rest of you are to do the same," Lord Leto stated, looking around at the other men and women in the room. "Begin searching for information about whoever or whatever is causing all this. Keep this discreet for as long as possible; we don't need to cause a panic. Report directly to me, Kellogg, or Lorelai immediately the moment you find anything of value concerning this haze. There's a reason you people all wear fancy suits and hats. Now earn them!"

* * *

Jonathan sighed, fanning himself with a couple papers he had in his possession and hiding under a wide awning next to a honey vendor. He'd lived in Loc Lac for the better part of fifty years, but he still did not care for the heat. But this is where the core of the Guild remained, as did the organization's libraries, subsidiaries and tertiaries, even after the Alatreon's destruction of the city twenty-five years ago, and so here he stayed. It was his duty as the leader of the Investigatory Squad.

His age was slowly getting the better of him though. He was already in his sixties, and his doctor was beginning to suggest that he retire and move somewhere a little more comfortable for his twilight years. That was impossible, of course; he'd stop working when he was physically unable to keep it up anymore (or once his wife stormed into the Guildmaster's office and filled out his retirement forms on his behalf, like she'd been joking about for the last decade).

Though, he _had_ suggested to Guildmaster Elhart that they move the Guild's main headquarters somewhere more pleasant, like Tanzia or Orage or even Nastre. He'd said it jokingly, of course… but Elhart was a rather unpredictable man at the best of times, and you never knew when he'd take a suggestion seriously and follow through, no matter how unfeasible the plan might be. If the man decided to move the Guild to a more temperate climate, Jonathan wouldn't complain.

Thinking of the current High Guildmaster made Jonathan look up and off in the distance. At the moment he stood at the very edge of the central square of the city. Long ago this had been a forum area, a gathering ground for speeches and fairs and presentations from the Loc Lac Council… but no more. At the center of the square was the shattered base of what had once been the Loc Lac tower, the carved-out bone of what was believed to be the single tusk of a massive Jhen Mohran. The Tower had fallen during the Alatreon's attack, and now the 'Tower' lay across the city, pointing northeast. In the last two-and-a-half decades, the base itself had been converted into a memorial to those who died during the attack. Thousands upon thousands of names had been carved into the elder dragon bone, and every day you could find new flowers, wreaths, lit incense candles and other signs of respect towards the deceased.

Up near the memorial, Jonathan could make out a man in the bright red uniform of the Guild, placing a small offering of flowers upon the memorial and hanging his head in reverence. Looking to the man's left and right, there were a few civilians sneaking glances at him and whispering between themselves as he paid his respects. A few moments passed, and the man turned away, having done what he needed to, and he strode away from the memorial. Some people watched him go, but he ignored them as he pressed on, walking directly towards where Jonathan stood waiting. As he neared, however, the solemn expression that covered the man's face slipped away in an instant, and his mouth coiled up into a devious smirk.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite little raincloud," Guildmaster Elhart mused, his head tilting slightly. "Come to spy on me? Don't you know it's your job to spy on other people on my behalf?"

Lucius Elhart was a tall man, fairly slim, but carried himself with a confidence that could be mistaken for a hunter's self-assuredness. He had a pointed chin, a small nose, and a pair of narrow green eyes that had a very… untrustworthy look about them, as though he was constantly leering at everything he saw. His light brown hair had streaks of grey lining his temples, and was combed back to lay flat across his skull.

Elhart had been called many things over the years, both complementary or otherwise, though favoring neither. He'd told Jonathan before that you had to listen to the negative things people said about you if you wanted to improve. However, the one thing he'd been called that he seemed to enjoy more than anything else, was 'insidious'. The I.S. head didn't really know how describe it himself; at once he both trusted and distrusted the Guildmaster, and had it on authority that almost everyone else in a high position in the city felt much the same. It was an odd quality to give a Guildmaster, especially the High Guildmaster in Loc Lac, but it fit Elhart to a 'T', and from what Jonathan had heard from Stergo, it was the defining trait that got him his position.

"So what did you think?" Elhart asked, striding past Jonathan and motioning for him to follow. "Not a bad showing, huh?"

"A modest performance," Jonathan sighed wearily as he followed the Guildmaster out of the square. "You were appropriately somber and gave an air of respectfulness."

"I should very well be. I've been doing this for so long that I've got it down to a science. Plant your feet two feet from the memorial, place the flowers at a thirty degree angle, bow slightly for no less than eight seconds…"

"Enough people saw you to make a note of it, and word will spread about your 'respect towards the fallen'. It'll improve the perception of you in the eyes of the people. However, some may not take kindly to such a thing if they find out you're doing it to increase your popularity in the public eye."

"Oh?" the Guildmaster smirked. "You don't think I'm doing this for personal reasons?"

"Are you? You do this once a month without fail, but always when there are people around to see you do it. You yourself just said you've done it often enough to trivialize the motions. It could be taken that you're doing this for publicity, not because you actually lost someone in the attack."

The Guildmaster just kept smiling, however, keeping his gaze straight ahead on the path in front of them. "You say that as though it was a rare thing."

"Pardon?"

" _Everyone_ lost someone or something in the attack," Elhart replied. He raised one hand and began tapping his thumb against his fingers as he began a list. "Family, friends, homes, possessions, dignity, hope… For _weeks_ after the attack, it was safer to assume your loved ones were dead until you were proven otherwise. Do you think that applies to the High Guildmaster any less than it would a shopkeeper, a hunter, or a street urchin? Claim you lost a brother, a mother, a child, a friend in that attack, and folks will believe you."

Elhart paused in the street, and Jonathan nearly ran into him from behind. The Guildmaster turned and smirked at the I.S. head, slight amusement in his expression. Then he raised his hand and pointed across the street towards a small structure sitting at the intersection of two roads, with a sign hanging from the front with two crossed arrows.

"A fletcher's shop," Elhart announced, pulling his hand back and keeping his gaze on the building. "The owner's name is Eustace Bagg. Grumpy fellow, getting past his prime. His work isn't great, but he sells his arrows for cheaper than they're worth so he still gets business. He sends letters to his children and grandkids. They visit once or twice a year."

Jonathan's mind raced, trying to figure if he recognized the name. A criminal of some kind that Elhart had gotten information on? Nothing jumped at him, however, and he frowned. "I don't understand."

Elhart shrugged. "He's not important or dangerous if that's what you're thinking. He's done nothing wrong. Pays his taxes, no under-the-counter dealings or the like. A model citizen."

"So why-" Jonathan paused, however, upon looking back at the Guildmaster. The sly smile remained on the man's face.

"Twenty-five years ago there was a different building there. 'Elhart and Sons Legal Services'." The Guildmaster turned to face the I.S. head, his smile never faltering. "My father and brother were in there when the Alatreon attacked Loc Lac. They were still there when I managed to dig out their bodies."

"I see." That was all Jonathan could reply with. Nothing else he could think to say seemed appropriate. The look on Elhart's face made him feel a twinge of doubt, however. "Is that story true?"

The Guildmaster's smile split even wider at the question. "That's the story the populace will find if they look into my past."

"That wasn't a yes or no."

"Ha! You're the spymaster here, my little raincloud. Figure it out for yourself." Elhart groaned and stretched a little, working out some kinks in his neck and back. "The common folk can think what they want when I visit the memorial. If it helps keep their good opinion about me, all the better. But make no mistake: there are at least two names on that memorial that will keep me coming back every month, no matter what people think of me."

Jonathan said no more after that, choosing to follow wordlessly behind the Guildmaster as the two of them continued back to the Guild offices. Elhart wasn't so content with silence, however, and began prattling on about rumors and stories and complaints he had with current events he'd heard about recently. Despite their serious conversation - or at least Jonathan _thought_ it had been serious - the Guildmaster seemed unfettered and continued on as though nothing had happened.

Soon the two of them reached the Guild hall of the city, and several workers and receptionists greeted the Guildmaster as he strode towards his office. Several papers and folders were handed to him as he passed, with quick explanations of their contents, but they were just as quickly passed back to Jonathan to carry instead as people came and added more to the pile.

The crowd ground to a halt as Elhart pushed his way into his office, allowing Jonathan inside before closing the door and leaving his receptionist to fend off the lingering tagalongs. Jonathan grumbled sourly to himself as he unceremoniously dropped the papers he'd been passed onto the Guildmaster's table, letting them topple and scatter over the edge and onto the floor. It was a childish thing to do, he admitted… but Elhart brought that out of him. The man in question didn't even seem bothered by the show of disdain, chuckling in good humor and plopping into the chair behind the desk.

"So, anything you need me to know about? I figure you didn't hunt me down at the memorial just to witness my meager attempt at reverence."

"Yes, something important." The I.S. head reached into his satchel, withdrawing a folder of his own and handing it to the Guildmaster. "Concerning Theriot and his accomplices-"

"Oh, _goody_ ," Elhart cackled, snatching the envelope and peeling it open to scan the inside with a wicked smile. "So did you actually pull a successful sting operation, or did someone crack and rat out his buddies?"

Jonathan grimaced slightly. "Reginald Green, a wealthy merchant who's been making a name for himself up in Ul's Peak."

"Ah, Harvey Green's son, then."

"The same."

"And what terrible thing gave him cold feet?"

"His own noble mind, I suppose," Jonathan replied. "At least, he'd say so. Apparently, his idealism towards murder doesn't extend to women and children."

"Ha! Sounds like _someone_ got into the 'eye for an eye' mood! Probably Theriot, since this whole get-together was his pet project. That's always a buzzkill for the faint of heart, or the _noble minded_ as you put it. And so young Reginald decides to humbly turn himself to avoid taking part in a massacre." Elhart giggled merrily, scanning the paperwork. Jonathan was always a little put off by the Guildmaster's apparent lack of concern towards matters like this, no matter how seriously he actually took the issues. "How many of these little wine-and-cheese-and-vengeance parties does that make it this year?"

"At current count? Three," Jonathan replied.

"Mercy, and it's barely spring. This is going to be a busy year if this keeps up," Elhart mused. "Are there any other rumors of secret schemes and clandestine meetings that I should know about?"

"There are one or two possible leads… But nothing concrete. Discontent is not the same as plotting to commit a crime, and I won't make any accusations of conspiracy without proof."

"Fair enough. Keep up the good work." The Guildmaster closed the folder, and his smirk turned sinister for a moment. "But keep your ear to the ground. Call me a greedy child if you will, but I don't like sharing my toys with others, especially if I think they'll break them."

"If you're trying to maintain good PR, you should refrain from referring to human beings as _toys_ , sir," Jonathan chided.

"Don't worry, Johnny. I do my best to take care of my playthings, so long as it's beneficial to me and the country as a whole. All it takes is a single mistake-"

"I am well aware. I've been doing this longer than you have."

Elhart laughed, pushing to his feet with the envelope in his hand. "Jealous of my position, Johnny? Wishing you were sitting in this seat instead of me?"

"Hardly," Jonathan scoffed as the Guildmaster strode around the side of his desk. "The work is tedious, you are blamed for every catastrophe, and the stress will have you looking as old as Stergo was before you hit fifty. And the seat is uncomfortable. I'll keep my current position, thank you. And don't call me Johnny."

"I'll call you what I like, Johnny. Perks of being a Guildmaster, hmm?" Elhart cackled, reaching down and pressing lightly against a specific point in the floor.

With a light _click_ , a hidden panel slipped open under his fingers. A small safe lay hidden beneath, and with a few quick twists of the dial, Elhart opened the safe, revealing a small collection of files and envelopes. Jonathan's eyes lingered on the folders, a small twinge of envy and curiosity creeping through him. He liked to think he was knowledgeable about most of the important affairs that went on in Theron, but in truth he knew only about a third of what was in those collective documents; that information that was on a need-to-know basis, and he didn't need to know.

As the Guildmaster reached down to slide the file into the rest, however, he paused. Jonathan frowned as the smirk on Elhart's face faltered, vanishing as he stared across the documents within. His fingers grazed the tops of the folders uncertainly for several moments, not moving anything but allowing himself just barely to touch each file one by one.

"Something wrong?" Jonathan asked quietly.

Elhart was quiet for a couple moments longer, before opening one of the folders and sliding the papers he held within. He quickly latched the safe shut before sliding the panel shut over it, effectively vanishing among the flooring once more. The Guildmaster straightened up, brushing the wrinkles from his red uniform, before taking a moment to collect himself. A moment later, the fox-like smile curled across his face once more, and he smiled merrily at Jonathan.

"I hate to add more work to your docket, Johnny, but could you look into my office's security when you have some time?"

"...Yes, of course. Anything in particular?"

"Find what you can." Elhart's expression grew dark. "Like I said before, I don't like people playing with my things, and if I find out if someone has been doing just that… Well. Anyway, if someone _has_ been snooping in places they shouldn't be, I want you to find out who and where they are."

"I'll do what I can."

* * *

 _ **Four Weeks Earlier**_

* * *

There was a storm raging over Val Habar. A nasty one at that: the feared blood storm. This was not good news.

At best it drove all foot traffic and business in the city to a complete standstill. The biting sand and whipping winds could peel the skin off a man's body if he was wearing less than thick leather armor. Exposed skin was utterly unfathomable, and any fool who wasn't fully clothed was assumed to be walking to their deaths out in this storm. Once the storm had hit, every living creature had been bundled away to hide, hoping to avoid a terrible fate: the humans had hidden away in their wagons, or anywhere else they could get to safety; the Guild hall itself was practically bursting with civilians, riding out the storm and hoping it would pass quickly; Aptonoths and Popos and other beasts of burden cowered under thick tents and tarps that their owners had draped over them, huddling together and hoping to survive.

However, at worst a blood storm could mean one other thing: an elder dragon. Jhen and Dah'ren Mohran kicked up sandstorms like these in their wake, and the most popular theory was that a particularly powerful one of their kind was what created blood storms. If that was true, then despite its vagrant nature, Val Habar could likely soon find themselves under assault by a powerful elder dragon of the sandsea. Some courageous hunters had been rallied to stand near the shoreline, braving the storm and bracing themselves in small bunkers in case they were needed to fight. Though, if one of the Mohrans did show up, they would never know until the elder was right on top of them.

Needless to say, all the migrant city could do was sit and wait and hope that things turned out well.

Close to the sandsea was a large metallic structure, a portable bar and grill called the Baited Frog. It was the pride and joy of its owner, Yew ka'Asher, and one of the largest portable structures in Val Habar. The entire thing could be collapsed in on itself, as was common for mobile merchants in Gahiji, but while most shops folded into a single compact wagon, the Baited Frog was so large that it had to be broken apart into four separate pieces and hauled by a small team of its own draft Popos, to be reassembled once Val Habar relocated. The bar was very popular and very profitable, however, and was well worth the risk. On a nicer day, the structure would be coated in a lovely shade of green paint, with blue and yellow trimming, very inviting to passersby. Today, however, the paint had all but been peeled away. The team of Popos was huddled up near the edge of the structure, covered in thick leather sheets and bracing themselves against the storm.

The inside of the bar was just as dreary, if not a little safer. The main room was packed with both hunters and civilians. Every seat was taken up, and those that couldn't find a chair sat on the edges of the tables, and those that couldn't get that much sat on the floor. Everything but the bar itself was shoved close to the center of the room, all huddled together. The room was silent for the most part; there wasn't much room for merriment right now. Most people spoke in hushed tones, save for a couple young hunters in the corner that were telling an exaggerated tale to a few children, trying to cheer them up with a vibrant story and get their thoughts away from the storm.

Yew himself stood behind the bar, passing out drinks to those that asked. A shrewder businessman might have taken this opportunity to gouge the prices a little, but Yew was no such man. A small jar sat on the bar for those that felt like throwing some money in, but Yew wasn't pressing the issue. There was a blood storm outside, and the bar was very close to the edge of the sandsea; if an elder dragon did attack, they'd be one of the first to be hit. Now was no time to be miserly. Most of his barrels and bottles had been emptied in the last few hours, but Yew didn't really blame his 'patrons'; if there was a time for drinking, it was now.

Over the howling of the winds outside, however, a loud but distant _crunch_ found its way through the shut door and boarded windows. Most people heard it, and the hushed whispers turned to utter silence as people raised their heads and listened fearfully. Was that the sound of a Mohran, come to destroy Val Habar? Minutes passed, with no extra noises. Eventually the people in the room began to calm down, returning to their small talk with nervous and relieved tones.

 _BAM. BAM. BAM._

The room shook and there were a couple shocked screams as three heavy blows shook the bar. The people looked around them in fear, worried what the noise could mean. A few moments later, three more strikes shook the structure, and people realized that the sound was coming from the front door. Yew dashed around the bar and approached the door, gazing through the small porthole window in the center. Though there was little to see through the glass aside from rushing sand, he could still make out the shape of someone just outside the door, bundled up tightly in leather clothing and huddled up against the bar, their head covered by the hood on their cloak.

In a flash, the bar owner yanked the door open, and a blast of biting sand burst through the entryway. There were a few screams and shouts from those that were closest to the door, but from out of the storm, the person that had been standing just outside stumbled in, and Yew quickly forced the door shut, latching it tightly and gasping in relief.

The attention of everyone in the bar quickly focused on the person that had stumbled in. The person let out a couple short coughs, then pulled back their hood to reveal the face of an older man. He was rather broad-shouldered, and had greying brown hair, with a short but scruffy beard. He also didn't seem too bothered by his near-death experience either, chuckling to himself as he brushed the sand off his cloak.

"Quite a storm, eh? Yes, quite a storm…" he said merrily as he shook out what grains had gotten caught in his beard and hair. "I appreciate you letting me in. Really, I do! The town's so bunkered down, I thought I'd never get out of the storm for a rest."

"Are you alright?" one of the patrons gasped, rushing up to the man and looking him over. Several others approached cautiously, looking over the man nervously, clearly expecting to find peeled flesh or red stains on the man's clothing, but none could be found. "I can't believe someone was out in this storm! Are you hurt anywhere? Any bleeding?"

"Goodness, no, I'm fine," the man chuckled. He reached into the pockets of his coat, sighing as he dug out a couple handfuls of sand and dropped it onto the floor. After a couple scoops, the man seemed to give up, shaking his head in defeat and accepting the stuffed state of his pockets. "My face is tingling a little from all that sand, but other than that I'm unharmed. I am rather parched, however. May I purchase a drink?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!" Yew replied quickly, rushing back around the bar. He quickly filled a glass with beer, sliding it over to the man as he approached the other side of the bar. The man nodded gratefully, downing half the mug almost immediately. "So, friend, why were you out in the storm? Only a fool would be out in this weather willingly… no offense."

"Ah, none taken," the man replied. "I just set ashore, actually."

"Set ashore…?" one of the patrons asked. "You were on a sandship? Someone actually managed to sail through this storm?!"

The man was quiet for a moment as he took another long drink from the glass, gasping in relief as he downed the rest of it. "Oh, that hits the spot. And, ah, yes, someone managed to sail through the storm. The ship… don't know the name of it, actually. But it was a big one. Trading vessel, with bright red sails, and a dragonator on the helm. It was about… twenty miles offshore when the storm caught it. Hell of a captain on that ship, though. Fought the storm from the deck even when most of his crew fled below. Wish I'd caught his name… the world could use more courageous men like him. May I have another drink? That last one was quite good."

Yew nodded quickly, swiping the man's tankard and refilling, earning a thankful nod.

"He made it twenty miles in a blood storm?" one of the hunters gasped, and the old man smirked.

"Well, obviously, or I wouldn't be telling you about it, would I? The ship hit land about… oh, about fifty yards from here? And I do mean it _hit_ land: he didn't really so much _dock_ the ship as much as he crashed it ashore. He was dragging a few of his wounded crewmen somewhere safe, last I saw. Hope everything turned out alright for him…" The man paused again to take another long drink, sighing in relief when he stopped for air. "If any of you are travelers, I'd look that ship up once the storm is over. I doubt you'll find better passage on than that on the sandsea, by my judgement. Though you may need to wait a while for the chance… I doubt the captain or his crew's in the best shape right now.

"Oh, yes, while I'm thinking on it… If you see the captain of that ship with the red sails, or any of his crew, you buy them a drink on me." The old man reached into one of his coat's pockets, digging around for a moment before pulling out a dark gemstone. It was about the size of a large marble, colored a deep black with flecks of green and red twisting around in the interior. A couple of the hunters actually took a step back at the sight, their eyes widening in shock. The man looked across the bar for a moment, before spotting the money jar on the counter and tossing the gemstone in. "That should cover the cost."

"Cover the… that was a Deviljho gem!" one of the hunters gasped.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Should be worth a few drinks, right? But now that I've gotten something to drink, I really should be going." The man stretched, rubbing his back a little bit and rolling his shoulders before walking towards the door. "How far is it to Dundorma from here?"

"Dundor… You can't mean to leave! Not now!" Yew gasped, rushing around the bar. "The storm is still raging, you fool! It'll tear you to shreds before you can go a mile!"

"Yes, well… Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of time at the moment. I have important business to attend to, and need to move as quickly as I can, storm or not. I've spent the last few months dawdling, and that's long enough."

However, Yew stubbornly planted himself in front of the door, intentionally blocking the man's way. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, friend. I'll not let a man walk to his death on my watch, not if I have anything to say about it."

The man blinked in surprise at the show, and did so again when several other in the room, hunter and civilian alike, stood to blockade him. Then he smiled, broad and delighted, while scratching his head in embarrassment. "Ah, goodness. It's things like this that give me hope for… well, many things. But that aside, I really must be going. Your care about a stranger's well-being is very flattering, but when I say I must leave, I do mean it. I must ask that you allow me to pass."

"Ain't gonna happen, buddy," one of the hunters replied sternly, reaching forward to grip the man's shoulder. He was a large man with a massive hammer slung across his back, wearing thick Diablos armor. "Just take a seat and wait out the storm with the rest of us. That way, you'll-"

The man's words cut off as the man reached up to remove the hunter's arm. Yew watched as the hunter tried to keep a firm grip, but his hand was peeled off of the man's shoulder with ease, and the hunter soon found himself being forced back. A moment later the hunter staggered away, rubbing his arm through the bracers he wore. The older man looked on apologetically, shaking his head.

"I will not stay here, no matter how much you plead, and trying to force me won't work. I'll ask you again: please, allow me to pass."

The others standing in the man's way looked between each other nervously, the hunter that had been forced back looked very strong, and this man had pushed him back easily. The civilians backed off first, followed by the lower-ranked hunters, then the remaining hunters slowly eased away. The last to remain was Yew himself, who remained stubbornly where he was.

"I still won't allow it. Like I said, I'm not going to stand by and let a man walk to his death."

The older man grinned, reaching forward to pat Yew's shoulder. The force of the blow by itself was powerful enough that it nearly sent Yew to his knees; no wonder the hunter had been so easily pushed away.

"I have to leave. There's just no getting around it," the old man said. "You don't need to worry about me, though. I've lived through worse than blood storms. A little sand's never scared me, no matter how rough it is."

With that, the old man pushed past Yew. He quickly pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, then pulled open the door. A blast of biting wind carried a spray of stinging sand into the bar, making those near the entrance flinch back, but the man barely seemed to notice as he pushed his way out into the storm, pulling the door shut behind him. Yew rushed to the door, looking through the porthole window. The man pressed through the storm quickly, following the road further inland. In a few moments, he was gone, vanished into the raging sandstorm.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about sideplots!**

 **Been a while since I posted something, huh? Sorry about that. Hopefully the next chapter will be done quickly. If not, chapter 2 of Charon should be primed to release in two weeks.**

 **A while ago I mentioned in one of my author's notes that I'd watched and enjoyed an anime movie called Patema Inverted. This chapter contains the start of a storyline inspired by that movie.**

 **Playing: Ratchet and Clank, Stardew Valley, Bravely Second  
Listening: Acciomun, Gorillaz, Jimmy Eat World  
Watching: Star Wars VII  
Reading: **_**Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari**_ **by Aneko Yusagi (this series is great; I'm still buying the light novels, even after reading through all the web novel last year)**


	18. Crumble

Crumble

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

There were twenty flowerpots, nine of them filled with soil, the others set aside. Eight pots currently nurturing the growth of seeds which had been planted within, the last awaiting any new seeds that might be found. Five pots held cathangea seeds, three the seeds of Deva's Amrita, quick-budding plants which flowered quickly, whose bulbs would swell with a thick nectar that was unappealing, but loved by Kinsects.

Those were the contents of the shelves over Bram's desk. While he hadn't had too much time to begin his research into cathangeas and Kinsect essences, he'd been actively setting things up. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long for what he'd gathered to grow and blossom, providing him with materials to experiment on, but in the meantime, he'd managed to gather a couple Amritas in the forests, which would produce Kinsect nectars once they bloomed. The seeds he gathered should produce two different flowers, one for 'power' nectar and one for 'speed', but he wouldn't be sure until they'd grown. He really needed to try and find a 'stamina' Amrita as soon as he could as well.

If he really wanted to test the efficacy of nectars like he wanted to, a Kinsect's diet could very well have an impact, and he'd need to study that alongside the essences themselves. He'd already gotten Sonia's cooperation on that issue: whenever she got an insect glaive, he'd provide the nectars for her Kinsect's diet in exchange for her helping him gather essences.

Bram had also wanted to test various types of fertilizer on his cathangeas as well, but he didn't have quite enough plants to split them into treatment and control groups. Besides, Logan had put his foot down on the matter. Bram supposed that he could've put off telling his hunting master that the fertilizer would consist mostly of Aptonoth and Popo dung, but he had always felt that honesty was the best policy. He figured this would cause less long-term issues anyway, since he didn't like the idea of the wagon smelling like dung all the time either, nor the idea of having to scrub out the stench. He supposed that was something that separated him from his siblings: none of his brothers or sisters would have hesitated stinking up the wagon if it meant furthering their research. Maybe if he ever got a wagon of his own…

A light knock at the door drew his attention away from his notes, and the archer stood up to open it, revealing Sonia in full armor, with her Insecticutter dual blades slung behind her back.

"Afternoon, string bean. Mind if I come in? I wanna… talk about something."

"Of course, Sonia, come on in. I thought you were supposed to be out looking for mushrooms with Violetta," Bram noted, standing aside and allowing the huntress to pass.

"I was, but Steward gave me the rest of the afternoon off," Sonia replied, tossing her blades onto the floorboards and plopping down onto Bram's bed before peeling off her red facemask and tossing it aside. "I needed it too; they've been cracking the whip on us the last couple weeks. I thought that they would've _relaxed_ our workload after how much Stellazzio sold in Cheeko and Oakvale."

"That's the price of profit, I suppose. They need to restock all those empty shelves, and what are hunters good for, if not gathering materials?" Bram chuckled, sitting in the chair at his desk as Sonia groaned. "How'd you manage to get the rest of the day off anyway? You two find some Dragon Toadstools?"

"Nah, me and Vi ran across this big herd of Kelbi while we were gathering, and there was this one _huge_ Kelbi out in the middle of them. Like, eight-point horns."

"And you took them?" Sonia nodded, and the archer's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you didn't like collecting Kelbi horns?"

"I _don't_ , but Daguerreo's been pestering me about getting more for a while now, since he pretty much sold out all his potions in Cheeko. I thought if I could carve the horns from the big boy, it'd get him off my back for a while." Sonia rocked her head back and forth a couple times. "And… apparently the horns I carved were rare? Daguerreo called them 'Blue Kelbi horns', which is weird, because the horns aren't blue, and almost _every_ Kelbi I've seen has blue fur, so I'm not sure about the naming… But he said they're on par in rarity with Dragon Toadstools, and carving them takes an experienced hand to keep from breaking them."

Bram smirked. "I guess all that practice bopping Kelbi over the head paid off then."

"Yeah. _Whoopee_. I'd _better_ be good at carving those damn things, as many as I've collected the last month," Sonia groaned, flopping onto her back. "Anyway, Steward gave me the day off as a reward, and Daguerreo said since I've done such a good job recently, he was gonna give me a bonus by making me a special potion."

"What kind of potion?"

"The 'greatest potion a hunter could ever want', he said."

"Really?" Bram's eyes lit up at the words, and Sonia rolled her eyes. "And he's just giving it to you? Not selling it?"

"Apparently those blue horns can make like nine bottles' worth, so he's giving me one. And anyway, it takes like two or three months to ferment, so I won't get it until after the exam at the earliest."

"Well, at least it's something to look forward to. Remind me to ask him about that particular recipe one day."

Sonia nodded, but remained staring at the ceiling. Bram couldn't help but notice that the huntress seemed a little despondent. There was a worry in her eyes that wasn't common for her.

"So… what did you want to talk about? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's… Well… I don't know."

The huntress reached into her item pouch, pulling out a small bundle of folded papers. Bram recognized them immediately: they were the most recent letters from her mother and father. Sonia had taken to keeping the newest ones with her over the last couple weeks.

"It's been almost six months since they left," Sonia muttered, unfolding the letters and flipping through the pages. Bram nodded; their fathers were still out on their research expedition, even after half a year. "He's never been away for so long before… Mom's been threatening to come and drag him home herself if he doesn't return soon."

"My mother is getting irate as well," Bram sighed. "That much is obvious. Father's always been a very obsessive man when it comes to his research, but to stay away from home this long… His own letters say he's found a veritable treasure trove of information in that tower he's exploring, compared to everything he's found before."

"Even so… you don't think something bad might have happened to them, do you?" Sonia asked quietly. "I mean, they went to some place called the 'Blasted Lands'! That's not a nice-sounding place! I know they're still sending letters, but what if…?"

Bram frowned uncertainly for a moment, but shook his head. "I doubt it. Wherever they are, 'blasted' or not, they can safely send mail, so it can't be all that bad. Father's just being stubborn, not leaving until he's translated _everything_. You know how he gets. He's admitted by his own hand that he's the reason they're staying so long. Honestly, I fully expect your father to snap and drag him home soon."

"What if these letters aren't really theirs though?" Sonia asked worriedly, looking at the papers in her hands with distrust. "What if they're captured and someone is… pretending to be them and forging letters?"

"I have considered that," the red-haired archer admitted, "but I've read my father's letters front-and-back more than once. It's _his_ writing, to the T. Even if a forger were to mimic his script, he has certain quirks in his diction that would be challenging to replicate. Besides, Mother and Father have made… _contingencies_ in case something bad has happened to either of them. Codewords, methods of passing secret messages in letters, symbols with hidden meanings and cyphers, and other such things. Our whole family knows them-"

Sonia was sitting bolt-upright now, her eyes wide with shock and wonder. "Your whole family hides _secret codes in letters_?!"

"No! Or, um, rarely… Actually, most of my siblings use them to hide dirty jokes in official documents. Mina's research reports to the Guild always have some lewd pun or vulgarities hidden between the lines. Art likes to brag that an engine schematic he drew up that's framed in the Rising Dawn company lobby has one of the filthiest jokes he knows on it. Something about a priestess, a bandit, and a Great Jaggi…"

"How come you've never told _me_ about this?"

"Because I don't _use_ them! They were _intended_ to be used in emergencies only, and I keep to that… Well, except for once a couple years ago when I sent a message to Senya asking her to help me buy you your birthday present in secret."

"So _that's_ how you kept it hidden so well! You used an 'emergency code' for my birthday present?"

"I wouldn't _have_ to if you weren't so intent on figuring out what you were getting ahead of time! Breaking into my room, reading my letters… You don't have to try and ruin the surprise, you know."

"Bah. So… can you teach me those codes?"

"...A couple of them, though it's not like I really hide anything from you anyway. But back to the point: I've looked over my father's letters, and there are no emergency codes being used. He's responding to all the codes Mother sends to make sure he's fine, so he's obviously getting the letters we send, but he's not sending back any messages requesting help."

"So, our dads are okay?"

"By all accounts, they're fine… Though they may be less so when they finally return to Theron. I doubt our mothers will be too pleased with them upon their inevitable return."

"Ugh, yeah, probably. Mom's gonna put Dad through the wringer whenever he finally convinces your dad to leave…" Sonia seemed relieved now, folding the letters back up and sliding them back into her pouch before smiling at him. "Thanks Bram."

"Don't worry about it. Now… since you've got the day off, I suppose I could give you a crash course in one of the codes my family uses, if you like."

"Ooh!" Sonia gasped as her eyes lit up. "Are you sure? I don't want to take away from your other research."

"It's fine," Bram chuckled, motioning to the pots behind him. "I'm at the 'watching grass grow' stage of my study, so I can spare a few minutes."

"Just a few, huh?" Sonia giggled.

"Oh, yes, my schedule is _very_ tight. These little devils need be watered a whole three times a _week_! I'm surprised I have time to sleep." Sonia laughed at that, and Bram turned to grab some paper. "Seriously though, let's start with something easy. This one's called the Star Code, and it's pretty simple…"

* * *

The next morning saw both Bram and Sonia getting back to work, fully equipped in their armors in preparation for the day's work. The wagons were making good time on their trip north to Dundorma, though their number had grown in bits and pieces during the journey as more merchants and travelers joined their march. Small-town artisans and craftsmen had gathered up their wares in hopes of making a hefty profit during the huge merchant's fair that would be set up in the nation's capital. The way everyone went on, it sounded as though there would be enough traveling merchants and caravans visiting the city that it would rival Val Habar in sheer number of traveling merchants.

There were a couple other apprentices and hunters with the caravan as well, those that had latched onto Stellazzio while they were passing through to join them on the journey to Dundorma for the exam. Then, of course, there were the Felynes joining them to take the Palico exam. They were a mostly helpful and friendly bunch, except for one notable exception: Hannibal.

Bram had gotten to see more of the sour-hearted black cat in the last couple weeks, much to his displeasure, but it was odd comparing him to the others of his species. Hannibal didn't play by any of the rules that your average Palico followed, based on the words of other Felynes: he did not carry health or buffing horns, traps, or other equipment that most Palicos normally possessed, only standard potions and supplies, things that would only serve to help himself. However, Sonia pointed out that it was nothing more or less than what any human hunter would carry, and was similar enough to the kinds of things that the two of them carried in their pouches when hunting. Bram couldn't find anything about _that_ to argue against.

As much as Bram didn't like Hannibal, he really had to admit that the Felyne was a talented individual. His strength was comparable to his size, but where his real power shone through was his speed: Hannibal was lightning fast, outpacing all of the hunters with ease and cutting monsters to ribbons before the others could arrive. Physical power aside, the Felyne also seemed skilled at stealth: more than once he'd seen Hannibal easily sneak up on an attacking monster, before leaping up onto their backs and stabbing his blade between the gaps in their scales and plating. Not to mention that the Felyne had the inexplicable skill to 'burrow' underground, digging through the earth before popping up right underneath or right next to his target. Bram could hardly comprehend how Hannibal managed to move so quickly through dirt, only being stopped by rocky terrain. His Felyne senses made him skilled in other hunting qualities as well, especially gathering, where his sense of smell allowed him to find and collect mushrooms and herbs in record time. The Felyne was slightly lacking when it came to mining abilities, given his lower strength and pouch size, but even so he was nearly able to keep up with the rest of them.

Bram hated to admit it, but if Hannibal wanted to be recognized as a 'hunter' and not a 'Palico', the Felyne deserved it.

That being said, skill was one thing, but personality was something completely different. Bram couldn't stand the Felyne's attitude, and the memory of the Felyne's attack on Sonia back in the Primal Forest still burned white-hot in his mind. He found himself at odds with the furry creature more often than not, to the point where the two of them had silently agreed to simply ignore each other.

In contrast, Sonia seemed to have made it a personal mission to befriend the Felyne, and to her credit, Hannibal didn't seem _quite_ as standoffish with her as he was with most of the other humans in Stellazzio. Any attempt she made to talk to him was met with silence or disgruntled conversation, while anyone else was scoffed at and told to go away in less kind words.

The only person the black-furred Felynes seemed to get along with was Cleyra, oddly enough. Hannibal had been complaining one day, as he was wont to do, about Felyne equipment being forged with 'scraps', and how their weapons were 'dinky toys' compared to what non-Felynes carried out into the field (even if Hannibal had used his 'dinky toy' to stab a Congalala straight through the chest). The argument was getting stale (Bram had heard it at least seven times in the last couple weeks and recite the case by heart) but apparently Cleyra had taken the rant as a challenge, and had offered to make the Felyne a 'proper' set of equipment to the best of her abilities. Hannibal had been a bit stunned by the offer, but had recovered quickly enough, and since then it wasn't uncommon for the two of them to be seen bickering between each other near the forge as Cleyra worked on whatever she was crafting for him.

Bram didn't really care either way, as long as it kept the black-furred Felyne well away from him.

"Good morning, you two," a chipper voice behind him and Sonia said, and Bram turned to find Leon approaching.

"Hello!" Sonia replied. "How's your arm doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine now," Leon said, holding up his right arm and rolling it a little. "The wound was mostly superficial anyway. The Seltas just got lucky and caught its sickle between my plating, but the mail blocked most of the damage. But I'm all patched up and ready to go for today."

"Heh, or as ready as you need to be to spend a day chipping away at rocks, yeah?" Sonia smirked. "Cleyra's laid claim on the two of us today, and you know what that means."

"Well, I suppose so. Still, it's always good to be at your best, just in case… unlike Vi and Tuli."

"Hmm? Is something wrong with them?" Bram asked.

"They're fine… depending on your definition of the word," Leon shrugged. "Apparently both of them were up late reading some book Vi's parents mailed her, and neither of them fell asleep until well after midnight." The lancer smirked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder towards the front of the caravan. "And it shows."

Up near the front of the caravan, Tuulikki had perched herself on the fold-out seat on the side of Selene's green wagon. Even from this distance, Bram could see the bags under the huntress' eyes, squinting wearily in the morning light as she clutched her glaive in her lap. She had a bit of a dead-to-the-world stare going on, and was unresponsive to even Ketrak as he fluttered around her. The Kinsect seemed to be darting between the huntress and the treeline, returning to Tuulikki with its essence sac filled with a pale white fluid, before draining it into the bracer on the silver-haired huntress' arm. Each injection seemed to pour a little more life into the huntress, and Ketrak would fly out to find some more.

"What kind of book was it?"

"Some horror story of some kind, I believe."

"Huh. Never liked that stuff myself."

"Judging by the look in her eyes, I imagine Tuli didn't take too well to it either. Must've been pretty scary too; she jumped a foot in the air when I said hello this morning. I wasn't even trying to sneak up on her or anything either, and she looked like she was gonna gut me with her glaive."

"Heh, so the bug girl's weak to scary stuff? That's some helpful info, hey?"

Bram turned to find Logan approaching them, though he was surprised to find the hunter carrying a couple children on his shoulders: Conde and Petie, Burmecia's twin children. They were a boy and girl respectively, an identical pair with short blonde hair, wide blue eyes, and dark amber skin, like their mother. Petie was sitting on Logan's right shoulder with her hands on her hips and a superior look on her face. Conde was on the other side, giggling in amusement. Bram smiled slightly at the sight as Logan neared; he'd always been good with smaller children.

"Maybe I tell the girlie some scary stories 'round the campfire tonight. Know some good ones from back home, and if she so easy to spook as you say-"

"I also said she almost stabbed me when I scared her," Leon cut him off, crossing his arms. "If _you_ snuck up on her, she might not stop herself in time. And if you actually _try_ to scare her, she might not even feel that bad about it."

"You should probably avoid getting stabbed if you can," Bram mused, smiling at Logan. "The potions that Daguerreo sells is meant for the villages we pass through, not us."

"Yeah, and I don't need the extra work bopping Kelbis over the head just to save your stupid butt," Sonia added.

"Ugh. Why I agree to take you ungrateful brats on as apprentices back home again?" Logan groaned.

"Who knows?" Bram chuckled, before nodding to the children on his shoulders. "So, why are you hauling those two around?"

"You're working for us today!" Petie replied haughtily.

"We're working for _you_?"

"That's right! Mamman wants you to get meat for her wagon today, and we're in charge of making sure that you do it, and do it right!"

"That's right," Logan chuckled. "Though, I is thinking we gonna have to leave them here."

"...No, you gotta take us with you on your hunt! Mamman said so!"

"Oh, really?"

On Logan's other shoulder, Conde's face scrunched up in thought. "I don't remember Mamman saying-"

"She _did_!" Petie hissed, cutting him off.

"Ho, I is sure she did," Logan nodded, rolling his eyes. "But I is thinking we gonna leave you behind anyway."

"But Mamman said-"

"Hoy, I believe you! But if we bring you along, you gonna have to help us carve all the monsters we kill, hey? It could get bloody and messy, ripping out a monster's guts-"

" _Cool_!" Petie squealed, though Conde's expression sank. Bram, Sonia, and Leon had to hold back to keep from laughing.

"Well, if you looking forward to it that much, then they's no problem… 'cluding carrying all the meat and stuff back, hey?"

"Huh? Wait, isn't that your job?"

"Well, if you come with us, you gotta help, hey? Those is the rules. Don't worry, me and Bram gonna give you a light load… maybe thirty pounds? What you think, Bram?"

"I don't know, Logan. She looks really fired up to join us. I'm sure she can carry at _least_ fifty pounds of meat."

"Um… how much is fifty pounds?" Conde asked nervously.

Logan rolled his shoulders a little. "Hmm. 'Bout as heavy as you is. So, just imagine carrying you sibling on you back for several miles."

"Wha- _miles_?" Petie gasped.

"Ja, ja. Easy, hey?"

"Um… You know, I think maybe Mamman _didn't_ say I could go hunting with you guys. I think I heard her wrong."

"Well, she doesn't have to know, does she?" Sonia smirked.

"No, Mamman _always_ knows when we do something. Me and Conde will stay here."

"Well, if you sure," Logan laughed, plucking the children from his shoulders and setting them down on the ground. "In that case, you tell me and Bram what you mama want us to collect, and we go out and get them ourselves."

"Mamman said to look for Slagtoths," Conde told them. "She said there were still a lot of them in the area, and she can make something good with them."

"I didn't think Slagtoth meat was supposed to be that delicious," Bram noted. "Kind of… wet and squishy, the way I've heard it."

"Maman can _make it_ delicious," Petie replied, crossing her arms stubbornly, and Bram laughed.

"Anything else we should look for?" Logan asked.

"Um… Gargwas and their eggs," Conde stuttered. "I really like Gargwa eggs…"

"Then we keep a weather eye out for them, hey?" Logan laughed. "Why don't you two head back to you mama and find some other ways to help her."

"Yeah, okay!" Petie shouted, grabbing her brother's hand and darting back towards their family's wagon.

"Cute kids," Leon noted. "Kind of wish me and Sonia's taskmaster was as pleasant to deal with as those two."

"Bold words, Clank. Not a fan of my company?"

Leon froze, the small smile on his face creasing into a narrow line as he turned nervously to find Cleyra standing right behind him, leering down at him. "Aheh. Um. I don't, uh… Oh, hell with it. I find sandpaper less grating than you sometimes."

The smith glowered at the lancer for a few seconds, before her mouth split into a wide smile. "Haha! That's the spirit, boy! Doesn't it feel good to be honest?"

"Er, well, a bit… but I was honestly expecting the good feeling to be quickly overshadowed by crippling pain."

"Heheh. Don't worry about that, Clank. Trust me, if I was angry at you, you'd _know_. I'd be coming at you with my _forge tools_ , and I don't just mean the hammer.

"But down to business. You two are working for me today," Cleyra grinned, clapping her palms onto Sonia and Leon's shoulders. "There's a rock pit to the northeast of here, and I want both of you grabbing as much ore as you can while we pass it. I'd have _all of you_ working for me if I had my way, but I'm not stupid enough to go against any of Burmecia's requests… Never anger the woman cooking your dinner, that's what my Nana used to tell me. But I'll settle for Clank and Little Coldcock for today."

Even from behind her mask, Bram could see Sonia's face flush at the words, and she wilted a little as she glared at the Wyverian. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

Cleyra only smirked in amusement. "What? 'Little Coldcock'? Why? It suits you so well, especially if the reputation you have concerning Kelbis is true!"

"That's-! Don't say it like _that_!" Sonia shouted, her face blooming an even brighter red. "It just sounds so… Can't you come up with something _different_?"

"Heh. I'll think about it, but don't count on it, kid. Maybe I should start calling you 'Muddy', considering how often you've fallen in muck."

" _Twice_! And the second time was Bram's fault."

"It really was," the archer muttered. "Sorry again."

"It's fine. But honestly that's a better nickname than… that other one!"

"Heh, well either way I think I'll stick with what I've got for now, Little Coldcock," Cleyra cackled, making Sonia groan in despair, "at least as long as Dag keeps praising your horn-gathering skills. You want a change, then talk to him and see if you can convince him to stop sending you on Kelbi-bopping missions."

Sonia frowned and glared over in the direction of Daguerreo's alchemy wagon, where a thin trail of hazy smoke was drifting listlessly from the vent in the roof. She paused to contemplate for a moment before hanging her head in defeat.

"Ha, thought you might realize how futile that was. Now, back to business. The rock pit's got a lot of iron and machalite, but what I really want you guys looking for are heavenly crystals. The veins are practically bursting with the stuff there. There are a bunch of caves beneath the pit as well, but stay outta those. It's like an Altaroth hill down there, and if you think the Everwood is a maze above ground, anything beneath the earth is a damn labyrinth. Now go get me some shiny rocks!"

Sonia glowered, pursing her lips in frustration as the artisan laughed and walked away. "I really hate her sometimes."

"It could be worse," Bram smirked.

"Worse than little 'Little Coldcock'?"

"Well, not _much_ worse, but I'd be careful, or she'll try and one-up herself." Sonia huffed irritably, and Bram couldn't help but chuckle before turning and accompanying Logan towards the trees. "I'm off then. Have fun hauling rocks!"

"Oh, shut up!"

* * *

"So, you lookin' forward to the exam, Pinkie?"

Bram rolled his eyes but shrugged. "I'm curious about what the Gahin exam will entail, compared to the Therian exam."

"Eh, figure they be pretty similar, hey?" Logan replied. "They's only so many ways you can test someone to see if they's ready to be a hunter. A smarts test, a battle test… maybe they be a sneaking test mixed in, the way Vi and the bug girl go on. 'Cept with some Gahin _flair_ thrown in. Lotta walls and ledges and stuff like that. Kinda wonder what they arena looks like; doubt it's gonna be nice and flat like the ones in Loc Lac and Orage, hey?"

"I heard there's actually two arenas, actually, or at least two 'battlegrounds'."

"So is like that water arena they got in Loc Lac. 'Cept not water, but something else."

"I assume so. It's not as though they could really - oh, hey, antidote herbs." Bram knelt down next to a large bush, plucking several blue-tinted leaves from the edges.

"Ah, they's some sap plants over there, too," Logan noted. "Gonna grab those while we here. Not like we seen anything edible that don't photosynthesize. Anyway, what was you saying?"

"Oh, I guess it depends on how big the arena is. Dundorma is called 'the city on the hill', since it's built on a giant mound. Arenas are really big, usually, so it's probably built near the outer wall of the city rather than the mound."

"Eh, that makes sense… But this _is_ Gahiji, hey? Maybe they _did_ build it on the hill, and they's a big rock face and stuff all through they arena?"

"Urk. I never thought of that… I suppose all we can do is expect the worst, so we can be pleasantly surprised when it's not so bad."

"Guess it can't be nothing too nasty if the training hill back in Lintukoto's any standard, hey?" Logan noted, and Bram shrugged. "Anyway, you seen any Felvine? Daguerreo's been bugging me to keep an eye out. Guess the Felynes that's travelling with us been buying out his stock."

"I'll look for some, but I don't know why the Felynes don't just pick the stuff on the side of the road. I don't think it needs to be altered at all for Felynes to… consume? Smell? Smoke?" Bram paused and frowned thoughtfully. "What, uh… what exactly do Felynes _do_ with Felvine?"

"Oh, you sweet summer child," Logan sighed mockingly, patting the red-haired hunter's head. "Thinking it's better if you don't know, hey? Don't wanna corrupt you innocent little mind."

"Ugh, really Logan?"

"Next you be asking 'bout exciteshrooms. Then come the psychoserum binges. Then poor little Sonia finds you face-down and naked in a Loc Lac alleyway, covered in honey and stinking from a half-empty bottle of-"

"Okay, I've heard enough," Bram groaned, picking up the pace and pushing towards an open glade.

"Aw, come on! I is just getting going!" Logan laughed behind him. "I ain't even got to the rehab yet!"

"Where do you _get_ this stuff?"

"You wouldn't _believe_ the things you pick up when you raised in a bar, hey?"

Bram shook his head as he strode into the glade, looking around in search of monster signs. He and Logan had been trekking a while now, but hadn't run into anything but a couple packs of Velociprey, and those weren't exactly the meatiest creatures to find in the Everwood. They had been digging up herbs and mushrooms in the meantime, but it wouldn't fill the food wagon. There were a few signs of hope in the clearing though: Bram could see large hoofprints near the water of a small stream that trickled through the trees, and they definitely resembled Slagtoth tracks. They might find their quarry before too long if they were lucky…

However, he tensed as a quiet sound rang through the air, a soft jingling like a bell. Bram shivered uncomfortably and searched around, making Logan pause in confusion.

"Tuulikki? Violetta?" the archer called out, but there was no response.

"Eh? What?" Logan muttered, glancing around. "They still back with the caravan, hey? Least I think they is."

"I thought I heard one of those bells they wear," Bram replied. "Or… _a_ bell. Could've been one of the other hunters."

"I didn't hear nothing."

"It was rather quiet, so you might-" The archer paused as the soft jingling lilted through the trees once more, clearer this time. Bram was getting uncomfortable now; he didn't like the sound of bells. "There it is again."

Logan scrunched his face, but shook his head. "Sorry, still nothing. Been real close to some noisy monsters in my time though, things like Gigginox and Diablos; wouldn't surprise me if my ears a bit fuzzy."

As the great sword user gazed through the trees, the chiming rang through the canopy once more, this time even more sonorous than before. He stared at Logan, but the black-haired man didn't seem to notice, tilting his head as though to try and hear better. Bram frowned. How was Logan not hearing this? It was loud and clear to him, and though the archer couldn't exactly pinpoint the location, that didn't mean Logan shouldn't-

Bram gasped in realization and his eyes snapped open in terror. Logan blinked in surprise at the sudden change in expression, but Bram began scanning the trees frantically. A moment later, he found what he'd feared he would: up on a nearby stone ridge, there was a thick copse of trees, brambled up tightly together. Their boughs and branches twisted together tightly and coated the earth below in shadow, a darkness nearer to twilight than the noonday light from above.

Deep within those shadows, a bulbous, looming figure materialized from the darkness itself. The dark being remained in the shadows, keeping itself hidden, but on its right side the thing reached a spindly arm forward, tipped with thin fingers. Clutched between its fingers was a frayed black thread, from which hung a small silver bell. The bell was wrought with intricate designs and symbols, decorated and lacquered with a soft lavender trim.

Bram's blood ran cold at the sight of it, but before he could do a thing, the bell shivered. Neither the hand nor the fingers of the dark being moved at all, and yet the bell shook of its own accord, releasing a clear and resonant chime that carried clearly to Bram's ears.

"No…!"

"Hoy, you okay?" Logan asked, reaching up and squeezing Bram's shoulder. "You ain't looking so-"

"Sonia!" Bram gasped, turning sharply and dashing towards the caravan.

"You- What?" Logan shouted behind him. "Where you going?! What _about_ Sonia?!"

Bram didn't reply as he ran, but he didn't need to. A moment later, a guttural roar akin to a rockslide shook the trees around them, rolling through the air for what seemed like minutes. As the bellow died away, he could hear a devastating crash off in the distance, followed by a tumultuous rumbling. Behind him, Logan was already chasing after him, cursing loudly between breaths.

The two hunters sprinted the entire distance back to the caravan, bursting through the treeline as they hit the road. The wagons were a flurry of movement already, preparing to move. Several of the other hunters, as well as the Palicos and Hannibal, were encircling the wagons to defend it or trying to pull on their equipment. Bram's spotted Vi doing her best to strap the last few pieces of her armor to her body. Tuulikki was standing nearby, her hand grasping her glaive tightly; she seemed on edge and ready to dash off into the trees herself, but quickly snapped over to help Violetta with the last few latches on her armor.

"What was that?!" Bram shouted as he dashed up to them.

"Basarios!" Vi shouted back. Bram could hear the desperate worry in her voice, and he couldn't help but feel a chill run up his spine.

"Where's the rock pit Sonia went to? Which way is it?!"

"It's to the northeast!" the horn wielder replied, pointing off over the trees. Bram could see a few rocky pillars rising into the sky, and he nodded before dashing over to his and Logan's wagon.

He could hear Vi gasping in surprise as he unceremoniously yanked his bow and quiver off his back, flinging them into the wagon without care. Then he circled the side of the wagon, grabbing the hilt of his Qurupeco switch axe and swinging it over his shoulder. There was a repulsed gasp from behind him, and Bram turned in frustration to find Tuulikki glaring at him.

"What are you doing with _that_?" Tuulikki hissed, staring at the weapon with distaste.

"Now is _not_ the time!" Bram snapped. The huntress jolted back in shock at the sheer vehemence in his tone, but Bram quickly pushed passed her, charging towards the sound of battle.

Bram knew that it couldn't have been much more than a quarter mile or so between the road and the pit, but it still felt like hours before he managed to sprint his way through the forest, with each successive rumbling crash and thunderous roar making him feel as though he wasn't making any traction at all. He could hear the shouts of the others behind him, and soon Tuulikki had outpaced him and was pushing ahead of him.

After what felt like far too long, Bram finally burst out of the treeline and out onto a large, rocky outcropping made of dark grey stone, and he paused, gaping at what lay before him. He was overlooking a vast canyon that cut lines through the terrain for miles ahead of him, like trenches through a battlefield, with multicolored sedimentary layers providing variation from the monotone colors. Even from here he could make out the shimmering of metallic ores and veins stretching through the lower levels of the canyon, as well as several gaping openings in the rock, likely leading down into caves or other shafts. This was far more than just a _rock pit_.

Bram pushed such thought aside, however, and began scanning around. A moment later, he caught sight of Tuulikki dashing down a crooked pathway to his left, as well as a plume of dust rising over the canyon walls not too far away. There was another bellow, followed by a tumultuous crash, and a cloud of dust rose over the lip of the canyon walls. Bram cursed and dashed after the glaive wielder, leaping over the rocks and boulders as he hurried down into the canyon.

As Bram reached the bottom of the ravine, there was a drumbeat of heavy footsteps that was quickly growing louder. Both Sonia and Leon suddenly dashed around the next curve in the canyon, with looks of fear and desperation on their faces as they followed the turn. A couple moments later, an enormous… _boulder_ thundered around the corner, lumbering sideways as it tried to follow them around the curve, but it's momentum sent it crashing into the far wall. The force of the impact completely shattered a wide swath of the stone, devastating the wall from base to lip and sending a cascade of debris and rock shards crashing down.

Bram had to do a double-take as he stared at the Basarios amidst the destruction it had wrought. He'd known that the creature had a very rock-like hide, and was known to camouflage itself among stone outcroppings, but even the biology books he'd read couldn't have prepared him for how the wyvern looked as though it was a stone come to life. The only sign that the beast wasn't an enormous statue carved from stone were its bright yellow eyes, the tannish webbing lining the interior of its useless 'wings', and the thick red tongue that appeared when the Basarios opened its mouth. The beast seemed completely unperturbed by the destruction it had wrought, and was simply shaking off the stone shards that had rained down onto it.

Sonia and Leon were both gasping for air as Bram and Tuulikki met them. Both were coated in a layer of dust, and their armors were battered and dented. The top of Leon's shield was bent, and there was a noticeable burn mark across the center of it as well. Sonia was holding one of her dual blades in hand, but the blade was badly chipped and had several small cracks running through it.

"Are you okay?" Bram asked as he approached Sonia. The huntress tried to sputter out a reply, but between her gasps for air, she eventually settled for a simple nod.

"What happened?" Tuulikki shouted, looking between the two of them and the wyvern. "Why the hell did you aggravate a _Basarios_ of all creatures?!"

"It wasn't our fault!" Sonia wheezed, managing to find her voice.

"We didn't even know it was there!" Leon explained. "We were mining for ores, and we accidentally hit the damn thing's spine!"

Bram didn't blame them for the mistake. The Basarios drawings he'd seen always depicted the Basarios' shell as white in color, but this one had a clear orange tint, blending in well with the surrounding canyon. There were even a couple greyish streaks of iron ore sliding across the upper part of the spinal ridge.

"Fair enough… but this isn't a monster we can fight!" Tuulikki replied, reaching for her pouch. "I'm going to throw a flash bomb. Once it's blinded, we'll escape out of the valley-"

A deep, sonorous bellow blasted through the canyon before Tuulikki could finish, and the hunters turned to face the Basarios as the creature lowered its body towards the ground and pointed its horns forward. The wyvern pushed off with a lurch, and despite its size and weight, it quickly gained momentum, forcing the hunters to dash out of the way. As the wyvern stampeded past them, Sonia surprisingly only leapt far enough to get herself out of the way of the monster's torso, and lashed out with her sword at the thinner scales lining the Basarios' calves and ankles. However, her sword clanged uselessly off the thick scales, not even leaving a scratch on the rock-like appendage.

The Basarios quickly ground its feet into the earth to stop itself, but its own bulk kept it sliding across the base of the canyon for more than a dozen yards before it obliterated another rock wall. Debris clattered down onto its back and head, but the creature hardly seemed to notice or care, shaking off the shrapnel as though it was little more than dust before slowly turning about to face them again.

"Close your eyes!" Tuulikki shouted, and Bram turned his head as the huntress hurled a flash bomb into the air. There was a burst of light, and the Basarios wailed in shock. "Hurry, we need to go!"

The three apprentices followed Tuulikki as the glaive wielder darted towards the path leading back to the top of the canyon. Looking up, Bram could see Logan and Vi at the top and heading down the path to meet them. Bram vaguely noted that Logan had discarded his Tetsucabra great sword and grabbed his Zinogre blade instead, but hopefully the hunter wouldn't need it, as the four hunters reached the base of the path up and began to climb.

"HOY! _Look out_!"

Logan's shout and the crashing sound of heavy feet behind them signaled the Basarios charging once more. Bram spun about fearfully; he could've sworn the Basarios was blinded! However, the rocky wyvern really was still without sight, and had only charged in their general direction, but the Basarios' path sent it crashing directly into the rock wall below the path out of the canyon. A wide sheet of stone was sent crashing to the earth, and the destruction quickly enveloped their path out of the canyon, forcing those within to pull back as the trail ahead of them fell apart, while Logan and Vi were forced to scramble back towards the top.

"Damn it… Quickly, up the wall!" Tuulikki snapped, leaping towards the cliff face to their right and beginning to scale the rocks.

A loud grunt from the Basarios made Bram look down, however, and though the rock wyvern was still blinking fitfully, it had craned its head in their direction. The creature lurched towards them, smashing its head into the cliff face directly below, and Bram gasped as he felt the path under his feet shiver under his feet. He quickly grabbed Sonia's arm, pulling her back down towards the base of the canyon.

"Tuli, get down!" Leon shouted behind them.

Bram heard Tuulikki yelp in shock, but didn't look back as the rock path began to crumble under their feet. He and Sonia reached the bottom of the ravine before turning and watching their path out of the canyon collapse. Leon had apparently thrown Tuulikki over his shoulder to haul her to safety, which was a good thing as the wall that the huntress had started scaling had collapsed as well.

"Damn it, Leon, put me down!" the huntress growled, shoving herself off of the lancer. A glance towards the shattered stone wall made her wince, however, and she gave a thankful nod to her friend. However, as the dust settled, the Basarios backed away from the shattered cliff face, shaking itself off before looking towards the hunters. This time its eyes leveled on them, showing that its vision had returned, and the creature growled deeply.

"Hoy! You guys okay down there?" Logan shouted down from the top of the ravine. "Hold on! We gonna come down and-"

"Don't!" Tuulikki shouted back. "You'll just get trapped down here with us!"

"I suppose we're going to need to find another way to escape this thing," Leon muttered worriedly.

"I'm guessing fighting isn't really an option?" Sonia asked. One glance from Tuulikki to her battered sword was enough to answer the question. "Yeah, I didn't think so…"

"None of our weapons are sharp enough to deal with that thing's plating," the silver-haired huntress muttered despairingly. "All we can do is try to run."

The Basarios pulled its head back slightly, and the fire in its gullet grew in intensity for a moment before a small fireball launched out, soaring through the air in a wide arc, and the hunters were forced to scatter as the orb crashed between then.

"What are our options?" Bram shouted, stepping between Sonia and the Basarios. "I saw some caves in the area when I was running down here-"

"That won't work," Tuulikki replied. "You've seen how easily the Basarios can reduce rock walls to rubble. I don't want to be underground when that sort of thing happens. We could be trapped or worse."

"Climbing isn't much better of an option if you don't want to be part of a rockslide."

"Yes, I saw that," the glaive wielder muttered. "We'll just have to- Move!"

The huntress and Leon were forced to leap out of the way as the Basarios thundered past them and careened into another wall, sending a wave of stone to the canyon floor. Bram frowned, however, as he felt the earth shiver a little; the shockwaves from the Basarios' destruction seemed to be lasting a lot longer than they should…

"We need to outrun it!" Tuulikki continued, pulling his attention back towards her. "Our best chance is to trip it up, since it'll take a while for it to get back to its feet. We can use that chance to get out of the canyon!"

"Trip it?! _How_?!" Sonia snapped as she dashed away from another fireball. "I've been aiming for the legs from the start and I can't even scratch it! How the hell are we supposed to topple something that weighs more than a house?!"

"I might be able to do something. I've got a bit of firepower with me right now," Bram replied, patting the hilt of his switch axe. Tuulikki had a very prominent scowl on her face, but Bram gave her a sharp look. "Don't complain, unless you have any _better_ ideas! My phials are fire element, so I'm not sure how much damage I can do, but one well-placed burst against the creature's legs should be able to at least topple it."

"That's acting too recklessly!" Tuulikki snapped. "Basarios aren't safe to stand under, and I won't have you throwing yourself-"

"I'll be fine! Like I said, unless you have any better ideas, this is our best chance! Just give me a chance to get close to it and I'll knock it over."

"Hmm. I don't like this… not a bit of it." The glaive wielder gave a sidelong look at the switch axe, but the Basarios lumbered in their direction again. Tuulikki grimaced as the beast stormed past her. "Argh! Damn it all, very well! But be careful!"

"Don't worry about me," the switch axe user replied, keeping his eyes on the Basarios and looking for an opening. However, he glanced to the side as Sonia slipped up next to him.

"Hey, Bram, what's with you?" she muttered worriedly. "You're usually not this… aggressive. Is something wrong?"

Bram didn't answer immediately, keeping his focus on the rocky wyvern, but he leaned a little closer to Sonia and lowered his voice. "Sonia, keep away from the Basarios as much as you can. Let the other two create the opening for my attack, and the first chance you get, _run_. Don't worry about the rest of us. Keep yourself safe."

There was a poignant silence for a moment as Sonia's eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped at the words. "You- _What_? Run away? Bram, why would you ask me to abandon everyone for-"

" _Please_ , Sonia!" The huntress balked in surprise at the desperation Bram allowed into his voice, looking at him with concern. Bram turned and looked at her miserably. " _Please_. Don't fight. Please run."

Sonia locked her gaze with his for a few moments, furrowing her brow uncertainly. Then her eyes widened and the blood drained from her face. Her eyes darted to the ground, and Bram could see her shivering slightly.

"You… you mean…? You… saw…"

"Yes."

For a moment she just stood there, before taking a slow and deep breath, before looking back into Bram's eyes.

"I'll… stay back from attacking," she said quietly, but before Bram could sigh in relief she quickly pressed on. "But I'm not going to run away!"

"But Sonia-!"

"No, Bram! I'm not going to abandon everyone just because you… Just because…" Sonia swallowed fearfully, shivering a little. "I'm not leaving unless we _all_ leave, got it?"

"...Alright. I understand. Just be careful, please."

"As careful as I _can_ be."

Bram nodded; that was the best he could hope for. Returning his attention to the Basarios, he could see that Leon and Tuulikki were both circling around the Basarios on each side, trying to divide its attention while keeping close enough so it wouldn't charge. Leon was holding his shield out, using the giant eye-like barrier to pull the wyvern's attention with ease, and it lumbered towards him with a heavy gait.

Its slow speed allowed Tuulikki to charge the creature from behind, darting up from underneath it and striking out at the creature's ankles and legs. Her blade was better than Sonia's, shattering through several of the thinner scales lining the wyvern's legs, and her aim was sharper as well, as the edge of the glaive slipped seamlessly between the gaps in the rocky plates, cutting into the softer flesh of the Basarios. Even so, the damage seemed almost completely negligible. The Basarios only paused to twist its head around at the sound of Tuulikki's glaive clashing against its plating. With a groan of frustration, the wyvern began stamping its feet, trying to crush the huntress, but the glaive wielder was too quick, slipping between its legs and continuing her attempts. However, the huntress was quickly losing her safe footing as each stomp fractured the earth around her, with the rocky wyvern's bulk dropping closer towards her.

"Bram! As soon as possible would be appreciated!"

Bram didn't reply, not wanting the Basarios to catch sight of him yet, but Bram swung his switch axe out, shifting it to sword mode and dashing towards the wyvern's legs. However, he realized that a thin purple haze seemed to be swelling out from the Basarios' underside…

"Pull back!" Tuulikki snapped, as both she and Leon turned and bolted away from the beast.

Bram slid to a stop as well, and a moment later there was a loud hissing sound as a spray of purple gas gushed through the gaps in the Basarios' underside, swirling around and painting its legs a sickly color. The spray continued for a few moments longer before squeaking to a halt, and the Basarios shook itself a little as the gas petered out before refocusing its attention on Tuulikki. Bram cursed under his breath; he'd never be able to detonate either of his phials without being poisoned with all the haze under the creature's body… and he didn't have time to wait for too many chances!

A thought occurred to him, however, and he reached into his pouch, digging through it until he grabbed hold of a collection of leaves and herbs. Pulling out what he had, he immediately focused on the leaves that were tinted a light blue, and quickly discarded the rest before shoving the antidote herbs into his mouth, chewing on the herbs and allowing the bitter fluids to soak over his tongue and down his throat before charging towards the Basarios.

He could hear shouts from his allies, but he ignored them. The Basarios already had another wave of poison gas welling up, and unleashed it as Bram neared. The hunter held his breath as he dashed into the poison cloud, cringing as he felt the gas stick to his armor and skin, as wisps of it snuck into his nostrils. He ignored it, however, swinging out his switch axe and jamming the tip of the blade into the back of the Basarios' knee.

Bright orangish-red energy roared through the weapon as the Bram activated the phial burst. Fire blazed across the blade, but the pure elemental energy was far more powerful than simple flame. Even the Basarios' rock-hard hide began to sear under the plasma-like energy, and the wyvern wailed in agony, trying to pull away. Bram pressed forward, however, jamming the tip of the blade into the beast's hide until the phial hit critical power and erupted.

A swell of energy surged through the Qurupeco materials to the tip of the blade, detonating in a blast of plasma which shattered the rocky plating on the creature's body. The Basarios wailed as its leg twitched and buckled underneath it. However, somehow the rocky wyvern managed to keep its feet under it, and even as it crashed into the wall behind in, groaning in agony, the Basarios stayed standing.

"Damn it," Bram growled through the leaves in his mouth as his weapon hissed, blasting out steam while shifting back into axe form. He would need to replace the now-dim phial with his spare, but flames welled up in the Basarios' throat and the hunter was forced to leap away as a flaming orb flew from the beast's gullet and burst against the ground where he'd been standing. The Basarios grumbled in agitation as it turned to lumber his way, but the beast faltered slightly as it put weight onto its wounded leg. Bram took the chance to eject his spent phial and slide in the spare, nodding in satisfaction as the energy conduits swelled back to life.

However, before he could attack the wyvern again, his vision swam, distorting the world around him and nearly sending him to his knees. A shiver in the earth finished the job, forcing him to kneel. Bile welled up in the back of his throat, forcing him to retch, spitting out the antidote herbs in his mouth and sending them splattering across the ground. There was a slight touch of a coppery taste on his tongue, barely noticeable over the bitter flavor of the herbs… He'd been hoping that the leaves would completely annul the effects of the Basarios' poison, but he supposed that had been too far-fetched to be feasible. Through his dizziness, he thought he could see the ground cracking a bit under his feet…

"Bram, get back!" The red-headed hunter looked up at the shout as Leon dashed between him and the Basarios, holding up his shield and waving it around in the creature's face. The Basarios' head bobbed in confusion, following the 'eye' on the shield. "Get somewhere safe! I'll keep its attention!"

Bram shook his head, however. His vision was already clearing, and his body didn't hurt too much. He could still fight! Swinging his switch axe into sword mode once more, he prepared to lunge again; with the creature still examining its wound, he could go for the neck-

He was suddenly yanked backwards by his belt and hurled to the ground. Bram cursed, nearly losing his grip on his switch axe and trying to roll back to his feet, but a stern grip grabbed hold of his collar and forcibly dragged him away from the Basarios. He twisted his head around to find Tuulikki unceremoniously yanking him across the rocks.

"Let me go!" he snapped, trying to twist out of her grip. "I need to fight it! Don't try and-"

A blast of pain erupted across his face, shutting him up and making him see stars. Bram blinked rapidly as his vision blurred, shaking his head and looking up. He found Tuulikki standing over him, her fist clenched tightly and pulling back in preparation to throw another punch. In his dazed state, the switch axe user couldn't help but wonder at how someone so small could punch so hard… the gauntlets certainly didn't help. Bram's gaze slipped away from her fist and landed on her face, and he recoiled.

The glaive wielder was positively _livid_. Her deep blue eyes were boring into Bram's, and her face had contorted into a demonic snarl. She snapped her hands down, yanking his head up so he was face-to-face with her.

" _What the hell do you think you're doing_?!" the huntress seethed. "Are you trying to get yourself _killed_?!"

"I… I, uh… G-Get off me!" Bram sputtered, shoving the huntress off of him and pushing to his feet. He quickly searched around for Sonia, spotting her several yards away. She was looking at him with fear and worry in her eyes. "I'm fine! This isn't-"

Faster than he could react, Tuulikki punched him again, sending him to the ground once more. "Are you completely insane?! You rush headfirst into a cloud of poison and you think you're _fine_?! What the hell are you thinking?!"

"I need to trip it up so S- so we can get away!"

"By rushing in like an idiot? I thought you were smarter than this!"

"I'll be fine! I won't get hurt!"

"What do you…? You're _already_ hurt you complete imbecile! You can't just-"

A bellow from the Basarios called their attention back to the monster. There was a clash of steel as the rocky wyvern smashed its skull against Leon's shield, knocking him backwards a couple yards. The lancer managed to remain standing, but his shield had a noticeable dent in it now. Leon refused to back down, however, continuing to wave his shield to keep the Basarios' attention.

"Sonia!" Tuulikki snapped, shooting her gaze over to the dual blade user. "If your weapons are too damaged to fight, keep this idiot out of harm's way!"

Sonia nodded in agreement, darting over to Bram's side as the glaive wielder shot back towards the Basarios to help Leon. As the switch axe user pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, Sonia pushed a potion into his hand, which he drank gratefully.

"Bram, you need to be careful!" she urged. "Tuulikki's right, you're being too reckless!"

"I'll be fine," he muttered, coughing once. He could taste copper on his lips, and wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, he pulled it away to find a streak of red on the back of his gloves. Sonia's eyes widened in horror at the sight, but he shrugged it off; the injury would be mostly superfluous. "I'll be fine, Sonia. Just keep your distance."

Bram turned his attention to the rock wyvern. Even with the damage he had done with his phial burst, Tuulikki's glaive was barely scratching it at all, despite being made from far sharper and sturdier materials than anything the other three possessed. As the creature twisted its head around to search for the glaive wielder, Leon charged the creature's face, swinging his lance out to thrust the tip of the weapon at the wyvern's face and eyes, but the weapon clashed uselessly off the stone frills.

None of them were well-equipped for this type of battle. Bram could barely imagine how useless he would've been if he'd try using a bow; even his explosive arc shots would've been like attacking a brick wall with a popgun. His switch axe's phial blasts were potent, but he could only do it twice and the fire element didn't seem to affect the Basarios that much. If only he had a more powerful switch axe, or some other weapon with more firepower to it, like a gunlance… but there was no getting around that now. Their best bet against a creature like this would be Violetta trying to knock out the creature with her hunting horn's blunt trauma, or maybe Logan if he used his Zinogre great sword, but both of them were stuck at the top of the ravine, and even if they hadn't been it would be slow work.

"Bram, are… Are you sure it was-"

"I'm sure," Bram sighed. "I wouldn't… there's no mistake."

"Still… Bram, I can't stand just watching you-"

"Well, I can't stand the alternative," Bram muttered.

"I don't either! But don't I have just as much a right to try and do something about it as you do?" Bram blinked at the words, turning to look at Sonia as she glared at him. " I don't like… _him_ OR what he stands foreither, so let me help you prove him wrong!" Sonia snorted in disdain and crossed her arms stubbornly. "We'll both help fight. We'll both get out of this alright. And we'll _both_ prove him wrong. Alright?"

Bram stared dumbly at her for a few seconds, before nodding slowly. "Yes, you… you're right. You're right."

"Hmph. Of course I am," the huntress replied haughtily, making Bram chuckle in amusement.

"Alright, so how shall we do this?"

"I don't know…" Sonia admitted, glancing towards the Basarios nervously. "You're the only one here that can really hurt it. You've got one more phial burst ready, right? Where would the best place to hit it be?"

"In its throat," Bram muttered, "but I don't think I could trick that thing into chewing on my switch axe; smashing things seems more its repertoire as opposed to biting. Another blast into its legs might help, but its plating is just too thick there. I think our next best bet might be to attack the head or neck. The plating around its jugular seems to be pretty thin compared to the rest."

"Think you can hit it? The poison-"

"I'll be fine. Its poison wasn't that potent, and the antidote herbs are helping. Just give me an opening."

"An opening… alright! I'll give it something to think about!"

With that the huntress leapt forward, charging straight towards Leon's back. The lancer had regained the Basarios' attention, and the beast was bashing its frilled skull against his shield, slamming him backwards step by step with each successive strike.

"Leon! Brace yourself!"

The lancer glanced back in confusion at Sonia's shout, but tensed up as the Basarios leaned in to headbutt the Kecha shield again. A moment before the creature struck, however, Sonia reached Leon and leapt up to springboard off his back and shoulder, landing square between the wyvern's frilled horns. The Basarios' head still clanged off of Leon's shield, sending him skidding back even further, but Sonia had apparently accomplished her goal.

As Sonia spun around to face forward again, planting her boot right between the creature's horns, the Basarios seemed to realize that something wasn't quite right. It didn't seem to even register her weight, but the rock wyvern's eyes rolled upwards, and it slowly twisted its neck in an attempt to catch sight of her. Its laborious movements made it easy for Sonia to remain where she was, and as the creature craned its head, she reached back and pulled out the smaller and thinner of her dual blades, spun it into a reverse grip, and drove it down towards the Basarios' eye.

The wyvern managed to see the attack coming, but not quickly enough to dodge as the tip of Sonia's blade grazed diagonally across the Basarios' dull yellow pupil. There was a squirt of blood as the thin cut split the lens of the Basarios' eye, and the rock wyvern clamped its eye shut, unleashing a terrible howl of agony. The stone beast began flailing about, trying to dislodge the huntress with far greater fervor than it had ever shown. Sonia yelped in shock as she swung her arms around one of its horns, doing all she could to simply avoid being thrown from the wyvern's back.

"Any time now, Bram!"

"Easy for you to say," the switch axe user muttered. The Basarios' flailing was making it almost impossible for Bram to approach without being trampled underfoot. Even the poison would've been easier to approach than this!

However, the Basarios' tantrum sent it lurching into a stone wall, and the creature nearly toppled over in surprise from the impact, leaning awkwardly against the incline. Sonia was finally thrown off the creature's frill, hitting the ground a good six yards away and pushing herself shakily back to her feet as the Basarios turned its attention towards her, fire welling up in the back of its throat.

"Hey! Ugly!" Bram bellowed, shifting his switch axe to sword mode and charging towards the creature's head.

The Basarios turned its head towards him, trying to get its good eye on him. Before it could do anything, Bram trust the tip of his switch axe forward, jamming the tip of the blade into a gap in the creature's plating just behind its lower jaw, and triggered his weapon's phial burst. A cascade of fiery energy roared to the tip of the blade, and the Basarios' head was blown sideways by the final blast, smashing back against the wall it leaned against. The beast howled in pain, staggering backwards, but its right leg finally buckled underneath it. Bram yelped, leaping away as the creature fell onto its side with a thunderous _crash_. A few rocks and small boulders fractured under the creature's bulk when it landed on them, and the earth under Bram's feet shuddered from the impact as well.

"That's it!" he bellowed, swinging his blade back into its sheath and turning to face the others. "Let's go! Now!"

"Through the canyon! Quickly!" Tuulikki urged as she, Leon, and Sonia turned to dart away from the fallen wyvern. "Find the first ledge you can confidently climb and escape!"

However, as he took a step forward, a shiver rolled across the rocky terrain. Bram paused, looking down at his feet, where he could see several small pebbles vibrating slightly and skittering across the earth. The Basarios was still whimpering and writhing around, trying to find a foothold, but this seemed to be caused by something else…

A deep groan sounded through the canyon, followed by a tumultuous rumbling sound. A few panicked cries from the Basarios made Bram turn back to look at the creature right as the earth began to fracture apart underneath it. The ground began to sag, the sound of stone grinding against stone tearing through the air and echoing through the canyon. Then it was as though the earth swallowed the Basarios up as the ground beneath it caved in, and the wyvern shrieked in terror as it was sucked into a churning pit of collapsing earth and darkness.

"Oh, hell," Bram muttered. He'd thought the shivering earth had just been the Basarios' heavy footsteps, but their battle with the creature must have started weakening the tunnels underground! Even now he could feel the earth under him shuddering slightly as it started to give way.

A deep crunching sound ripping through the canyon signaled the failure of the canyon's structural integrity, and from where the Basarios had fallen, wide swaths of collapsing earth began branching outwards. Bram cursed as one of the breaks began zigzagging in his direction, and he immediately turned and bolted. Up ahead, he could see that Sonia had stopped to wait for him, with Tuulikki and Leon not far past her.

"Go! Run, run!" he shouted over the roar of the collapsing crust, waving his arms. At the sight of the collapsing canyon behind him, the other three did so, turning and dashing away as fast as their feet could carry them.

The shaking of the earth and the roar of collapsing rock chased the hunters through the canyon as the path behind them continued to collapse. Each step Bram took, he couldn't help but feel as though the earth itself was grabbing at him, trying to pull him in. Each glance behind him showed the devastation the collapse was creating, tearing apart the canyon floor and walls with greater force and destruction than even the Basarios had dealt out, and the hunters were slowly losing ground. More than once he could feel the earth under his boots begin to sink a little as some tunnel or cavern fell in on itself, holding out just long enough for him to cross over it before collapsing in on itself.

"Ahead! To the right!" Leon's voice could barely be heard over the thunder behind them, but Bram managed to catch it. Crawling up the side of the canyon was a teetering ridge leading back to the forest above.

The hunters darted towards the sloped path, racing up as fast as they could. Glancing back, Bram could see the fracturing earth crash into the base of the path, tearing down the first dozen yards of incline. However, as Bram rushed up the path, another wave of dizziness washed over him and a fit of coughing spattered his tongue with the taste of blood. The shaking of the earth dropped him to a knee, and before he could push himself back to his feet, the slab of stone under his feet began crumbling, and faster than he could possibly escape from.

He knew this immediately, and though he was worried… he was also filled with calm.

 _This is fine_ , he thought to himself. _I can deal with this. I will survive this. Better me than-_

The archer gasped in surprise, however, as he felt something snag hold of the collar of his armor, throwing him forward a couple yards. He landed hard on his stomach, groaning in pain but realizing that the ground here seemed… sturdier. Safer.

However, his eyes widened in horror and he twisted around. Sonia stood right where he'd been before, her arm still outstretched from when she'd thrown him away from danger. She had a look of relief on her face, but a moment later she dipped slightly. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but she didn't have time to react before the stone she was standing on gave way, and the huntress plummeted down into the fissure, swallowed up by dust and darkness.

" _Sonia! No!_ "

* * *

Sonia jolted awake as a sharp pain shot through her body. She gasped and her eyes snapped, only to find herself face down on the ground with darkness all around her. She looked around in confusion for a moment before she remembered the Basarios… and then her fall, and the rockslide immediately after that.

"Still alive… could be worse."

There was a little light at least. As her eyes adjusted, she discovered that the walls had several pale blue and orange mushrooms growing out of the walls and releasing a soft glow. It wasn't much, but it was enough for the huntress to make out her surroundings. She tried to push herself upright, before another lance of agony made her scream and drop back onto her stomach. The pain had come from her left leg, she could feel that much. As gingerly as she could, she twisted her torso around to look behind her, wincing with each sharp jolt.

At first all she could see were rocks. Only a few feet away from her was a dusty wall of fractures and broken stone. The remains of the rockslide, perhaps, with loose and shifting stones still adjusting under the weight of gravity. Occasionally a couple pebbles would slide off their perch, clattering across the larger stones. The crushed remains of several mushrooms could be seen among the cracks, dripping powder and fluid down across the stones.

Then she saw that a long and curved stone had landed right over both of her legs. Her breathing hitched in fear as she struggled to pull herself out from under the stone, but the first few tugs were utterly hopeless. When she tried to turn around and push the stone away, pain shot through her, making her cry out and flop back onto her belly. When she recovered, she turned again, trying to figure out what was wrong, but as her gaze landed on her left leg, she could see a thin trail of blood trickling out… and the appendage itself was bent at an angle that it shouldn't be.

Her leg… her leg was broken! She was pinned under a rock and her leg was broken! She twisted around gingerly, trying desperately to push against the stone pinning her down, but she just couldn't get the leverage, and a blinding flash of pain would shoot through her body if she moved wrong, making her scream in agony.

She began looking around desperately, searching for _anything_ that she could use to escape. The hollow she was in was narrow, and other than the small glowing mushrooms growing on the walls, all Sonia could see was rock and stone. There were a few pathways she could take to get out, but with her leg pinned…

"Bram!" she called out helplessly. The only response she heard was her own echo, bouncing between the rocks and through the narrow pathways. "Logan! Please… Violetta! Tuulikki! Leon!"

But there was no response. As her echoes faded away, all that remained was silence, and the sound of her own breathing.

"Someone, please! Can anyone hear me?!" she cried out again, her voice cracking from the strain.

Still, her only reply was utter silence. She could feel her eyes growing wet as impending fear set in. The huntress began to gasp in terror as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

"Please… someone help me…" Sonia sobbed. "I can't… I can't…"

"Well, well… it seems a bad bit of misfortune has befallen you, hasn't it?"

Sonia head snapped up at the deep voice, looking around for the source. All around, she could only see darkness and stone. Even the dull light coming from the mushrooms didn't reveal much to her. But from the darkness, where the deepest shadows seemed to congregate, a humanoid form slipped out from behind a rock.

"Who…?" Sonia muttered quietly, leaning forward. "Please! Can you help me?! I-"

Sonia's words snapped to a halt, however, as a wide mouth filled with crooked teeth appeared through the shadows, splitting a smile so wide it seemed to stretch from ear to ear. The huntress let out a strangled whimper at the sight, slouching down onto her belly as a dull, rattling laughter echoed through the chamber. Sonia sighed miserably as the figure stepped into the light, revealing himself to her.

It was a tall man, slim nearly to the point of being bony. His face was thin, with a waxy complexion, a pointed chin, and a beak-like nose. His narrow green eyes were gaunt, but glowed with a sharp wickedness. His short hair was thin and blonde and growing peppery with age, slicked back across his skull to the base of his neck. His clothes were both sharp and uncouth at the same time: he wore a well-fitting grey suit over a dark purple button-up, with a pair of sleek white gloves over his hands, but the shirt was untucked and wrinkled while the gloves and suit were dirty. He was like a well-to-do man who'd been struck with hard times.

"Good afternoon, my dear Sonia," the man purred. "You're looking a bit worse than the last time we met, aren't you? One leg injury after another, eh?"

"No… not you…" Sonia moaned, and the man cackled wickedly.

"Now, now, is that any way to greet an old friend?"

"You are _not_ my friend!" the huntress hissed, twisting around to glare at him, but she winced as the motion jostled her leg, sobbing as agony leapt through her body. As tears trickled down her face, she turned away from the man. "Go away. Just… go away."

The man merely grinned, however, striding over and leaning against a nearby wall. Despite Sonia's situation, he casually reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a deck of cards, which he began to shuffle lazily as he sneered at her.

"How callous of you, Sonia, to turn away someone in this, your time of need. Well… to be fair, I'm not going to _help_ you, but still, isn't my company a courtesy in and of itself? Would you rather suffer alone, or suffer my presence? Mine might be the last voice you hear after all, given the current situation."

Sonia didn't respond to the man, instead trying to control her breathing. She needed to ignore him. He wouldn't help her, she knew that well enough. But Bram would come to save her. She _knew_ he would. She just needed to hold on, to try to stay alive.

She remembered her item pouch, digging through it in hopes of finding something she could use to get out of this situation. However, she quickly realized how little she'd brought with her: potions, some whetstones, a few flash bombs, but little else. All other space was taken up by a collection of ores and crystals that she'd managed to mine with Leon before the Basarios… But she had nothing to free herself with. She didn't even have any rations to eat; she'd been planning to head back to the wagons and get a meal at the caravan. Even her dual blades were gone, probably buried somewhere under the rocks.

With little else to do, she pulled out a couple of the potions, uncorking them awkwardly and downing them both. The pain in her legs dulled, but the pinching in her leg threatened her with more pain if she so much as wiggled wrong, so she was forced to keep still or risk another wave of agony.

"It's rather impressive you know." Sonia gritted her teeth at the man's voice. He was still shuffling the cards in his hands, and the noise was grating in the huntress' ears. "How's it go? Of all the rocks in all the canyons in all the forests in all the countries in all the world, you had to go and swing your pick against the one that was a Basarios. Sweet mercy, Sonia, your poor luck would be the stuff of legend!"

"Shut up!" she hissed. "I don't… I don't believe in luck! It's just… just…"

"Just what?" the man sneered. "Fate? Destiny? Divine design? Was your shattered leg _preordained_?"

"No! Not that… not that either!"

"Now, now, my dear Sonia, you contradict yourself!" the man laughed, stretching his arms wide. The cards seemed to dance through the air as he bent the deck and sent them leaping from one hand to the other, flying almost a full yard between the two and landing perfectly within his palms. "Either something is meant to be or it just… _happens_ , on the wings of chance! If the Sisters of Fate aren't dealing the cards, then Lady Luck most certainly is.

"And just as you don't care for this ridiculous 'fate' nonsense, neither do I! We're not so different, you and I, my dear Sonia. I refuse to be a puppet dancing to the tune of some cosmic bard, no matter how pleasant his song may be. However, our beliefs diverge in that, while you refuse to accept luck as a driving factor in the world, _I_ can respect the fickle whims and cruel winds of fortune."

The man paused in his card play, and drew from the top of the deck, revealing the ace of spades. "I am the Gambler after all. Comes with the job title."

"And did you bet on this?" Sonia muttered, reaching back and rapping her knuckles against the stone over her.

"Eh, not so much. I _am_ rather invested in your continued survival," the Gambler said. He looked around the room with a scrutinizing gaze, before pushing from and wall and striding over to Sonia. The huntress glared at him as he reached down and patted the stone pinning her leg to the floor. "You can't win them all, however. All things considered, it seems my investment might be reaching its end. You are quite literally stuck between a rock and a hard place, and the odds are against your survival.

"That being said, there may yet be hope for you, my dear Sonia. You're still _alive_ , and you're certain to have _someone_ looking for you. We both know Bram won't abandon you, will he? He'll search and search and search until he finds you… or what's _left_ of you. Logan will be no slouch either, I'm sure, and I doubt your new Gahin friends will just write you off as a lost cause. The winds of fortune can shift in your favor just as easily as they can against you. Will they find you in time, or will your injuries lead you to an… early expiration?"

The Gambler's mouth split ever wider as his smile stretched across his face. He snapped his hand out, flourishing the deck of cards in his palm, and with a twirl of his wrist, the deck vanished. With his palm empty, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of bleached-white bone dice, holding them in Sonia's face and shaking them tauntingly. "Let's make a bet! Pick a number between two and twelve, and if you're right, you'll be saved! Well, not really, but if you're lucky with dice, maybe your luck will stretch to life as well?"

"Get those away from me," Sonia spat, swatting at the hand, though the Gambler pulled out of reach before she could hit him, cackling diabolically. "I don't _believe_ in luck."

"Ha! But if you don't believe in luck, then there's no harm in making such a simple wager, right?" the man asked, holding out the dice. "If all this is a load of crap, what's it matter if you pick some random number and pray a winning roll means you'll be saved? If you're doomed whether they roll or not, then play the game! If you'll live whether they roll or not, then take a chance! But if that bothers you so much, just think of it as statistics instead. Depending on the number you choose, that could be a sixteen percent chance-"

"Snake eyes."

The Gambler appeared taken aback by the words that fell from Sonia's mouth, but she knew better. She'd played this game with him before, and she always wagered that the dice would roll a two. The man cocked his head at her, faking a look of concern.

"You sure about that, girl? Two's not the luckiest number to pick… or even very likely, if you do the math. Perhaps a seven? Eight's a popular number, especially in this country…"

"Just roll the dice…" Sonia sighed, gasping a little as pain shot through her side.

The man shrugged. "As you wish."

With a snap of his wrist, the Gambler tossed the two cubes forwards, and the pair of dice clattered across the floor. The white cubes bounced and danced between the rocks and pebbles, clicking and clattering back and forth as they rolled closer to Sonia. The huntress wearily let her eyes follow the dice, until both of them were right next to her, finally spinning to a halt.

Two ones. Snake eyes.

The man gasped, trying to sound stunned. "How rare. Perhaps your luck continues to hold out. Perhaps you _will_ be saved from death. And, hark! What's that I hear?"

The man theatrically raised a hand to his ear, and Sonia tilted her head intently. She could hear voices… Bram and Logan's voices, calling out her name, faint and distant. The echoes were getting closer as well… The huntress had to choke back a sob of relief, trying to push herself up.

"Bram! I'm here!" she cried out, but she was shocked at how weak her voice seemed. She barely even created an echo. She didn't realize how tired she'd gotten… or how cold she felt. At the same time, something new and burning felt like it was crawling across her body up from her leg. However, the calls for her name grew excited; they must have heard her, even if only a little. As she raised her eyes, she found the Gambler leering at her as he plucked the dice from the floor.

"I suppose this means my investment has not quite failed me yet, Sonia. The roulette is still spinning, and where the ball will drop is anyone's guess, eh?" The sounds of her friend's calls were getting closer and closer now, and the Gambler smirked as he slid the dice into one of his pockets. "Seems it's time for me to take my leave. Two's company and all that. But don't you feel lonely now; we'll meet again, Sonia… you can _bet_ on it. And maybe if you're lucky, it won't be very soon."

With that, the man placed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly, before turning and walking away into the darkness, vanishing among the shadows. A moment later there was a glow of torchlight coming through one of the narrow tunnels leading out of the area, and the familiar pink armor that Bram wore appeared.

"Sonia! Sonia, are you alright?!" Bram gasped, rushing towards her. His eyes immediately darted towards the growing pool of blood spreading out from under the rock.

"Bram… You found… Took you long…" Again, Sonia was shocked at how weak her voice sounded.

She wasn't propping herself up on her elbows anymore, she realized. Moving her arms was more challenging than it should've been. She was growing so cold… and that strange fire in her legs was spreading as well, crawling through her hips and belly.

There was motion around her, a crunching sound and a muted crash, and suddenly things moved. She was being carried by Logan… or was it Bram? When had that happened? Cool liquid on her lips, bitter to the taste, sliding down her throat. Blue and orange glowing mushrooms began to slide past her, blurring together into wavy lines in her vision. Then bright light. She was above ground now, with the sun shining down on her. Where was the rock and cave? How close to the exit had she been? She'd been passed off, and someone else was carrying her now. Pink? Bram? Or Violetta?

She was in her wagon now. No sense just laying around, she had work to do; Steward would want her to gather things for the caravan before they got to Locke. But her leg hurt. She was cold and hot. She was thirsty, and burning.

The wagon was gone now. An unfamiliar ceiling hung over her. It wasn't cold anymore, but the fire burned hot inside her. Her leg hurt still, but not as much as before.

Wagon again. Bumpy roads shook the things she'd nailed to the walls. An old picture frame hung crooked on her wall, a picture of her and her family; it needed adjusted. It fell to the floor. Something mushy and gross crawled lazily across her tongue. She hated the taste, but swallowed it. She was surprisingly hungry. When was lunch? Did she hear music playing? A familiar song that she couldn't remember the lyrics to. Bram's voice, saying a thousand different things one after the other, but the tone was always the same, broken and weak and so very afraid. Violetta, and Leon too. They both sounded so strange. Where was Logan? And Tuulikki? Was Logan still in the cave? Was Tuulikki still fighting the Basarios? She was burning.

Something was clattering around near her. She'd thought it was the wheels of the wagon, but it was dice. Rolling dice. She could hear them clattering around. She could hear the Gambler laughing nearby, that dull chuckle she hated so much. She was burning.

"Dice or bells, Sonia? Which do you prefer?" he asked.

She hated both. She was burning.

Then it stopped. The fire was extinguished. Her leg still hurt a little, but she relaxed and went to sleep.

Sleep? Was she dreaming? The thought hadn't occurred to her before. When had she fallen asleep? When Bram had found her in the cave? How long had she been out? Had they gotten her back to the caravan? Were they almost to Locke Town by now? She'd ask when she woke up. Right now, she was just so tired…

But Sonia's dreams were haunted by fits and visions, falling stone and a fiery monster made of the rocks themselves. And the Gambler was always there, haunting her nightmares with laughter and the clattering sound of his damn dice.

Eventually, however, the dreams faded into nothingness, and Sonia could feel herself slowly regaining consciousness. She felt so weak, so tired, that she almost didn't want to wake… but a distant sound pulled her from her rest, a rumbling crash. It sounded familiar, something she'd heard before, but she couldn't place it… She heard it several times, _crash crash crash_. It was like the roar of a beast, deep and rumbling, enough to spark her interest, and the huntress slowly forced herself awake.

White ceilings and hanging curtains and the smell of medicine: those were the first things Sonia caught sight of as she peeled her eyes open. It was a hospital, she realized. The smell of herbs and other chemicals filled the air. Thin curtains hung from metal rods which could sweep around the edge of her bed. Tilting her head forward, Sonia could see another bed across the room from hers, but it appeared to be unoccupied at the moment. Warm sunlight filtered in through a window on her right, adding a pleasant glow to the mostly white room.

Sonia carefully sat up, groaning as she did so. Her body _ached_. It didn't feel like she was injured though, just… really weak. A twinge of pain lanced up from her leg as she shifted, however, and she looked up to see her leg in a cast, elevated by a sling. With a sigh of dismay, the huntress slumped back again, wincing as her muscles shivered weakly in retaliation.

Her first instinct was to get up and move around a little to work the aches out of her body, but she was worried how Bram might react to that. He took medical recovery seriously, and after a couple stints in the Perir hospital when she'd tried to leave before the doctors said she could go, he'd made her swear to never disobey her doctor's orders. Sonia had tried to wheedle out of that one, but he'd been adamant and gotten her to promise him. She'd _never_ broken a promise with Bram in her life, and she didn't intend to start now, no matter how restless she was feeling.

But then again, the doctors here hadn't _told_ her to do anything yet… including not to move around. Besides, she wanted to look for something to eat. _Pecker,_ she was hungry. There didn't seem to be any crutches in in the room, however, or any wheelchairs she could roll around in. That was probably Bram's doing, so despite her devious intentions, she was stuck.

There was a small bell on a nearby table though, with the words 'Nurse Call' carved into the handle. Sonia supposed it was better than sitting around waiting for something to happen, grabbing the bell and ringing it loudly. It took a few moments, but the door to the room creaked open and a little old woman wearing nurse clothes stepped in, smiling sweetly at Sonia as she shuffled over to her bed.

"Goodness me, it's nice to see you awake, young lady. You looked a right mess when you were brought in."

"I was? Eh, well, I guess I still _feel_ a right mess." Sonia was surprised at how rough her voice sounded.

"I believe it. But it seems as though you're recovering well enough." The nurse plucked a clipboard from a nearby table and skimmed through it. "It looks like you're doing fine… How are you feeling?"

"Sore and tired," Sonia replied hoarsely before coughing a couple times. "Ugh… my throat hurts too."

"That's not surprising. What about your leg?"

"Doesn't really hurt, but I haven't put weight on it."

"Well, try to do your best not to until the doctor looks at you. I'll bring you a glass of water and some food as soon as I can. How does that sound?"

"Great. Uh… I don't suppose I can get a crutch and walk around? Hobble around?"

"Sorry, dearie, but not right now. You still need to recover a bit more. Perhaps tomorrow." Sonia groaned and the nurse smiled apologetically. "If it makes you feel better, you should be allowed to leave in a couple days, provided this chart is correct. You'll need to keep the cast on for another week, just to be safe, but we won't force you to stay here."

"You… Really? Only a couple days?" Sonia asked, her eyes lighting up a little. "And I'll only need the cast for a week? That's pretty quick."

"Of course, dearie. You've been healing fairly well, and you're in experienced hands here," the nurse replied warmly. "This is the Great Hospital, after all. No finer medical facility in the country."

"The… Great Hospital?" Sonia muttered, looking around. The room really was nice and well-kept, and if she listened closely she could hear quite a few people scurrying through the hall outside. "They have a place like this in Locke?"

The nurse blinked in surprise, but gently shook her head. "Ah, poor dear. I suppose you'd be a touch confused after what you've been through. You're not _in_ Locke. Take a look."

The nurse motioned out the window nearby, and though her body was still sore and aching, Sonia sat up to look outside, and immediately gasped at the sight.

This wasn't just a town… this was a _city_! The window was narrow and didn't offer much of a view, but even from here she could see the massive stretch of houses and other structures crawling up the side of a massive hill. Wide cobblestone streets circled the mound, and long ramps and staircases spiraled up and down the sides. The roads were filled with people, hunter and civilian alike; there had to be more people here than there were in Orage Dell or even Tanzia!

"What… I don't… _how_? Where am I?"

"You don't recognize…? Ah. Of course. This is your first time here, isn't it?" the nurse replied. "You're in Dundorma Town, young lady."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about broken bones!**

 **Well that was a strange turn of events, wasn't it?**

 **Oh, and for non-native english speakers: coldcock = the act of knocking someone unconscious quickly before the victim can resist. Appropriate for someone who collects Kelbi horns well, but doesn't really sound too good out of context or if you've never heard that figure of speech before.**

 **Really loving Fire Emblem Fates right now. I pretty much immediately adored Keaton the moment I laid eyes on him, so… my female avatar is doomed to spend her life with a tsundere furry. But hey, she turns into a dragon, so maybe it's a match made in heaven.**

 **Now then, one last thing… I am accepting OC submittals!**

 **Sort of. There will be regulations this time!**

 **First of all, the only thing I want to see are names, appearance, and equipment selection. Maybe a quick synopsis of their personality, like if they're nice or cold or devious, but I may ignore that. I'd like all submittals to be Gahin characters as well, with all the naming conventions that entails, ka and tar and all that. Basically these are background characters.**

 **However, their fates are completely up to me. This will not be like TLC where I'd write them fully into the story. This will not be taking your characters and making heroes out of them This may seem cruel or strange, but your characters may turn out to be good or evil, nice or callous. And their fates might not be good. Any character submitted will probably be mentioned only once, and their single appearance could only be for them to meet a painful, screaming death.**

 **But if you're still up for it, submit a character base or two, but know that any sort of background you try and conjure for them will be completely ignored.**

 **Playing: Fire Emblem: Fates, Ratchet and Clank, Bravely Second (ALL HAIL THE CHOMP), Fallout 4  
Listening: Welcome to Night Vale podcast, Mogwai, Stars of Track and Field, Mystery Skulls, Reasonably Sound Podcast, Undertale soundtrack  
Reading:** _ **Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess**_ **by Phil and Kaja Foglio**


	19. Dundorma Town

Dundorma Town

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

 **34 Days Until the Hunter's Exam**

* * *

"Dundorma?!" Sonia gasped, her eyes wide in shock as she stared across the city out her window. "How… how did I get to _Dundorma_?!"

"Calm down, now; you'll agitate your wounds," the nurse next to her replied gently. "I'm afraid I can't speak for what fully happened to you, dearie, but I can tell you what I know.

"You were brought in around eight days ago by that nice young man, Bram, and a couple other hunters. He nearly crashed the wagon he was carrying you in through the front doors, and the poor Popos pulling it looked as though they'd been run ragged."

"Bram… Wait, eight days? I've been here for _over a week_?! We were… It was supposed to take us a month to get here in the first place! How long have I been unconscious?"

"I couldn't say, dear. You'll have to ask your friend when he comes back. Suppose it would be just bad luck that he was out when you woke up. He's been visiting you everyday, you know. Though 'visiting' might not be the right word; the poor boy's hardly left your side since you were infirmed. Though, honestly, if the medical report is accurate, you should be happy you got off with only a long sleep in the hospital," the nurse told her, tapping the clipboard in her hands.

"What do you mean?"

"According to this, you were brought into the hospital due to having contracted a rather nasty virus in the Everwood called Hellrot Fever, and believe me, dearie, the name hardly does it justice. By all accounts, you should be good and _dead_." Sonia felt a cold chill rush up her spine at the words, but the nurse smiled consolingly. "But it seems you've got a rather strong immune system, for your friend to cart you all the way from Locke to here and have you still be alive. I remember when Hellrot was more common several decades ago, and nearly everyone who contracted it was dead in a matter of two or three days. If you survived long enough to make it all the way from Locke to Dundorma, then you're quite the robust young woman, aren't you? Did you not get sick as a child?"

"Um… no, not really. I got colds every now and then, but other than that, nothing."

"Well then, you should count your lucky stars. If anyone else had caught it, chances are they'd be six feet under by now." The nurse smiled brightly at her. "But look at you now. A little battered around the edges, and in need of a meal or two, but you'll be right as rain. Well, almost. The leg will take a bit more time, dearie."

Sonia sighed in dismay, turning to glare at her wounded limb in agitation. However, a flash of realization shot through her, and her gaze immediately darted back to the nurse, her eyes wide and horrified. "Wait! What about the exam! I'm supposed to take the hunter's exam! I haven't missed it, have I? When does the cast come off? How do-"

"Goodness, child, calm down," the nurse said gently. "The exam is still a bit over a month away. You haven't missed it yet. As for your leg, normally a broken bone wouldn't have taken nearly this long for us to heal; our hospital is quite exceptional if I do say so myself, and we're no strangers to treating broken bones, given the number of hunters who pass through. But with the Hellrot taking such a toll on you, I'm afraid that, at best, you've still got at least another week of healing before the cast is ready to come off, so you won't be moving around that much. That should give you about three weeks of recovery before the exam itself."

"Only _three weeks_?"

"Honestly, I would suggest that you take a pass on this exam and wait for the next one, given the state of your leg and the time you'll need to recover from the Hellrot… but I suppose that look in your eyes says enough about what you think about that idea. I know the way you hunters think-"

The nurse's words cut off as the door to the room opened up again. Behind her, a familiar head of red hair appeared as Bram slipped into the room, carrying a couple thick books under an arm. However, the hunter had dark bags under his eyes, and the eyes themselves were tired and bloodshot. The clothes he was wearing weren't familiar to Sonia, and looked Gahin in design, but at the same time they looked pretty dirty, as though he'd been wearing them for several days straight.

"Oh, Holly," Bram muttered, looking up at the nurse. His voice was a bit ragged, and his gaze seemed a touch hazy as well. "You're a little early, aren't you? I thought you-"

As Bram glanced towards the bed, however, his eyes met Sonia's, realizing for the first time that she was awake. The books slipped out from under his arm, clattering noisily to the floor and flopping open on the ground.

"Sonia…?"

The huntress nodded. "Hi Bram."

In a flash, Bram was across the room and at her side, leaning over the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms tightly around her and pressing his face into her shoulder. She could hear his breathing become ragged as he gasped, barely keeping himself from crying.

"I was… I was so worried…"

Sonia immediately reached her arms around him as well, patting him gently as he clung even tighter to her. "Shh… It's alright."

Behind him, the nurse slowly made her way back towards the door to the room, slipping through the entryway as quietly as she could and nodding at Sonia. "I'll leave you two alone for now," Holly said gently. "I'll be back in a while with some lunch for you, dearie."

"Thanks," Sonia whispered before the door clicked shut, and she and Bram were left alone in the room. It took a few minutes before Bram's breathing began to even out, but Sonia allowed him to cling to her until he was ready to let go. Finally he reluctantly pulled away, pulling one of the nearby chairs up against the bed.

"I… I imagine you'll want to know what's happened since you… since you got sick."

"Yeah, I do. What happened to me, Bram? I know my leg got broken, and I know you found me after the cave-in, but… Hellrot Fever? How?"

"We got you to Locke Town by evening," Bram explained. His voice sounded hollow and weary. "You were still unconscious from when we found you, but the doctor said that you should be fine once your leg was set and you had time to recover from your injuries. You… _should've_ be fine.

"But the next morning you were having trouble breathing, and there were these red lines crawling across your leg and up your torso. Apparently, there was a pretty bad epidemic a few decades ago, because the doctor recognized it immediately. It was the mushrooms, those glowing ones we saw in the cave. The doctors here told me that's what caused Hellrot Fever, a certain glowing orange mushroom that released toxic spores when agitated. Most of them were wiped out to keep the disease from spreading, but some are still growing in secluded places… as you've discovered. He was… very pale when he told us it was Hellrot Fever, explaining what it did to people, and… and what the mortality rate was."

"What was it? The… rate?" Sonia asked.

"Almost a hundred percent without treatment, and not much better even with it," Bram muttered quietly. "You had a miniscule chance of surviving if we couldn't get you treatment, and the only city that would have the materials to treat you was Dundorma. Worst of all, we weren't supposed to have much time to get you there. Most people who are infected with Hellrot are dead within a couple days. The lucky ones could survive for longer… a couple weeks at the most, but it's just a downhill spiral towards the inevitable. We had so little time… and we were still a long way from Dundorma."

"So… how…?"

"I begged Steward for help," Bram explained. "I knew that the whole caravan wouldn't be able to cover the distance fast enough for me to get you here, so I begged him to let me borrow a wagon and a couple Popos. One wagon would be able to move faster and farther per day along the roads than all of Stellazzio. I just needed the smallest wagon - yours - and a couple Popos. I'd go by myself so we could move as quickly as possible, and maybe… if there was the slightest chance that I could get you from Locke to Dundorma quickly enough…

"Thankfully, Steward agreed. He understood. His only caveat was that I not go by myself, that I be accompanied by either Violetta or Tuulikki, so we would be protected if something dangerous attacked us on the road. If it meant that we could leave immediately, I think I would've accepted any condition he set. In the end, Violetta and Leon both came along; they're from Dundorma, and they knew the road north pretty well. Logan and Tuulikki stayed behind with Stellazzio. We only took enough time to get you into the wagon and gather some food for the road, and then we started north as fast as we could push the Popos."

Bram paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. The words had been tumbling out of his mouth without much emotion for a while now, and he was just reciting words without putting any thought into it. He was exhausted, Sonia could see that easily. She reached up cautiously, brushing her hand through his hair, and the mere motion of it made his eyelids sag wearily as he leaned into it. It seemed as though he would pass out if she just kept this up. He stopped her, however, grasping her hand and holding it in his as he continued his story, rambling out the last part.

"It took us a full ten days to cover the whole distance, just me, Violetta, and Leon. Somehow you hung on the entire trip. I don't think I've ever been so happy for a city to come into view. We got you to the hospital as fast as we could, and they saw to you almost immediately. It took the better part of a day to treat you but the… the doctors said you'd be fine. The… disease took its toll on you, though. You've been unconscious for… how long has it been? Eight days? Eight days since they got rid of the Hellrot. I've been here for… for most of that. As long as the doctors will let me stay."

"It shows," Sonia said gently. She pulled her hand free from his and began stroking his head again, the Bram began to teeter, barely holding his eyes open. He was struggling to stay awake, but he still looked determined not to pass out.

"I need to, uh, find some paper," Bram said, trying to push to his feet. Sonia grabbed his shoulder before he could and pushed him back down into his seat; it didn't take much effort to do so. She gave him a questioning look, and he explained. "I… I've been writing letters to your parents… and Logan too."

"You-! Oh no, are they-"

"I've been sending letters constantly the last few weeks," he told her, rubbing his shoulder. "When you were first diagnosed, I sent a letter. I sent them updates every time we passed through a village or town with mail service, all the way to Dundorma. I sent them a letter when the doctors got rid of the Hellrot too. They know. They know everything. They knew you survived it, even if they… don't know you're awake yet.

"They sent replies, too." Bram reached down under the bed, pulling out a small box. It was filled with over a dozen letters, most of which were already opened, and Sonia could already recognize her parents' handwriting. "I think your mother's been trying to get here, but she doesn't have a passport yet, so she can't cross the border legally. I think she's been bullying the Guild to get her permission as quickly as possible. Our fathers both left the tower, or whatever they were studying, to come see you, but there's a rockslide or elder dragon scare or something slowing them down… I can't, uh, can't really remember which one it is. But now you're… now you're fine. I need to send them… gonna send them a letter… to tell them you're okay."

Again, he tried to stand, but Sonia kept him sitting. It wasn't that hard, either; he was getting weaker by the moment. "I'll write them myself, Bram. I think… it'll definitely be better if I let them know I'm fine in my own writing. That'll make them feel much happier, don't you think?"

"Yeah… yeah, that's probably for the… the best, Sonia." He nodded slowly, and with each motion his head dipped a little lower, until he was leaning wearily over the mattress. "I'll get… I can get you some paper."

"Don't bother. I can ask the nurse the next time she comes in," Sonia replied, once again reaching up to stroke his head. Bram's head sunk even lower, before finally coming to rest in Sonia's lap. He was barely keeping his eyes open now. "Thank you, Bram. Thank you for taking such good care of me. Now get some rest."

Bram sighed and murmured quietly as his gaze began to glaze over. "I was so afraid, Sonia. I thought I was going to lose you…"

"I'm alive, Bram," she said quietly. "I'm a little beat up, but I'm getting better. You don't need to worry about me anymore. Everything will be okay now. So just… relax, and get some sleep."

With that the last vestiges of Bram's resistance failed him, and his eyelids finally slid closed. It seemed like barely a second before the man was breathing deeply and snoring slightly. Sonia sighed in relief, leaning back against the headboard, though her left hand continued to brush across Bram's head soothingly. As much as he tried to take care of Sonia, he had a tendency to push himself, even at the expense of his own health, to a point where he needed to be taken care of himself. Then again, Sonia really had no room to criticize him, given that she'd taken a dive into a collapsing canyon on his behalf… Now that she was awake again, however, she could make sure he got the rest he needed.

The huntress looked back at her broken leg and sighed wearily. Almost three whole weeks, gone just like that, with another two weeks of recovery on the way… but at least she was alive. That was all that mattered, really.

Keeping one hand on Bram's head, she reached over and pulled out one of the letters from the box he had placed on her bed. She had a lot to catch up on, and letters to write. She'd ask the nurse to bring her some paper and a pencil when she returned with food… or at least she would in a couple hours. For now she'd just read her letters; she wasn't going to do anything that would get in the way of Bram's much-needed sleep.

* * *

 **33 Days Until the Hunter's Exam**

* * *

Sonia was bored now. Admittedly, it had only been a day since she woke up, but she hadn't been allowed to move around, and was currently lacking in interesting books to read, since the medical journals Bram was looking through were about as compelling to her as watching Kelbi graze. Not to mention she wasn't likely to be released for a couple more days…

With little to do while waiting for the doctors to release her, Sonia had been poring over the letters that had been sent to Bram, as well as those that were meant for her once she'd recovered. Most were from her parents, but there were several from her grandparents, a few from friends she had in Perir, as well as a couple from Bram's siblings, and even a one that Van had written, asking her to get well soon and not die. Every single line warmed Sonia's heart, and for the last couple days she'd been almost overcome with homesickness. She'd been enjoying herself so far during her time in Gahiji, but all this worry and love coming from her family was making her miss Perir. Sonia had spent the better part of six hours or so last night writing letters to all of her family and close friends, personally letting them know that she was alright and getting better. Bram had made sure they were passed off to the Felyne delivery service this morning.

Her mother had made it clear that she was going to be coming to Dundorma to see her. Bram's speculations had been accurate; ever since his letter had let her know about Sonia sickness, her mother had been working feverishly for a passport to allow her into the country. By the sound of things, she intended to be in Gahiji before the hunter's exam with Van in tow. She'd even managed to get passage on an airship that would be traveling directly to the city; apparently the Rising Dawn airship company had managed to get permission to display one of their older airships during the hunter's exam, and Eleanor had convinced the captain to let her and Van ride along as passengers once he left, guaranteeing her arrival far faster than any other method of travel.

The letters from her father were just as worried, but Sonia could sense the anger and frustration in the words just in how messy his handwriting was and how many spelling mistakes there were. Apparently there was an elder dragon scare up near where he and Bram's father were traveling, so their guides had bunkered down and refused to move, despite the men's protests. He made it clear in no uncertain terms how furious he was at his guides, and how he'd come as soon as he was able. Reading her father's letters only made Sonia sad, however; she was still worried about him and Bram's dad, and she wanted to see them so she could know that they were alright. More than anything she'd been hoping that both of her parents would be able to make it to her exam, but it looked as though her dad wouldn't be able to make it… She knew it couldn't be helped, but that didn't make her feel any better.

Sonia had been sure to send Logan a message, too. The great sword user's letters had been almost as worried and heartfelt as her parents', and Sonia didn't blame him; he'd known her as long as Bram had, even if he hadn't been around as much. She could tell how relieved he'd been in his letters after hearing that Sonia had managed to survive the fever.

The rest of Stellazzio were still on the road, apparently, though they were due to arrive in Dundorma within the next few days. While Bram, Vi, and Leon had made a mad dash to the hunting city from Locke, Logan, Tuulikki, and the rest of Stellazzio had kept to their schedule, visiting towns and villages as they'd planned. Though, by the sound of things, they might not have stayed in each village nearly as long as they otherwise would have: their arrival date was at least a week earlier than they'd been planning to reach the city.

Vi and Leon had both come to visit her and see how she was doing, and both of them were ecstatic to see that she was recovering well. They were both encouraging, but Sonia could hear the concern and worry in their voices. Leon was the one to say it, suggesting that maybe she should withhold from taking part in the upcoming hunter's exam, but Sonia wouldn't hear of it any more than she had from the nurse or from Bram. She was going to take the exam one way or another, no matter what any of the others told her.

As for Bram, once the doctors had given her their diagnosis, he'd told her that if she wasn't able to take part in the exam, then he wouldn't either. Sonia had insisted that, even if she wasn't able to participate herself, he should take the exam and pass and not let her hold him back.

"We'll see," was the only response he gave her. Sonia hadn't been happy with that, but she knew it would be the best she would get out of him. After all, she'd given up the chance to take the Therian exam so they could take it together once they were both of age; why wouldn't Bram do the same if she was too injured to take part in the Gahin exam?

Sonia's sickness had also apparently pushed Bram into putting a fervent effort into studying medicine. She had known that Bram was interested in the effects created by the Kinsects and their essence extracts, but in the time she'd been in the hospital, Bram had apparently been poring over every medical book the building had in its walls, to the point where most of the doctors and nurses in the building appeared to know his name by now. Even now Sonia knew that Bram was probably scouring around the archives in search of other medical texts that he hadn't gotten his hands on yet. Sonia couldn't help but see how his eyes seemed to light up in interest as he poured through the books he brought back to her room, how deep his thirst for knowledge seemed to be. She could see the spark of excitement in him. It was an expression she so rarely saw him display, one she hadn't seen in years… and one she would pretend she hadn't seen at all.

There was a knock at the door, and Sonia didn't even bother looking up. "Door's open, Bram."

"Heh. I'm sorry to say, but I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

Sonia looked up in surprise at the feminine voice, before jolting in surprise at the sight of the person that _hobbled_ through the door. It was a woman who appeared to be approaching middle age, a former huntress judging by her physique, broad and sturdy, but her body had been all but torn up. Most of her right leg was missing a few inches below her pelvis, replaced by a crude prosthetic ending in a peg leg, and even her left leg walked with a noticeable limp. Her left hand was gone about halfway up their forearm as well, leaving only a stump behind, where her long sleeved shirt hung limply, though her elbow was hooked and had a basket hanging under it.

Her face was pretty, but only on the right side; most of the left side had been badly shredded, leaving her eye a blind white, as well as a streak of nasty scar tissue that coated most of her cheek and had cut her ear into three parts. Most of her medium-length chestnut hair had been combed over to that side of her face, as though to cover it up, but only a little effort seemed to have been put into the attempt. The right side of her face appeared fine in comparison, with only a few nicks and scratches, though her remaining dark green eye seemed weary and slightly gaunt.

However, the weary expression vanished as the woman gave her a bright smile. "Sorry to disappoint. If you're waiting on your boyfriend, I can come back a little later."

Sonia blinked in confusion, finally pulling her eyes from the woman's wounded body and to her good eye. "Boyfr-? Oh, you mean Bram. He's not my boyfriend."

"No?" the woman asked, and Sonia shook her head. "Brother?"

"No, not that either. We've known each other since we were babies though, so we might as well be siblings."

"Ah, one of those types then. Sorry for the mistake. I've heard he's barely left your side from the nurses, so I figured he was either family or your beau."

"It's fine. You wouldn't be the first."

"Huh. Well, here you go. I brought you some bananas," the woman said, setting the basket down on the bedside table and revealing a collection of ripe fruit. "They're somewhat rare in these parts, but they taste pretty good if you can get a good bunch."

"Um. Thank you?" Sonia replied. With a grunt, the woman sunk into one of the chairs next to the bed, groaning wearily as she seemed to melt into the cushions. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow and chuckled to herself. "Oh, I suppose you wouldn't recognize me, would you? My name is Freida tar'Muriel. It's nice to finally meet you, Sonia."

"It's… nice to meet you too? Freida?"

Freida gave Sonia a level look, furrowing her eyebrows a little. "You don't know who I am?"

"Uh, should I?"

"Ugh, really? Come on, Steward… This is what he gets for always calling people 'my dear friend' or 'our faithful hunter' or stuff like that. I'm sorry, this must be really confusing for you. I used to work for Stellazzio! I was their hunter escort for several years, and I was _supposed_ the be the one training you while you were here in Gahiji, up until around eight months ago, when I uh… retired." She patted the remains of her right leg in emphasis.

"Oh! That was _you_?" Sonia gasped. "Steward _did_ tell me about you! But… I guess he never mentioned your name."

"Yeah, he does that. He's a good man when it comes to introductions, but only if you're there to be introduced, or else he gives you some lofty title and forgets to mention your name. You know, I didn't know Quale's name for the first two months after I joined Stellazzio, because Steward never mentioned it and I was too embarrassed to ask." Freida sighed and shook her head. "Anyway, I got a letter a couple days ago from the old dog, asking me to come check on you if I had some time, make sure you're doing okay. You look in good condition to me, all things considered; everything's still attached, even if you're not at one hundred percent. Are the doctors going to let you out of here very soon?"

"They're supposed to let me out in a couple days… but I can't take my cast off for another couple weeks."

"Oof. That's rough."

"And before you ask, _yes_ , I'm still going to take part in the exam," Sonia said stubbornly. Freida laughed at the pronouncement, a surprisingly lilting sound from such a roughed-up woman.

"People been trying to talk you out of it, I see. I suppose doctors aren't supposed to _encourage_ recklessness, after all. Don't worry, Sonia, I won't insult your dedication by suggesting such a thing. Admittedly, it would probably be the _wiser_ plan of action to pass this time and wait for the next exam to roll around… but we _are_ hunters, challenging beasts a hundred times our size for profit and glory. _Wisdom_ rarely takes precedence when it comes to the decisions we make, especially when you're young… though the older folks in our profession are frequently just as bad. Some of the bars I go too feel like they're barely big enough to hold half as many hunters as they do, with all the bloated egos and inflated heads."

"Ha, yeah, I know the type. There's a bar back home that caters to some of the older hunters, and they're a real bunch."

"That they are… Speaking of real bunches, tell me about Stellazzio. How is everyone in the caravan doing? Steward's letters are well and good, but…"

"Everyone's doing well!" Sonia replied eagerly. "Well, I think. They've all been really nice to me, Bram, and Logan, and it's been a lot of fun traveling with everyone."

"When they're not working you to the bone, right?" Freida asked, and she laughed as Sonia's expression soured. "I thought so. Which one of them has your number? There's always one that decides to make you their personal material collector."

"Daguerreo…"

"Really? How'd- Oh, right, the Kelbi horn thing. That was in one of the letters. Never could quite get that right myself, though there's only so much you can do with a lance. For me, it was Burmecia."

"Huh? But she's so nice! I've never felt overworked by her before."

"She's getting you on her good side I bet. Just you wait. One day it'll be 'climb every tree in that orchard to gather fruit' or 'collect four dozen bumblepumpkins' or 'catch thirty Glutton Tunas' or 'gather thirty ripened mushrooms straight from the steaming stomach sacs of Altaroth'. Better yet, wait until one of those food fads you see every year comes around. I spent _weeks_ gathering honey when that Slim-Fat diet rolled across the Therian border, and don't get me _started_ on when jellied Slagtoth meat became popular. That was a rough month."

The retired huntress sighed, rubbing her temple for a moment wearily, but Sonia could see that there was still a wistful look lingering in her eye. The look was gone a moment later and she turned back to Sonia.

"I think we can both agree who's the worst of them all though, no matter which of them has on us individually."

"Cleyra," the pair of them said simultaneously. Sonia giggled as Freida grinned.

"She give you a nickname yet?" she asked, and Sonia winced.

"Uh… Little Coldcock."

"Wow, that's a winner. For the Kelbis, right? Suppose I should consider myself so lucky that she only called me 'Bitterbug'."

"Why Bitterbug?"

Freida grimaced, scratching her cheek nervously. "I'd, uh… actually rather not say. I've usually got no problems telling embarrassing stories about myself - Steward _loves_ my dual Congalala story - but that one… Well, I won't tell you the story myself, but if you stick around with Stellazzio for a while, you'll hear it sooner or later from someone in the caravan."

"Alright." In the moment of silence, Sonia gaze dipped back down towards Freida's wounds. The woman smirked wryly as her eyes lingered there for a little too long.

"Not a pretty sight is it?"

"Oh! I didn't mean to stare…"

"Don't worry about it. I've put up with it for the better part of a year now." The woman leaned to the side, resting her cheek against her hand and giving Sonia a wry look. "Though, maybe you're a little green around the gills yourself. This is Dundorma's primary hunting hub, Sonia, but all you've seen of it is this hospital room. Once you're out of this hospital, you'd better get used to seeing hunters with old injuries, because I sure won't be the last one you'll see walking around."

"I see…" Sonia muttered. She'd seen her fair share of injured hunters in Perir, certainly, but seeing one in passing and conversing were two drastically different things. "Can I… can I ask what happened?"

"Ran afoul with a nasty Tigrex… I don't know how much a Therian girl like you would know about them-"

"I've heard stories."

"Then I don't really need to go into detail, and honestly, I really don't like to talk about it at all," Freida replied with a heavy sigh. "I lost a couple good friends, another was so shell-shocked that she gave up hunting entirely, and I came back to Dundorma with one foot in the grave and the other in the Tigrex's belly… It was a bad day for everyone involved."

"Oh… Um, but what about the Tigrex? Did you kill it in the end?"

"Yeah, I guess so. It was dead… dead to rights before it turned around and got the better of us. The Guild told me that one of my buddies managed to put a hole in the creature's jugular before the thing… before it… Sorry, I can't…"

"I'm sorry for bringing it up… I didn't mean to drudge up bad memories."

"No, it… It's nothing that doesn't go through my mind every time I look in the mirror. Honestly, I should consider myself lucky all I did was lose some limbs, even if… even if it means I can't be a hunter anymore, or travel with my friends in Stellazzio anymore…" A melancholy look crossed the woman's face, and Sonia bit her lip.

"Maybe you could-"

Before the words could finish leaving her mouth, Sonia gasped and snapped it shut, quickly turning to look out the window as innocuously as she could. However, she had caught Freida's attention, and she could feel the woman's gaze level on her.

"Maybe I could _what_?"

"Nothing."

"I think that was more than 'nothing'."

"I… I shouldn't say. I don't wanna…"

"Don't wanna what?" Freida pressed.

Sonia sighed, slouching back against the headboard. "I don't want to get your hopes up."

Frieda's eyes widened at the words before looking down at the stump of her right arm. "And what _exactly_ could you say to get my hopes up? Don't hold back on me now that you've said _that_ much."

"Erk… Well, it's just… in Theron, there are some… 'special' prosthetics that could let you hunt again."

The older huntress' eyes bulged at the words for a moment, but the look of shock vanished a moment later to be replaced with a dark scowl. She held her stump arm, shoving it in Sonia's face. "Does this look like something I could ever hunt with again, girl?! It's not nice to tell such bold-face lies to someone down on their luck, you little brat!"

"They're not lies!" Sonia yelped, holding up her hands defensively. "It's true!"

"Ha. Really. And what idiot spun you such a fanciful tale, girl? Some drunk bard blitzed off his butt?"

"It was my dad!"

"Oh, so your _father_ wove those lies, huh? Well, here's some news girl: you can't believe-"

"He _has_ them!"

That stopped Frieda. "He has… He _has_ the prosthetics?"

"He does," Sonia nodded. "He lost his arm and leg during a hunt a couple decades ago, and a doctor attached these special prosthetics to him." The younger huntress motioned to her right arm and leg, sliding a finger across where her father's stumps changed into metal. "They can… they can move just as easily as a normal limb can and everything. Dad says it took him a few years to get used to them, to figure out how to use them like normal, but… he's been hunting with them for twenty years now."

"Like… normal?" Frieda muttered, looking down at her arm and leg again. She looked up again, though the distrust still lingered. "How come I've never heard of this before? If people really found a way to replace limbs, why wouldn't _everyone_ know about it, if Theron's had the ability for at least twenty years? Every amputee on the damn _planet_ would be scrambling to get their hands on one, and I've seen too many people like me to believe it's that easy!"

"Ah… it's…" Sonia fidgeted nervously.

"If you're trying to play some sort of long con on me-"

"Not that! It's... it's just… The prosthetics are made from this rare material called Dark Metal. It's this-" Sonia paused as Frieda's eyes snapped wide. "You've heard of it?"

"...Yes. It's supposed to be cursed ore, found in the far north. It's said that it drains the life out of the bodies of those that touch it."

"I… guess that's true? I think? Sort of? I can't really say for sure, but my dad said stuff like that."

"And you stick it to your lost limbs?" Frieda muttered, motioning to her arm.

"I don't know all the details… Dad doesn't really like talking about it, but hearing it from him, the process is supposed to be nightmarish at best. But if you can get past the molding stage, you can make a usable prosthetic out of the metal, one that works and moves just like a normal flesh-and-blood appendage. They're sort of scary-looking, but they work just as well as any other limbs. Honestly, if they didn't look so strange, I'd barely remember my dad had lost an arm and a leg; he wears long sleeves and pants all the time anyway to cover them up."

Frieda frowned, tugging her braid thoughtfully. "But even if the process is painful, if Dark Metal could replace limbs, why wouldn't there be… _hundreds_ of hunters out there with them? This still doesn't explain why I've never heard of it!"

"That's one of the other problems," Sonia replied with a sigh. "As far as I've heard, there's only one man in the country that knows how to make the limbs… and nobody knows where he is or how to find him. Not to mention that he's apparently a _criminal_ wanted by the Guild. I've only seen three people in my entire life who have Dark Metal limbs: my dad, a hunter I passed in Orage Dell, and a smith in the Compound! I'd ask my dad for you, but he doesn't know where the guy is… and I don't think he _wants_ to know."

"But… if you have to… How are you supposed to…?"

Sonia groaned, giving Frieda an apologetic look. "You see what I mean? The prosthetics are made from Dark Metal, the process of forging and attaching them is very dangerous, and nobody really knows where the man who makes them is. Even if you were willing to put up with the first two, I couldn't tell you how to find the man who makes them; you'd have to go to Theron and hunt him down yourself. That's why I said I didn't want to get your hopes up. I'm sorry…"

Sonia could see Frieda sag in her seat, sinking wearily into the cushion with a dismayed look in her eye. But a few moments later she shook her head and gave the younger huntress a wan smile. "It's… it's alright, Sonia. I was the one that pressed you into telling me about it. Still, even if these… Dark Metal limbs are hard to find, the fact that they exist… it's something. But your father managed to find the man who gave him the limbs, as did the hunter and the smith, right?"

"I guess. I don't know how they found the guy in the first place though."

"But if _they_ found him, then other men and women could find him too. If I could talk to someone that managed to find him once, then they might be able to tell me-" Freida paused, shaking her head. "Ha, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. But you've given me something to think about, Sonia."

With a grunt, the older woman pushed to her feet, stretching her back a bit. "I'm gonna… I have things to do, I think. I'll send a letter to Steward, let him know you're fine, even if your not-boyfriend-slash-brother Bram already sent him one." As Freida approached the door, she turned back and gave Sonia a bright smile. "Good luck on your exam, Sonia. I'll put some zenny down on you passing."

"Thanks. Um… If you do plan on going to Theron-"

"Then I'll do it myself. Don't want you or your father to get too wrapped up in a criminal on the run from your Guild, even if he's just a doctor."

"Ah, right."

"See you around, Sonia. I'll probably visit Stellazzio when they get into town. Maybe I'll see you there."

"I hope so. Maybe you can tell me and my friends some stories about your time as a hunter… or better yet, some embarrassing stories about some of the other members of Stellazzio."

"I may have a tale or two about the rest of the caravaneers that they might not have told you," the woman smirked. "Well, until then."

"Bye!" Sonia waved as the Freida hobbled out of the room, leaning back against the headboard as the door clicked shut.

Freida had seemed so desolate to Sonia. She couldn't help but wonder if her father had been like that before he'd gotten his dark limbs attached all those years ago. She allowed her gaze to drop back to the box of letters she'd been reading through before, pondering for a moment. If her father didn't know where the mysterious limb-forger lived, she doubted that her mother would. She didn't personally know any other hunters with the Dark Metal limbs… but there _was_ that smith who lived in the Compound. Was she still there? Maybe she knew something. If Sonia sent a letter to Bram's mother or one of his siblings, maybe they could look her up and ask…

Or maybe it would be better to leave well enough alone. Like Freida had said, it probably wasn't a good idea for her to get involved with the hunt for a Therian criminal. If Freida really wanted information, Sonia could point her in the right direction (or at least the best directions she had available) and wish her the best. For now though, Sonia had more letters to write.

* * *

 **31 Days Until the Hunter's Exam.**

* * *

"Eee! Oh, Sonia, you have no _idea_ how good it is to see you up on your feet again!"

Sonia couldn't help but smile as she was pulled into a fierce hug from Vi, the horn player squeezing her tightly just outside the doors to the Great Hospital. "I think I do, trust me. But you - ow - could you take it easy? I'm healing from one broken body part already, I don't want to go back in for a spinal injury."

"Well, tough luck, little missy. You're getting the _best_ hug I can muster," Vi replied, squeezing just a little tighter for emphasis, "and you're not getting away until I'm done."

"Heh, I guess I can live with that."

Behind the violet-eyed huntress, Leon smiled eagerly at Sonia, clearly just as pleased at her recovery as Vi was, if not as openly affectionate about it. "It really is good to see you up and about again, Sonia. All of us were really worried for you."

"Thanks… Sorry for scaring everyone."

"It wasn't your fault. Now come on, Vi, let her go. She's been stuck in a hospital for a long time now, so why don't you let her get a breath of fresh air?"

"Oh, boo. Alright, alright, I grant you your freedom," Vi huffed, releasing Sonia and allowing the younger huntress to take a breath. Sonia really did savor the taste of the air; even when she had the window in her room open, the breeze had always been tinted with the smell of medicine and cleaning materials. While the scents of a city did drift along on the breeze - food from inns and stalls, wood and stone, traces of smoke from chimneys, and a slight musk from pack animals - the cool wind felt much fresher than anything she'd had while in the hospital.

"Need any help?" Bram asked as Sonia began working her way down the ramp to the street, clutching her crutch tight under her arms.

"I'm _fine_ , Bram," she replied quickly. "I've been lying in bed for three weeks. Even if I've only been awake for a couple days, I really, _really_ need to stretch. Honestly, I'd like nothing more than to run a few laps around the hospital, but since that's not possible I'll settle for walking on my own. We're going to Vi's house, right?"

"That's right!" the other huntress replied enthusiastically. "Me and Leon are originally from here… Well, _technically_ I'm from a little town way up in the frozen north, but we've lived here for over fifteen years. I asked Mom and Dad to set up a room for you guys once you'd had some time to recover, so you wouldn't have to rent a room at the inn. It's not that far from here, either, so your doctor visits won't be too much of a trek."

"That's really kind of you, but are you sure? I mean, me and Bram could just get a room at an inn or-"

"Nope! No arguments! Until you're all better, I _insist_ that you stay at my house! Otherwise you'll have to rent a room at an inn, and who knows where you'll find one this close to the exam? You're in no condition for that." Vi turned and grinned at Bram. "I might even keep you here after the rest of the caravan arrives, too. The distance from the hospital to the caravan staging ground is a bit of a trek, since you've gotta go across the _entire city_ , and the arena is right nearby as well."

With that, the huntress motioned to the north, where two tall circular structures rose into the sky over the rest of the buildings in the area. Even from this distance, Sonia could hear the distant cheering of the crowds spectating the battles within the arena, and the echoes of the hunter's gong rumbled through the air. It seemed well-placed, now that Sonia thought about it, kept relatively close to the Great Hospital… or had the Hospital been built to be close to the arena?

"I can guarantee that staying with us will be better than most inns in town anyway," Leon chimed in. "With all the hunters that pass through Dundorma, a lot of the beds in the hunter's inns are… well-used."

"Anyway, your boy here's been staying with us since we got into town already," Vi said, patting Bram's shoulder, "though he'd only be around when we dragged him away from the hospital to get some decent sleep. Heck, he _still_ looks dead on his feet."

Sonia nodded in agreement. Bram still had bags under his eyes from the sleepless nights he'd had during Sonia's hospital stay, but he smiled wanly at her. "Don't worry about me. I'm sure I'll be able to sleep a lot more soundly from here on in."

"Well, that's good. But are you sure you've got room for us?" Sonia asked Vi. "I mean, putting up me and Bram might be…"

The huntress sputtered to a halt at the look on Vi's face, however. The huntress looked genuinely amused at the statement, and both Bram and Leon had similar expressions as well. "Oh, don't you worry about _that_. We've got a bit of extra space, at _least_ enough for you and Bram. And, ah, _maybe_ we can squeeze Tuli and Logan in somewhere once Stellazzio shows up again. I'm sure Logan wouldn't mind one of the couches."

"I don't know, Vi, it might get kind of tight either way," Leon laughed. "We might have to get Sonia and Tuli to share a mattress for a few nights, since they're both the smallest. That way everyone's got a bed."

"Ah! Good point, Leon! But why don't we save the sleeping arrangement shuffling for home?"

"What are they going on about?" Sonia muttered worriedly, nudging Bram. The red-haired hunter just chuckled.

"You'll see. Come on, let's get going."

Thankfully, it really wasn't too far between the hospital and Violetta's, only a couple miles at the most. Still, even with her broken leg, it was a much-needed relief for Sonia to be able to move around again, even if she was hobbling around the entire time. It felt good to work all the lingering aches and kinks out of her body now that she could do more than do laps up and down the hallway until the nurses caught on and scolded her.

It also gave her a chance to really look around Dundorma properly. The view from her window was one thing, but actually being on the streets was something different. It truly was the 'city on the hill', as the entire town had been constructed around a single massive mound, rising up towards the sky at the center and sloping ever downwards until the buildings reached the outer wall. Buildings were constructed in tiers as the elevation rose, either built into the side of the hill itself, or on top of others, making it appear as though Dundorma was but a giant's staircase, a massive path leading up to the heavens. Some smaller buildings had been built at awkward or cockeyed angles to the structures they had been built on top of, giving them a wildly uneven look and creating small nooks and hollows between the structures.

Most of the city was constructed of sturdy stone, coating the city in dull greys as far as the eye could see. However, there was no lack of color around them, despite the consistent construction, as small parks and trees were allowed to sprout up from the earth frequently, and thick vines curled up and clung to the walls of most buildings, painting the town in a sea of green. All across the walls, there were signs and banners dyed a rainbow of colors hanging over the stone, blanketing the city in a wash of hues. Not only that, but for the first part of their journey, Vi led them alongside a wide canal that had been built into the city itself, with clear flowing water flowing from north to south in a wide curve around the lowest tier, and Sonia could see numerous fish filling the waters. It certainly filled the city with a life Sonia may not have expected if she had seen Dundorma only from a distance.

The city truly was filled with life, that much was certain. Even now, as the city faded into twilight, the streets were filled with people of all shapes and sizes. Humans, Wyverians, Troverians, Felynes… even some sea-people, which Sonia had thought only lived on the coast. Glowstone lamps shone brightly on every street corner, and all the inns and shops and bars were lighting their candles and their glowstones to summon in the people and visitors from outside, setting up for the dinner crowd. Nighttime wasn't a time to shut down like it was in smaller towns, just a shift in atmosphere.

And then there were the hunters. The city was Gahiji's primary hunting hub of course, so Sonia had been expecting a lot of them around, and she wasn't disappointed. What she was surprised about was how they were practically _everywhere_ ; not in the sense of being on every street and alley - that was obvious - but even when she looked up, there they were. Small groups of them walking along banisters and around the roofs of buildings, climbing up vine walls and shimmying around overhangs. It wasn't uncommon to see a couple of them perched up on the peak of a roof, talking casually to each other as though it was the most common thing in the world to be up so high. Some of the aforementioned hollows between buildings way up high looked as though they had been claimed by groups of hunters sitting around and laughing with each other. A small team of four hunters dashed past Sonia and the others at one point, making their way towards the outer gate, but rather than take the long stairway that led down to the tier below, the lot of them instead leapt off the nearest ledge down onto the roof of one of the building on the lower tier, sliding down the slope and dropping down from there.

Sonia should have expected this, but it had still caught her off guard. She'd seen this kind of thing in Lintukoto Gully, but that was a village built into the walls of a ravine. The only other villages she'd visited in the country had been fairly common by her own standards, so she'd thought Lintukoto had just been an anomaly. However, it seemed as though at least half of the hunters in Dundorma had the same urge to move and climb and jump off ledges as those in Lintukoto did. With the entire city constructed of sturdy stone, it was as though every ledge and rooftop was made into a pathway for those that had the dexterity to move along them. It made her excited at the prospect of healing and having the full movement to explore the city properly.

That would have to wait for another day, however, as Vi led the other three hunters intently through the city. Their path took them to the north, for the most part following a wide, curving canal that had been carved through the city itself, shops and restaurants lined both sides of the canal, shop owners and buskers calling out to passersby to try their goods and come inside. They passed at least a dozen inns with welcoming signs and promises of the softest beds and tastiest alcohol, into which hunters coming and going, where raucous cheering, laughing, and sometimes fighting could be heard within. Children and adults alike lined the edge of the waters, throwing out fishing lines in hopes of angling one of the many fish that flitted through the clear water; the young ones focused on clusters of small fish which glittered like coins, while the adults eyed large red fish that looked almost as big as Sonia herself.

Soon enough, their path turned west and carried them up to one of the higher tiers, approaching the center of the city. The number of people in the street began to dwindle in this area of town, with the number of hunters dropping to a fraction, and they seemed to be entering a more residential section of the city. Much like the rest of the city, houses and homes were built atop each other, and it wasn't uncommon to see a single large house at ground floor, with one or more smaller houses stacked above it, accessible by staircase or ladder.

Eventually the hunting horn user led them through a tall iron gate and into what looked like a small park. Sonia whistled in awe at the sight of a three-story, U-shaped building wrapping around the courtyard on three sides, rising up above most of the other buildings along the street. Nearly every building in the city had been constructed of stone, but few of them were ornately decorated, saving any color and creative design for the flags and banners that were hung from the wall. This building was different, however, with elaborate designs carved into the walls and columns. The building was showing its age, and the stone designs had been worn down over the passing of years, and crawling vines were tracing their way through the chiseled markings. Tall windows lined the walls, and Sonia could see long hallways and numerous doors within.

"What is this place? Some sort of apartment complex?" Sonia asked as they made their way through the gate and across the stone walkway. Off to the left, Sonia could see her wagon resting up against the wall, and a couple of Popos from Stellazzio grazing inside a small stable. Her wagon was the only one there, however.

"Nope!" Vi grinned. "This is my family's house!"

"What. You- This is your house?!" Sonia gasped. If this was a house, it was a small mansion! "Like, _all_ of it?"

"Well, I mostly only use my bedroom, the kitchen, and the armory for the most part. I don't think I've even been in all the rooms myself, even when me and Leon used to play hide-and-seek…" The violet-eyed huntress spun around dramatically. "Anyway, welcome to Holzfaller Manor!"

"Holzfaller?"

"That's the name of my great-grandpa, Holzfaller ka'Violetta. Ah, I was named after great-great-grandma, by the way. He was the one who built this house, something like eighty years ago. He was a really big businessman back in the day. Made a whole lot of money. So he built this house for himself and all of his family to live in!"

"This is a whole lot of house though," Sonia muttered as they approached the front doors. "No wonder you said there would be room for all of us. All this for his family?"

"Well, he had like fifteen children, and a bunch of grandkids on the way."

"Fifteen?! Yikes," Bram muttered. "And here I thought my mother and father were pushing it with eight."

"Well, he had seven wives, so… I mean, not all at once. They kept biting it a few years after he married them, which raised all sorts of rumors, but they just kept marrying him. Guess he was a bit of a ladykiller… in the uh, figurative sense, not the literal one. I hope. Still, that's about two children per wife, so he ended up with a lot of kids. But enough about that. Come on in!"

With that, Vi pushed open one of the doors and led them in. The entry hall was broad and ornate, the floor decorated with white and aquamarine marble tile, with an arched stone ceiling held aloft by smooth pillars. The room was well-lit, but not a single candle or torch could be seen, only finely-cut glowstones placed strategically throughout the chamber to fully light the room. Several doorways and halls lined the left and right walls, and a wide staircase rose up at the far end, leading up to the second and third floors.

"I feel kinda underdressed for a place this highbrow…" Sonia muttered uncomfortably, looking down at herself. All she had on were a wrinkled set of pants and an old loose shirt that Bram had brought her.

"Pssh, don't worry about that," Vi laughed. "I mean, I wear my casuals all the time around here anyway, as does Leon. My mom too; I don't think I've ever seen her in _anything_ you could really call fancy, except some of her nicer hunting armors. My dad's the only person that wears anything spiffy in this house, but he doesn't care what anyone else puts on. Nobody here's going to judge you."

"Sometimes you're a bit _too_ casual," Leon chuckled. "You should probably show a little more decorum while we've got guests visiting, Vi. It may not be socially appropriate for Bram or Logan to see you sleepwalking to the bathroom in your underwear late at night."

"I- buh! I don't do that!"

"Ha! Yeah, you do; I've seen you do it at least a dozen times. Or at least you used to. We've been living in Lintukoto for a while, so maybe you've been weaned off that habit."

"Wait, you have your own room here?" Sonia asked, and the lancer shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, uh, yes, actually. I'd, uh… I'd rent a place of my own-"

"Nonsense!" a deep voice called out. "We wouldn't have you anywhere but here, my boy!"

From out of a side hall to the left, two people walked out into the entry hall. The man in front was a broad, heavyset man with a wide smile hidden under a curled mustache and dark brown eyes. Behind him was a robust woman just a couple inches taller than him who bore several battle scars across her face and arms, with a brilliant pair of violet eyes. Both of them seemed fairly young in Sonia's impression, maybe the same age or even younger than her own parents… and yet both of them had hair which was greyed well before their time; the man's hair was missing all color completely and was a powder white, while the woman's was almost completely silvery-grey, with just a few lingering streaks of light brown hair entwined with the rest of it.

"Welcome, welcome, young lady!" the man said, approaching Sonia with a broad smile and reaching out to shake her hand. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Sonia! Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Victor ka'Maria tar'Holzfaller, and this vision of loveliness next to me is Kumin tar'Osmund, my wife. We're Violetta's parents."

Kumin rolled her eyes at the words, but beamed welcomingly at Sonia. "We've heard a lot about you from the letters Vi and Leon have sent us." The woman leaned towards her, looking Sonia up and down a couple times. "Hmm. Kinda scrawny for a huntress… not much upper-body strength… strong legs though. Dual blades, sword and shield, or long sword?"

"Oh! The first two. And I'm… scrawny?" Sonia muttered, looking at her biceps. She wasn't as strong as some of the other huntresses she knew, especially those that used great swords and hammers, but she had the physical strength to swing around a pair of ten pound swords pretty quickly…

"For a huntress. Not as bad as that Tuulikki girl, though. Honestly, she's so small you could pick her up and use her as a glaive instead!" The woman tilted her head thoughtfully for a moment. "And you are perhaps… one of the Lost?"

"Yeah."

"Thought so. Full-blooded or mixed?"

"Uh… full, I guess? Mom and Dad are both Lost. How could you tell?"

The woman smiled slyly. "Experience, my dear. Your people just have something… different about them. Still, Lost or not, you could afford to put on a bit of muscle, especially if you've planning on doing any sort of damage with your swords. Just look at Vi: she's got the strength to rattle a Rathian's skull with her hunting horn. Your arms aren't broken, so you should be able to work on your upper body strength between now and the exam-"

"Kumin, dear, leave the poor girl alone," Victor chuckled. "No need to pester her. Give her time to settle in and get some rest."

"Oh, alright. But if you're half the spitfire my daughter's made you out to be, I'm sure you've got some energy to burn after spending so long in the hospital. If you'd like to try and get some training in between now and when you get your cast off, come find me."

"Ha! You got me there," Sonia smiled at the offer, but paused as she gave an aside glance at Vi and Leon; both of them were frowning and subtly shaking their head. Vi even had her hands crossed in a 'X'. "Uh… I mean… I promised Bram I'd take it easy until I got my cast off…"

Kumin raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Vi and Leon, but both of them had their poker faces on and only returned the look with curiosity. "Hmm… Well, in that case, I suppose I'll just have to spend my spare time telling you embarrassing stories about these two instead. You know, when they were younger, there was one time Victor and I took them to a soup bar down near the main gate-"

"NO!" both Vi and Leon yelped. The huntress leapt forward, nearly tackling her mother in an attempt to cover her mouth with her hand, but the older woman laughed, easily sidestepping the lunge and kicking out her foot to trip the girl, sending her toppling to the ground.

"Ha! Come on, you two, that's one of my favorite stories! It _will_ be told at least once while you and your friends are in town. And my training is not that bad! After all, I just want to make sure everyone passes this time, with no more re-takes."

"This time?" Bram asked. "What do you… Oh."

"What?" Sonia asked.

Leon grimaced and scratched his head nervously. "Actually… I never brought it up, but Vi and I took the hunter's exam together three years ago. She passed with flying colors, but I, uh… didn't."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah," Leon sighed. "Didn't even get to the third trial."

"Did something happen? Or…"

"No," the lancer replied solemnly. "I simply… wasn't good enough. Not yet. I've never really been as physically capable as Vi… or other hunters, so I guess when she was ready to take the exam, I just wasn't quite there yet."

"You'll do it this time!" Violetta encouraged him, pushing to her feet and slipping over to wrap an arm over his shoulder. "I know that there's nobody more dedicated to becoming a hunter than you are, after all. You'll pass for sure!"

Leon grinned wryly. "At least I'm not lacking in encouragement. That being said, it's been three years since then, and I'm sure I'll pass this time."

"That's the spirit," Victor nodded approvingly. "And it's nice to see that you'll not be taking the exam alone, my boy."

"I'm grateful as well," the lancer replied. "Though, once I become an official hunter, it would probably be best if I got a place of-"

"Nonsense!" Victor scoffed. "If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, there will always be a place for you here in our house. It's the least we can do for you."

"Come now, Victor, he's already a young man," Kumin interjected. Victor frowned, pouting at the thought, and Kumin smiled at Leon. "I imagine he just wants to hold himself up with his own feet. Every hunter goes through the same sort of feeling at one point or another during their career. I'm sure Vi will want to do the same sooner or later as well. If you want to set out on your own, Leon, that's alright, but you don't need to feel pressured to leave. This is your home just as much as it is ours."

"Well, aren't you loved," Sonia giggled, prodding Leon's shoulder.

"Of course. He's as good as a son to us," Victor replied, patting the lancer's shoulder with an affectionate smile. "His parents were close friends of ours, so we took him in after they passed, rest their souls."

"What?" Sonia gasped, looking sadly at the lancer. "I didn't know your parents had passed away…"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Don't worry about it, though, it's been a long time since then," Leon replied, waving a hand. "When I was eight years old a disease went through our side of town and killed quite a few people, my parents included. They used to work for Vi's parents, and like Victor said, they were close friends with each other. So… when the disease overtook them, Victor and Kumin gave me a home in their stead. Better than being shunted to one of the orphanages like a lot of the others were. Though… never mind."

"And it's not like we didn't have the room to take him in," Kumin said, motioning to the halls around them. "Besides, little Vi's been friends with him since they were waist-high, and she'd get lonely without him around."

"I would not!" Vi huffed.

"Of course you would, Vi," her mother chuckled. "You used him like a security blanket for a full year after he first moved in, sneaking into his room late at night and sleeping next to him. Honestly, I don't know why we even bothered giving him his own room."

" _Mom_!" Vi shrieked, her face blooming a bright scarlet. Leon wasn't much better, his face flush despite his black skin. "We were only kids back then!"

"Of course, dear," Victor chuckled. "But things haven't changed that much, have they? Why, only three years ago-"

"Alright, that's enough!" Vi sputtered, dashing between her parents and grabbing their arms, dragging them back the way they came. "Introductions over for now! Leon, show Sonia her room! She's clearly tired!"

"It's only mid-afternoon… but if you say so," the lancer grinned.

"You can't hide us forever, dear," Victor laughed as Vi pulled him and his wife into the next room.

"I can try!"

Leon grinned as he turned back to Sonia and Bram. "Well, follow me. You'll be staying over this way while we're in Dundorma."

Sonia followed him towards the hall on the left, where sturdy wooden doors were evenly interspaced on the right side, and tall windows rose up on the left, providing a view out into the courtyard and the city beyond it. Everything was clean and orderly, despite the size of the building; no dust anywhere at all. Or at least, not until they reached the fourth door. Near the baseboards of the wall, Sonia could see the remains of little drawings written on the walls, pictures of sloppy stick-figures in a collection of colors. Six people were there in total, and Sonia could make out the scrawled names of 'Violetta' and 'Leon' scribbled next to them. The doors on the left and right of the drawings were a little worn down, with nicks and scratches in the frames, which looked as though an attempt had been made to buff them out, but the march of time had done more damage than could be easily cleaned up.

A few rooms down, the door creaked open and a pair of Felynes emerged, carrying a collection of cleaning supplies. They bowed politely to Leon, and the lancer nodded in return as the cats quickly scurried past the hunters, making their way back towards the main hall. Leon came to a halt in front of the door and motioned towards it.

"Here's your room Sonia. Bram's is right next door, but he's been settled in since we arrived in the city."

Sonia walked to the door and reached for the handle, but paused, glancing down the hall to the left. She realized that the cleanliness the hall had shown when she first entered seemed to peter off a ways past her door. She could see dust settling on the ground and banisters further down the hall, and several of the glowstones weren't shining quite as brightly as the ones she'd passed, giving the rest of the wing a slightly eerie look. Sonia frowned, but shook her head and pushed through the door, finding herself in a large and comfortable bedroom. It was a full package: queen size bed, full-length mirror on the far wall, a tall wardrobe, and wide dresser. Her hunting chest was even tucked neatly in the corner, along with her armor stand, and her weapons were placed carefully on a weapon rack nearby.

"Pecker, this is at least four times bigger than my room back home… I can't believe Vi lives here all the time. And how many bedrooms like this are there in this house? A hundred or something?"

"Forty. I think," Leon shrugged, before laughing to himself. "I suppose that's still a pretty big number though. If you don't like something about this room, you could probably pick a different one. A lot of them are actually bigger than this one, I think. This is the 'small' room."

"Yeesh… this is all too blueblood for my tastes," Sonia muttered, hobbling over to the bed, sitting down on the mattress and practically sinking into the soft material. "Eep! What is this made of, quicksand?!"

"I guess you just get used to it," the lancer chuckled. "Better than hitting your head on your shelves, like you always complained about in the caravan. Most of the rooms are unused anyway, so the family keeps to this part of the east wing. Makes it all feel a little more tightly-knit I guess."

Sonia frowned, looking around the room. "About that: why is this house so empty? Where is everyone? Vi said that her great-grandpa had a lot of children, and if his kids are anything like their pop there should be like fifty people here! But she and her parents are the only ones I've seen, aside from you and those housekeepers. I would have thought this place would be _packed_ with those extended family members Vi was talking about. So where's everyone at?"

Leon scratched his chin, looking a touch uncomfortable. "When I was little, my parents told me it used to be like that… There were parties here all the time, big high-society balls and feasts, and the front courtyard was always filled with wagons. But for as long as I can remember it's been empty like this."

"Did something happen?" Bram asked.

The lancer paused, shaking his head. "I… don't really feel like it's my place to say."

"Something private?"

"No… I mean, it's not really a big secret or anything. Pretty sure half the people in Dundorma know the story, if not more. You could probably just ask anyone on the street that looks older than thirty, and they'll tell you the whole tale, but… please don't do that."

"Was it something… bad?" Sonia wondered.

"It's not… It's… complex. And it's not a happy story, no matter who tells it. But if you really want to know, ask Vi or her parents about it, not someone else. Please?"

"O-okay…"

"Thanks. Um… if you need anything, I'll be a few doors down. Get some rest if you need it. Vi said that she wants to take you to a restaurant over near Lowtown this evening. There's a place that sells something called 'pizza' that's really good… maybe they have it in Theron too. It's a Lost dish, I hear." Leon frowned, scratching his head uncomfortably. "Well… see you in a little while."

With that, the lancer slipped out of the room, leaving Sonia and Bram alone. Sonia furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked at Bram. "What do you think that was about?"

"I couldn't say," the archer replied. "If what Leon said is true, it shouldn't be hard to find out."

"No. Whatever happened, we can wait. And we'll get Vi's side of the story."

"Her opinion might be a bit biased, depending on the content."

"Still. Vi's a good person; whatever happened won't change that."

"Hmm. If you say so. I guess we'll find out eventually." Sonia nodded, and Bram glanced to the side, examining the rest of the room for a moment. "Oh, right, that reminds me… we should probably find a smith in town sometime."

"Hm? For what? You getting a new weapon?"

"No… well, I wouldn't mind a new switch axe. But, ah, you may need some repairs done." He motioned towards Sonia's armor stand, and Sonia winced at the sight. Her armor was badly damaged, especially the left-side boots and leggings.

"Aw hell. I hope I have enough materials for that… and enough money. And my new dual swords are gone too! Crap…"

"Well, I suppose if nothing else, you have the time to search around for a smith you like," Bram grinned. "Though, the smithy district is on the far other side of town from what I've heard."

"Oh, yippee…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about new places!**

 **I suspect the last chapter may have confused people a bit. The Gambler and the bell ringer are actually two different people, not the same one. The person Bram saw was not the Gambler. That being said, the Gambler and the bell ringer are, in fact, aware of each other.**

 **And now, something I sort of wanted to do when I first started this story… the Monster Hunter Cart Counter! At the end of each chapter, I'll write down how many times I've carted so far in MHGen. I wanted to do it with MH4U when this story started, but… well, by the time I put the story out, 4U had been out for a while and I'd lost count.**

 **Next, a bit of… not bad news, but not good news. For those of you that were interested in Charon, I'm afraid I have to put it on hiatus for a while. I thought I'd be putting out SOP chapters a little quicker than I have been, and chapters 4 and 5 of Charon contain a LOT of spoilers for things that happen later in SOP and I don't want to give away details like that quite so early. That being said, I'll keep working on Charon in my spare time, so once I reach a certain point in the story, I can release the rest of Charon all at once. There is supposed to be around 12 chapters or more total, so… look forward to that.**

 **In the meantime, there's another DLC story I'm sort of working on that should tide me over in the meantime, called Settlement. We'll see when that can come out.**

 **Finally, I've actually created a map of Dundorma as it exists within SOP. I'll put a link below, but I'm not sure how well it'll work. Just remove the spaces and it should work fine… should being the key word. Let me know what you think, and let me know if the link doesn't work.**

 **imgur**

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 **com**

 **/yE6KaYS**

 **MH Gen Cart Counter: 16**

 **Playing: Stardew Valley, Ratchet and Clank, Fire Emblem: Fates, Bravely Second, MHGen  
Listening: Pet Shop Boys, Van Morrison, Undertale soundtrack  
Watching: Red Cliff, Deadpool, Voltron Legendary Defender (WATCH THIS! It's so good…)  
Reading: **_**Hakumei to Mikochi**_ **by Kashiki Takuto,** _ **The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol. 5**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess**_ **by Phil and Kaja Foglio,** _ **Drowtales: Moonless Age**_ **by Yan Gagne**


	20. Brother

Brother

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

 **29 Days Until the Hunter's Exam**

* * *

" _Sonia_!"

The green-eyed huntress braced for impact, tossing her crutch quickly towards Bram, and a moment later a pair of strong arms wrapped around her torso and she was yanked completely off her feet, into the air, and spun around a couple of times.

"Haha! Hoy, girlie, you have no idea how happy I am to see you, hey?"

"It's good to see you too, Logan."

Her hunting master grinned broadly he squeezed her in a tight bear hug. Sonia wheezed slightly from the ferocity of it, but couldn't help but grin. Logan's broad smile was filled with joy at just the sight of her, and she knew that his hug was relieving a lot of the fear and worry that he must have felt when she had been sick. She'd let him hug her as long as he needed to if it helped ensure him that she was recovering and doing well. It was a solid minute or so before Logan seemed to have had enough, and finally released her, setting her down gently on the ground and allowing Bram to slide her crutch up under her arm again so she could stand on her own. Still, he raised a hand to ruffle her hair a little, only to reach down and squeeze her shoulder affectionately, as though he needed to keep hold of her to make sure she was really alright.

"Jeez. Gonna say it again, is real nice seeing you up and moving right now," the great sword user sighed. "Telling ya, Sonia, that was the _longest_ coupla weeks of my life after the Basarios, hey? Thinking those days when Bram was hauling you here knocked a couple years offa my _own_ lifespan, I was so worried."

"Sorry about that."

"Eh, weren't you fault, hey? Just glad to see you is okay."

"Agreed, it's wonderful to see that you're up and about," a voice behind him said as Tuulikki slid around the great sword user's side, smiling at Sonia. Ketrak was perched atop her head as usual, "I'm happy that Bram was able to get you here in time, Sonia. Oh, yes, and the rest of Stellazzio sends their regards."

"Ja, ja. They woulda come to see you, but they gotta set up they wagons out in the staging area. Steward said they's gonna have everything ready by sundown, so I is thinking it be good for you to go and see them, let them see you doing well, hey?"

"Oh, yeah… It's not too far is it? Walking with a crutch is kind of a pain…"

"Just a bit past the western gate," Tuulikki assured her. "A slight distance, but it shouldn't be too challenging in your condition."

"OK, cool. I'll go visit after we eat then."

"On that note, let's go get lunch!" Vi spoke up, swinging around Sonia side to approach Tuulikki and wrap an arm around the glaive wielder's shoulders. "Once we get food, we can go visit the caravan, then cart all of Tuli and Logan's stuff up to my house."

"Sounds good to me," Sonia replied.

"Hoy, about that… You sure they gonna be 'nuf space for-"

"Don't worry about it," both Sonia and Bram replied quickly, earning a confused look from Logan and amused ones from the three Gahin hunters.

Logan and Tuulikki had met Sonia and the others at one of the main thoroughfares of the city, to the southwest of where Vi's home, so it wasn't supposed to be a far walk for them to reach the bar Vi was taking them for lunch, a place up on the second tier of the city. Sonia was glad for that; walking around would have been easy if she was fully healed, but relying on the crutches wore her out more than she would've thought. Thankfully it was a short walk, and after only ten minutes they arrived.

"Here we are!" Vi said excitedly. "This is me and Leon's favorite place to eat in the entire city."

Sonia looked up to see a wide and warm-looking tavern sitting right at the lip of the wall, nearly hanging over the edge; a large wooden patio had even been built out into the air, casting shade onto the roofs of the buildings below and allowing customers to sit around with a nice view of the lower tier. The structure itself was made of sturdy grey stone around the base, as most of the buildings in the city were, with wooden supports rising up from chest height to create the rest of the structure. There were several chimneys poking out of the top, with waves of billowy white smoke pouring out of most of them, and Sonia could already smell the scents from the kitchen wafting around the building from the back.

A pair of tall, swinging doors hung out in front of the building, up a short set of stairs, and over that hung an ornate wooden sign. It was painted a dark green, with bright orange trim and lettering which read 'The Hungry Seltas'. There was even a small drawing of a Seltas over the name, with its sickles hanging down between the letters of the name.

"The Hungry Seltas?" Logan muttered, and Sonia could already hear the distaste in his voice. "What's with this country and bugs…?"

"Suck it up, buster!" Vi replied. "No matter how much you don't like insects, this is the best bar in the district. Me and Leon even know the owners, since we used to eat here all the time before we went to live in Lintukoto. Hopefully they haven't forgotten us after being away from home for so long…"

"I doubt it," Leon said. "You did blow a hole in their roof once, and it's hard to forget something like that."

"That was an accident!" the huntress whined. "Besides, I paid for the repairs, didn't I? I had to put off that hunting horn I wanted to make…"

"You got your just desserts. You should be so lucky though; most folks would ban you from a restaurant for pulling a stunt like that."

"Hoy, what the hell you do, girlie?"

"Um… I may have lit a bounce bomb…"

"Inside they bar?! And they still letting you eat there?!"

"It. Was. An. Accident! I'm not familiar with explosives! It was so small, I thought it was a fancy-looking candle, not a _bomb_!"

"Thinking Leon's right, girlie. My mamma runs a bar, and lemme tell you, you's lucky they letting you even enter the bar without shooting at you with a bowgun."

"What kind of bar does your mother run?!" Tuulikki asked.

"Heh, best bar in Orage!" the great sword user smirked.

"I have a hard time believing that…"

"It does pull in a certain type of customer," Bram shrugged. "They always come back for _some_ reason. The company of like-minded individuals, maybe…"

"That explains a lot," Tuulikki muttered, glancing askance at Logan.

"Well, let's go inside and see how it compares to this place!" Sonia urged, grabbing Logan's arm and tugging him towards the door. "Come on, I'm hungry!"

"Alright, alright, girlie, let's go check this place out."

The hunters all pushed through the swinging doors, and Sonia allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the barroom. The place seemed more set up like a restaurant than a hunter's bar, with more focus on having tables and chairs sitting around than a swath of kegs and liquor bottles. While a lot of patrons were drinking alcohol, it seemed like there was more focus on the food here, with a wide countertop stretching across the left side of the room with long griddles and ovens stretching across the wall behind it. A small serving window opened up into a larger kitchen in the back, and Sonia could see a few people back there scurrying around and sliding meals through the window.

Even most of the people sitting around seemed like civilians more than hunters. There _was_ a wide corkboard with a smattering of hunt requests set up in the corner, as well as a sweet-looking old Wyverian woman wearing the Guild uniform behind a small booth, but she was focused less on the paperwork in front of her and more on knitting what looked to be a large orange scarf. She seemed more like an afterthought addition to the bar than a staple, however.

"Welcome to the Hungry Seltas!" the man behind the bar called out as they walked in. Sonia could hear the monotone in his voice, indicating that the line was probably shouted every time someone entered, and had long since lost its luster. He turned their direction and motioned towards the back wall. "Six of ya? There's a booth in the back. I'll getcha just as soon as- Oh! If it ain't little Vi and Leon! It's been a while!"

The man behind the bar paused only long enough to drop a trio of food platters down onto one of the occupied tables before striding over to the door to meet them. He was a big man, taller than even Bram by at least half a foot and muscular as well. He didn't seem like hunter material, and looked more thuggish than anything else, especially with the two long daggers he had hooked to his belt. His short-cut hair and eyes were both black, with bushy eyebrows and and wide, infectious smile plastered across his face.

"Ha! Sure enough! It's been awhile since I've seen you brats in these parts!"

"Glad to see you haven't forgotten us yet, Kaiden," Leon replied with a grin.

"A good restaurant owner never forgets a faithful customer, no matter how long they've been gone," Kaiden laughed, patting him and Vi on the heads and ruffling their hair. "Much less any customer that's caused extensive property damage… But you finally got sick of living in the boonies and came back home, eh? The city life calls? Or… no, it's about that time for the exam, isn't it? Gonna give it another shot, eh, Leon?"

"That's right!" Vi replied, clapping her hands on the lancer's shoulders. "This time he's gonna pass for sure… and we brought some friends that're taking the exam with him!"

"Ho, so I see," the man noted. "Nice to meet you all. The name's Kaiden. Hope the lot of you-"

"Hey! Kaiden! Quit loafing around!" a voice from the kitchen shouted. A short woman with a mess of dirty blonde hair was glaring out of the window into the barroom at the man as she slid a cluster of plates onto the counter. "You can chat with them once all the customers are served!"

"Yeesh… uh, go on and sit down kids, I'll get to you in a second." As Kaiden hurried back towards the bar, the six hunters shuffled back to a wide booth in the back of the bar, sliding around the semicircular bench and taking a seat.

"So, Logan, how did the rest of the journey to Dundorma go for you and the caravan?" Sonia asked. "It must have been a little, um, rough without four of us there."

Logan shrugged, rubbing his neck. "Wasn't that bad, I guess. Kinda quiet 'round the wagons when we was traveling, and I kept myself busy for the most part… Trying to keep my mind offa things. Steward kept the wagons movin' a bit quicker than they usually go, hey?"

"Did you have any problems with monster attacks or anything?"

"Eh, not really. They was a few Kut-Kus and some Dromes, but not much else. Me and Short Stuff here was enough to deal with it," he said, motioning towards Tuulikki. The glaive wielder's eyes narrowed on the great sword user, but she simply nodded.

"It was a relatively benign journey," the huntress agreed. "Even with you four going on ahead, the wagons had the aid of the other hunters and apprentices accompanying Stellazzio on the journey, so we were not without aid when we needed it."

"I guess that's a relief," Bram replied. "I wasn't really thinking about that kind of thing when we left from Locke Town back then…"

"What I'm more worried about was how you two got along," Vi noted, leaning forward and raising an eyebrow as she glanced between the hunter and huntress. "I'm surprised one of you didn't strangle the other while you were by yourselves."

Logan and Tuulikki glanced at each other for a short moment before shrugging. "We were simply too occupied to deal with each other, I suppose," the glaive wielder replied.

"Huh. Well that's a relief. I was afraid you two would be at each other's throats without the rest of us around to hold you back."

"Hoy, we ain't that bad, is we?"

"Yes," a chorus of four voices replied.

"Considering you were threatening to try and frighten Tuli with ghost stories when I mentioned that she was weak to horror novels?" Leon noted.

"Did he?" Tuulikki growled, leveling Logan with a withering glare. The great sword user chuckled sheepishly.

"Eheh… Was just thinking 'bout it, hey? Wasn't really planning on it…" Logan cleared his throat, turning away from the huntress nervously.

Sonia had mercy on him, however, and spoke up. "So, how's Hannibal doing?"

Bram grimaced at the Felyne's name, and Tuulikki just shrugged. "We did not really interact with him once you and the others left. He and the other hunter and Palico apprentices left the caravan once we arrived in Dundorma. He probably went and bought room and board at one of the inns in town… I couldn't tell you which one, though, and there must be a hundred scattered across the city."

"Think Cleyra was still working on that weapon and armor he wanted," Logan noted. "Figure he come back to get that sometime, but couldn't say when. The caravan ain't going back towards Cheeko after the exam, either, so he probably gonna find a different group to head home with."

"Oh… I see," Sonia muttered.

"Well, if nothing else, he'll be around for the exam, correct?" Tuulikki said. "You can see him then."

"If he doesn't raise a ruckus of some kind on his own here in Dundorma," Bram grumbled. "He's got a bigger audience now."

Sonia frowned uncomfortably at the thought. She could picture the Felyne standing on a soapbox and declaring his beliefs to the passing crowds with ease… but would the Felynes here in Dundorma be any more receptive than those back in Cheeko? What would happen if they weren't? Or what would happen if they _were_? Before she could ponder much further, however, Kaiden finally appeared at the edge of their booth, looking a little worn out.

"Hoo boy, sorry for the wait kids. Lunch rush and all that, and Nikki's cracking the whip."

"She still works you hard, I see," Vi grinned.

"Yeah, well… I worked up a tab in this place back before I married her, so I guess this is her way of making me work it off."

"You've been married for like… fifteen years though. Surely you've paid her back by now."

"It was a _hell_ of a tab," Kaiden muttered. "She used to tell me I was putting her in debt, eating for free so often. I think she was exaggerating when she compared it to the national budget, but… well, lunch and dinner, four days a week, for about three years straight…"

"Yikes," Logan winced.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I did help her with some stuff in exchange, but… Anyway, now I get three meals a day, _every day_ , even if it means I gotta work my butt off serving meals. Worth the leash she keeps me on, in my opinion. But that's enough about my life. Introduce me to your friends here."

"This is Logan, Sonia, and Bram," Leon replied, pointing to them each in turn. "They're all from Theron. We've been hunting together for about the last four months."

"Therians, huh? How'd you all get teamed up together?"

"Um… there were… extraneous circumstances," Sonia replied.

"Huh, and doesn't _that_ sound like something you don't wanna talk about. Well, I'll leave it alone. They all lined up to take the exam though? You think they'll pass? Can't say I know too many Therians myself, but the way some folks go on about them…"

" _I_ think so," Vi said confidently. "Tuli here isn't quite in agreement with me, though." The glaive wielder frowned at the words but didn't say anything in response, merely crossing her arms.

"Well, guess you'll find out one way or another here in a few weeks. I'll try and come watch, assuming Nikki lets me head out that day; exam season is _busy_ for bars and restaurants. Either way, you should come here after your tests; our bar's tradition is to treat any examinees to one free drink with every test they pass, and a night on the house if you pass the whole exam!"

"What!" Vi gasped. "Since when?! I never heard about that when _I_ passed the exam!"

"'Cause we didn't tell you," Kaiden scoffed. "You've got too much of an iron liver, kid. You'd bankrupt us. Anyway, how long you all planning on-" The barkeep suddenly paused and shivered slightly, glancing over his shoulder towards the kitchen, where his wife was giving him a frustrated look. "Eh, you know, I should probably get back to work. So, whatcha kids want?"

Before any of the Therians could ask what they had, Leon spoke up. "Six specials and a plate of oysters, please."

"Comin' right up," the barkeep nodded, turning to walk back towards the kitchen.

"Hey, what gives?" Sonia grumbled. "I don't even know what the special is!"

Leon grinned, however. "Neither do I."

"What? Then how come-"

"The Hungry Seltas' daily special is its selling point!" Vi replied eagerly. "You have to try it. It's like a roulette, always something different, every single day. And it's always something _unique_."

"What you mean by that?" Logan asked.

"Well, you know how, when a monster is killed, they cart the body to the Guild? They carve off all the scales, chop it up, then use the bones and scales and hide and guts and all that stuff and use them to help the cities and villages and stuff?"

"Ja, and then the hunters get a bit of the spare stuff."

"Well, even when the Guild chops up a monster, there's often a lot of stuff that they can't really use or they have an excess of, or stuff that doesn't really sell that well. So they auction the rest of it to the public for a cheap price. I mean, you're not going to be able to buy scales or plates or talons, because the Guild _always_ uses those, but other little things are passed out to those that want them, like meat and webbing and guts."

"Places like this make use of that," Leon explained, motioning around him. "Whatever the Guild's trying to get rid of on a daily basis, Kaiden and Nikki buy it cheap then cook it up and turn it into a meal. They call it the 'Waste Not Want Not Special'."

"Sounds… risky," Bram muttered. "What kind of meals do they make?"

"Like we said, it depends. Could be Carapaceon brains. Could be fried Kut-Ku legs. Could be grilled Lagombi fingers, or Zamtrios tail. It just depends on what they have available and what the Guild is selling for cheap."

Sonia noted that Tuulikki was eyeing the door to the kitchen with a clear feeling of worry. "What's wrong?"

Vi chimed in, wrapping an arm around the short huntress' shoulders. "She's just a little on edge because it seems like every time she comes here with us, they're serving something from a insectoid. Last time it was Konchu soup, and the time before that it was boiled Nerscylla legs with a side of butter."

"That sounds… disgusting," Logan replied, wrinkling his nose.

"Exactly!" Tuulikki replied, nodding in approval.

"No, it was great! Weird, but great! Right, Tuli? If a Neopteron had to die, then it's a shame to just throw it away right?" Vi egged, nudging the other huntress lightly. Tuulikki scowled in agitation, but finally nodded sullenly.

"Yes. It was… very good," the huntress admitted. "If nothing else, I'm glad what remained did not go to waste…"

"Didn't stop you from throwing a fit that time Burmecia chopped up those Konchu guts for that hotpot, hey?" Logan smirked, and Tuulikki scowled at him.

"I recall you being just as opposed to eating dinner that night as I was! In fact, I believe you skipped out early, saying you 'was too tired to eat, hey?'"

"Ho, really, Short Stuff? In that case, maybe I-"

"Here you go, boys and girls!" Sonia looked up as Kaiden appeared, balancing several plates on his arms and head. In a flash, six plates were placed before the hunters, with a seventh in the center. Sonia raised an eyebrow at the meal; it looked like… meat, but nothing she'd ever eaten before. Definitely not Aptonoth, or Popo, or even Rath meat. It looked similar to crab, but… "Fresh from the grill! Braised Seltas abdomen!"

"I knew it!" Tuulikki moaned, slamming her head against the table in despair.

"Wow, that's three for three," Leon muttered. "What're the odds?"

"Come on, Short Stuff, eat up," Logan mocked across the table. "Is a shame to waste food, hey? And it sure look _good_."

Tuli gave Logan a flat, unimpressed look before reaching for her fork and peeling a small bite's worth of meat from her Seltas abdomen. Rather than biting into it, however, she spun the fork around and flicked the small chunk at the great sword user's head, which he dodged with a sharp bark of a laugh.

"Don't dodge! 'Is a shame to waste food', is it not?"

"That's right," the great sword user replied, peeling a chunk of his own meal off the plate and popping it into his mouth. "Huh. That ain't bad, hey? Think I understand why you like the bugs now; they don't taste too bad when you cook 'em right."

"I swear I am going to strangle you one of these days, Logan."

"Haha! Don't think you tall enough for that, Short Stuff."

" _Please_. With all the tawdry jokes I've heard you make, you've sunk low enough for me to reach."

"So what's this in the middle?" Bram asked, ignoring the two bickering hunters and pointing at the fried objects in the center of the table.

"This is the Hungry Seltas' famous appetizer, made with secret ingredients and secret spices," Kaiden replied proudly.

"Sounds secretly sketchy," Sonia muttered, poking at the things with a fork.

"Well, the Dundorma food and drink board have approved of it, so while its recipe is secret, I can guarantee you that it's safe to eat. And delicious! Maybe not nutritious considering how long we fry them… But much like the Waste Not Want Not Special, it's made from materials that would otherwise be discarded by the Guild, so it's economical as well."

"What's it called again?" Bram asked.

"Tundra Mountain Oysters."

"Tundra Mountain…" The Therian hunters suddenly looked between each other in surprise. Logan's face curled up into a sour expression, and he visibly leaned away from the food. Sonia and Bram, however, were only mildly intrigued. "By chance… did you get the recipe from a Lost?"

"Actually, yes! How did you-" Kaiden ground to a halt, raising an eyebrow. "Have you had some before somewhere else?"

"Yeah, actually. One of the bars back home sells them."

"Well, I'll be damned! Thought me and Nikki had a special thing going. And do you… know what the recipe is?"

"...Yep," Sonia replied. "Well, I know what the main ingredients are. Your spices might be different."

"That's a shame. Though I hope you'll keep the recipe a secret for us…"

"Oh, don't worry," Sonia smirked. "I won't tell."

"You know what it is?" Leon asked, surprised. He spared a quick glance to Kaiden, before leaning forward a little. "Mind spilling the beans? I've been eating here for _years_ and this guy's never told me."

"Hey, kid, no cheating," Kaiden grumbled. "Secrets are supposed to stay that way, especially if they're secret recipes!"

"Thinking you better off that way, hey?" Logan muttered.

"How come?" Vi asked worriedly, glancing uncertainly at the objects, but Sonia reached forward and plucked one from the plate.

"He's just being a weenie," she said, popping it into her mouth and quickly eating it. "Yep, tasty. Right Bram?"

The archer reached forward and quickly ate one of the oysters as well. "Agreed. They taste good to me. Don't you want one, Logan?"

The great sword user scowled at the two of them. "I gonna stick to my… ugh, bug meat, hey? Call me a weenie if you want, but I just gonna leave the rest of it to the, uh, the lot of you…"

"I think I'm feeling a little cowardly now myself, actually," Leon muttered.

"More for us then," Sonia replied, grabbing another. "If you guys are squeamish, me and Bram can finish this off no problem."

"But… oh, nevermind, give me some of that," Vi snapped, swiping one from the plate and gobbling it up. "Whatever it's made from, I've been eating it for more than ten years, so what's the point in stopping now?"

"That's the spirit," Kaiden laughed. "Well, I'll leave you kids to it. Make sure to stop by sometime after the dinner rush so you can tell me and Nikki all about your adventures."

"We will, I promise! Now come on, guys, eat up! We've still gotta visit the caravan after this!"

* * *

 **24 Days Until the Hunter's Exam**

* * *

Sonia sighed as she hobbled out of the hospital again. The sun was already creeping below the horizon, and the city was slowly preparing for night time. The last vestiges of sunlight were vanishing from over the city walls, and was quickly being replaced by the glow of torches and glowstones, filling the air with light from within the city, rather than from without. The moon was waning, barely a sliver in the sky, and the stars were hidden by the lights from the streets.

It had been a week and a half since Sonia had woken up in the Great Hospital, in which she'd been forced to keep from hunting or training. Even with Kumin's offers to help her out, there was only so much she could do with a cast on her leg. At least her suffering was almost over: the doctor she'd been seeing said that they were pleased with her recovery, and that she could return to get her cast removed in a couple days. That was something she was looking forward to, and desperately needed. Once the cast was gone, she only had a little over a three weeks to get back into form, or at least into as good a form as she could manage, and then the hunter's exam would be upon her.

Just two more days, she kept telling herself. Just two more days and she'd be back in business.

If nothing else, she'd had time to get familiar with the city, or at least familiar with the large triangular area between the Great Hospital, Vi's family's house, and the Hungry Seltas. She'd even made a trip with the others over to the west side of the city to visit the smithy district and see to her armor's repairs, as well as visiting Stellazzio in the wagon staging area outside the western gate. She couldn't explore all the little nooks and crannies in her current condition, but she'd acclimated to the streets and alleys that lined the city. Even now, in the late twilight, she could see hunters darting across the roofs of the city, taking paths that were impossible for her now; she could only imagine what kinds of roads would open up for her once she was able to walk and climb properly again.

The others were probably waiting for her at the bar right now. Bram had planned to come with her for her checkup, but he and the others had returned from the Kecha Wacha hunt they had gone on later than they'd anticipated, and so Sonia had gone on her own. It wasn't that bad, anyway; she's walked this road several dozen times in the last couple weeks.

Sonia began heading straight east, following the curve of the hill and keeping to the smaller roads and alleys. She liked walking the main thoroughfares as much as the next person, but those streets were always crowded with hunters and wagons alike, especially now around dinnertime, and hobbling along with a crutch was challenging. Besides, she'd come to enjoy the smaller roads. She'd found a lot of hidden shops and restaurants buried away in the small paths, some of them she really enjoyed. There was a small smithy that specialized in armor alterations and customization, a shop that sold little stuffed plushes of every monster Sonia had ever heard of and then some, and a hole-in-the-wall seafood place that Sonia had been meaning to eat at for a while (she didn't know what Dundorma Tuna tasted like, and she'd never even _heard_ of a Coinperch before waking up in the Hospital, but she intended to taste both of them before she left).

Sonia took a quick right at an opening between an old tannery and a fancy dress shop, both of them closed after the sun went down, and slipped down a side alley between the two, weaving between old storage crates as she walked below the tall wall reaching up towards the next highest tier of the city. She could smell Kelbi venison cooked in a restaurant up there, and it made her look forward to dinner all the more… though she couldn't help but wonder how edible today's special was going to be at the Hungry Seltas.

As Sonia turned a corner in the alley, following the crooked angles down the back road, she stumbled to a halt and frowned in irritation. A wall of empty crates had collapsed across the alley, cutting off her path so thoroughly that there was no way for her to cross it with her leg in the condition it was in. She glanced in contemplation at her cast, wondering if she should just go for it - the doctors said she was as good as healed - but she shook her head in the end; she'd promised Bram she'd take care of herself, and wasn't going to break her oath. She groaned in defeat and spun around; she'd just have to take the long way around, she supposed.

As she approached the corner of the alley, however, her foot struck against something, and the huntress yelped as she toppled to the ground, her crutch clattering a couple yards away. She groaned in frustration, pushing against the dirty road as she started to push herself up. As she reached for her crutch, however, a small pair of furry legs appeared between her and her support, and the crutch was kicked away, clattering behind a pair of trash bins.

"Hey! What's the big-"

Sonia's words cut short as a familiar metallic sound rang through the alleyway, and a cold pinching feeling pressed against her throat. The huntress inhaled sharply and looked up, finding herself staring into the bright yellow eyes of a brown-furred Felyne… or rather, a Melynx. It had a plain green bandana over its mouth and nose, a reed satchel around its waist… and a dangerously sharp curved blade made from Zinogre materials in its paw, held against her throat.

A small clattering pulled Sonia's gaze sharply to the right, where another Melynx appeared from the shadows, wearing similar equipment but carrying a simple metallic blade. Another sound made her look to the left, and a black cat appeared, this one with a small lance slung over its pouch. Motion seemed to come from all around her, and three more Melynx appeared from the shadows, leaving her outnumbered six-to-one.

"Don't make a fuss, girl," the Melynx in front of her said gruffly. "Keep quiet and make this easy for us."

"I… I don't have any money," Sonia sputtered. At least, she didn't have much, enough for dinner and maybe a couple drinks with her friends.

"Oh, really."

The Melynx holding the blade to her throat narrowed his eyes before glancing towards one of the other cats. A black-furred Felyne began to approach, reaching into its pouch to pull out a small, red-painted orb: a tranquilizer bomb. Sonia felt a cold chill race up her spine, terrified at her situation for a moment. But she realized that the Melynx holding the sword to her throat was still looking towards the Melynx with the tranq bomb, and her eyes narrowed. She wasn't about to let them rob her without a fight!

Before the Melynx could return his attention to her, she snapped a hand up and grabbed hold of the hilt of the blade, shoving the edge away from her neck. She was grateful that Felynes were so small; any other species, and the handle would have been too far out of reach. The Melynx jolted in surprise, trying to pull away, but Sonia twisted the hilt and yanked the blade out of the brown cat's grip before swinging it sideways and swatting the masked Felyne across the face with the flat of the blade.

The Melynx with the tranq bomb hissed angrily, lunging towards her and swinging his paw forward to smash the orb into her face, but Sonia rolled out of the way only for the tranq to smack against the ground and burst into a puff of red gas. The cat cursed, pulling a bright yellow-and-green club from its sheath and swinging at her chest. Sonia slid back even further and the club struck against the dirt, but her back slammed against the wall of the shop behind her and the Melynx lunged again.

Sonia winced, swinging the Zinogre blade she'd stolen up to block, and the head of the club crashed against the flat of the blade. Sonia groaned against the force of the impact; she wouldn't have thought that Felynes had this much physical strength! The Melynx pulled back to attack again, but Sonia kicked her good leg out, striking the cat in the chest and sending him tumbling over a fallen crate to the ground. The reprieve allowed her a moment to pull herself back to her feet, but as she looked up again, she only found the four remaining Felynes closing in on her, all of them with their weapons drawn.

"Get away from me! Someone help!" she shouted, hoping that someone from the street would hear her. If nothing else, she hoped that the possibility would scare off the Melynxes. For a moment the black cats seemed to hesitate, worrying about interlopers as well.

There was a sharp yowl of effort, however, and less than a second later a short lance shot past her head and clashed off the stone wall of the building behind her. Sonia jolted in shock, turning to face her attacker, only for another Melynx to leap through the air from the other side, sliding past the Zinogre sword and smashing his shoulder into her chest. The blow knocked the wind out of her and had enough force to throw her backwards and crashing to the ground.

Sonia groaned in pain, trying to push herself to her feet, but the Felyne leapt onto her chest, headbutting her in the face and making her see stars. Before she could recover, she felt the Zinogre blade being pulled out of her hand and again the pinching feeling pressing against her throat.

"Hard way it is then," the Felyne growled darkly, and Sonia realized that it was the same Felyne she'd stolen it from in the first place. "Shoulda figured. You should be glad I'm not trying to kill you, girl. Doesn't mean I've gotta be nice, though…"

With that he reached into his pouch, pulling out a tranq bomb and holding it over her face. Sonia flinched and raised her arms over her head, covering her face and trying to protect herself…

There were several rapid footsteps, and a sudden explosive blast. A wave of heat washed over Sonia as the weight of the Felyne over her vanished, and the creature shrieked in pain before as a loud crash echoed to her right. Sonia whimpered in fear, curling up covering her head even tighter. There were several hisses and spat curses from the Melynxes, followed by a scuffle and several more blasts and cries of pain, as well as the sound of metal clashing against metal. A crash and the splintering of wood echoed through the alley, accompanied by shattering clash and a yowl of pain.

"Damn it all… retreat! Nya!" a Felyne voice growled near her.

"Get back here!" an unfamiliar masculine voice snapped, but there was a sudden _bomph_ and wild hissing sound, and Sonia could feel something wisping across her face like haze. She opened one eye at the sound of small feet clattering away from her, darting over wooden crates and over the stone path, but her vision was obscured by white: a smoke bomb, she realized.

She winced as boots approached her, and a hand grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut again in fear. The hand remained on her shoulder for a few moments, and she could hear whoever it was shifting around, accompanied by a metallic clanking sound. She didn't know how much time passed, but eventually Sonia managed to calm down enough and open her eyes again to find the smoke dissipating around her. The person next to her grumbled in frustration before finally releasing her.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" the person asked with a concerned voice, and Sonia looked up to meet eyes with the man kneeling down next to her.

He was tall, at least six full inches taller than her. He looked like he was about Logan's age, and she could tell he was a hunter by his physique: strong and muscular, built for power and endurance. It was hard to make out in the evening light, but his skin appeared honey-colored, with dozens of small scars and burn wounds visible on his exposed arms and hands. His face was fairly handsome, rectangular and strong, with serious black eyes, though his nose was crooked as though it had been broken once or twice. His hair surprised Sonia, however: bright, silvery blonde, trimmed short and allowed to fall loose over his scalp.

Though he was wearing civilian clothing, Sonia could see a large weapon strapped to his back; had he just picked it up from the shop or something? It looked like a massive shield at first glance, but it had a large hilt pointing out of the top and over the man's head. In the dim light, Sonia could also make out a few small glowing objects in the weapon as well; phials of some kind, she thought. It wasn't a switch axe though, so what kind of weapon-

"Are you alright?" he asked again, his voice sounding worried.

"Oh… yes. Yes, I'm fine," Sonia replied finally. Her voice hitched a little and she coughed, trying to push the _fear_ from earlier out of her tone. "I'm fine," she said again, this time a little more confidently. "They didn't hurt me."

The man nodded, relieved. "Good. That's good." He paused for a moment. "My name's Rikki."

"Oh. Sonia. I'm Sonia," the huntress muttered.

Rikki smiled comfortingly at her and pushed himself up before reaching forward to offer her a hand. Sonia accepted it and allowed him to help her back up, fumbling a little as she reached down to grab her crutch and get it back under her arm.

"There's a guard station not too far from here, along the main road," Sonia turned and stared at him blankly for a moment. "We should report this, let the town guard know about the Melynx. They might be able to do something."

"Oh… yeah. Right. Let's do that."

Rikki glanced down poignantly at the cast on her leg. "Do you want me to help you-"

"No. No, I'm fine," Sonia replied. "I can walk on my own."

Rikki hesitated a moment before nodding in acceptance, and led Sonia out of the alley and back to the main thoroughfare, being careful to keep pace with her and keeping a watchful eye back towards where they'd come from. As Sonia hobbled out into the street, she quickly put as much distance between herself and the other alleys as she could, skirting the edge of the canal road they walked on near the water. Rikki seemed to notice this and walked firmly between her and the darker alleys on that side of the road.

It didn't take long for Rikki to lead them to the guard station, where a collection of stern men and women took their report. Sonia relayed what little she remembered, but she was still so rattled that she could barely remember any good details, save for the fur pattern of the Felyne with the Zinogre blade… Other than that, she felt like she just had so little to offer. Rikki provided what he could, but he'd been too caught up with fighting them off to really make a clear note of their appearances. Still, the pair offered the guards what they could and they were promised that the Melynxes would be brought to justice, though the words felt empty to Sonia considering how little information they'd been able to offer.

It took around thirty minutes for the two of them to give their piece to the guards, and soon Sonia found herself shuffling out of the guardhouse. Twilight was gone now, and night had truly fallen. While Sonia usually enjoyed the night atmosphere that Dundorma offered, right now she couldn't help but shiver at the sight of the shadows of the alleys, and her eyes kept flickering cautiously towards every Felyne she saw wandering the streets.

"Are you staying nearby, Sonia?" Rikki asked next to her. "I'll escort you back to your inn, or wherever you're staying."

Sonia shot a nervous glance down the darkness of a nearby alley and felt a cold twinge of fear shoot up her spine. The thought of another encounter with the Melynxes when she was by herself-

"Yes… yes, please," she said quietly. "The house isn't… My friends are waiting for me at a bar near here. It's called the Hungry Seltas-"

"I know where it is. I was on the way there myself to meet my own friends," the man nodded, and the two of them began following the road to the northwest, heading towards the next tier. The two continued like this for a couple blocks before the silence got the better of Sonia.

"Thank you…" she said quietly. "Thank you for helping me."

"Don't mention it. I'm surprised Melynxes would be so bold as to try and mug someone in the middle of Dundorma, even at night. I guess it was a good thing I was passing through the area."

"Yeah," Sonia agreed. " _Really_ good."

Again an uncomfortable silence descended on the two of them, but this time Rikki picked up the baton.

"Are you here to take the exam, Sonia?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, yes, I am. You could tell?"

"You seemed about the right age, and you carry yourself like a hunter," Rikki noted. "The exam's coming up pretty soon though. Is your leg going to be healed in time for it?"

"The doctors said it should be off in a couple days. I need to keep from pushing myself too much, but I should be shipshape by the exam. But it's been over a month since I broke my leg, so I haven't been able to keep myself at my best… I know I have three weeks to get back into shape, but I don't know…"

Rikki grunted slightly, seeming to realize that he'd asked a poor question. "What, ah, what weapon do you use?"

"Oh! Uh, dual blades mostly, these days, but I also use sword and shield. I've used the hunting horn and long sword too, but I usually stick with the first two."

"I see. It's good to keep your options open. Which are you planning to use during the exam?"

"Well, I was planning to use the dual blades, but with my leg in the condition it's in, I might not be fully fit to use them at my best. I'll probably have to go with my sword and shield, just to be safe."

"That'd be pretty smart. The judges may even take that into account, if they hear about it."

"You think?"

"Sure. I mean, don't go _announcing_ it or anything, but using a more conservative weapon when you're not at your best is good foresight, and the judges may like that."

"Hmm… Oh, speaking of weapons, what's that thing on your back?"

"Oh, this? It's a charge blade," Rikki replied, turning his body to allow Sonia a better look. "It's a new weapon design, developed by the Troverians almost ten years ago; our country's response to the Therian switch axe, I'm told."

The 'weapon' really did look like a massive shield, but was more than that as Sonia took it in. It was made from Rathalos materials, with crimson scales and plates creating the core of the shield and jet-black spikes jutting out from the edges at the bottom. Sonia also realized that the edges of the shield itself were sharpened to keen edges, making her wonder whether it was actually a shield or… something else. There was indeed some kind of hilt sticking out of the top, making Sonia wonder if the shield itself acted as some sort of sheath.

"Well, can you tell me about it?" Sonia asked, and Rikki laughed lightly.

"Oh, trust me, Sonia; don't get me _started_ on talking about charge blades, unless you've got a couple _hours_ to spare. I've been using them since they were first developed, so there are very few people that know as much about them as I do, except the people that actually make them for a living." Rikki chuckled as Sonia frowned. "Alright fine, I can give the short version."

The silver-haired man reached back, grabbing the hilt over the shield and pulling out a long, orange-colored sword. The blade was big, much bigger than Sonia had expected; even her own swords were dwarfed in comparison. Rikki wielded it easily though, spinning it around to point at the hilt, where Sonia spotted a dim phial inserted into a slot. It did indeed look like a switch axe phial, but it was dimly lit and static… like it was dormant. Narrow cables were routed up from the phial up along the core of the sword, up to something that looked like some sort of plug or connector.

"This is a charge phial," Rikki explained. "Not a power or element phial like switch axes use, that's very important. This is what gives the charge blade its power. I'll spare you the technicalities, but in short, it's a switch axe phial's complete opposite. When you attack a monster, the phial _builds_ energy rather than using it, until the phial is full. Then you transfer the energy into the shield." The man reached back to pat the shield on his back. "Inside the shield are five battery phials, so you can store a _lot_ of energy."

"So what do you do with the power one it's stored?"

"Well, like the switch axe can shift form from axe to sword mode, the charge blade does the same from shield mode to axe mode. Axe mode allows you to release your gathered energy in a big explosive burst!" Rikki grinned and Sonia's eyes widened excitedly. "Well, a controlled burst. The stored power is incredibly dangerous if you aren't very careful. You have to… You know what? It's kind of difficult to describe adequately. It'd probably be better to see for yourself."

"You're gonna give me a demonstration?" Sonia asked eagerly, but Rikki shook his head.

"Any other time, I would, but… Not here at least, and not right now. However, I _do_ know that the Troverians are putting on a weapon expo during the exam. If you have some time before or after the exam, you should go take a look. They'll be doing charge blade demonstrations the whole week. If you're still interested, go take a look then."

"Well, it _looks_ cool… Though, it looks a little bulky for my tastes," Sonia admitted, and Rikki seemed to deflate slightly. "Ah! But, my best friend likes weapons like these. I'll tell him about it and we'll check out the expo once the exam's over."

"You do that. Look up a guy named Daedalus in Harth if you or your friend are interested in getting one of these for yourselves. He's the best smith you'll find if you want a charge blade made. He's a… friend, so just tell him I sent you." Rikki paused in thought for a moment, sheathing his sword before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small card. "Here. I made a few copies of my Guild card recently. Just show him this and… well, he probably won't give you a discount, but he might give you some preferential treatment. He always tells me how busy he is, so maybe saying you know me will, uh, bump you to the front of the line or something."

"Oh, cool… Dang, you've done a lot of hunts," Sonia muttered, scouring the card. The man had several hundred licensed hunts under his name, and more than half were high-ranked. However, she frowned as she glanced at the top; under the name tag, all it said was _Rikki_. "Just 'Rikki'? How come you didn't write your last name? Uh, surname? Family name? What was that word Bram used… patronymic name?"

Sonia was caught by surprise, however, when Rikki suddenly stiffened at the question. His jaw had clenched, and his eyes narrowed slightly on her. He relaxed a moment later, however, sighing and taking a couple breaths to regain his composure.

"You're Therian, right Sonia?"

"Um, yes…"

"Then perhaps you aren't aware of all the Gahin customs… and taboos. Generally, in Gahiji, it is considered impolite to request someone's surname if they haven't given it to you otherwise."

"It is? Why?"

"Well… How about this: you never told me yours. What is your surname, Sonia?" Rikki asked. Sonia paled slightly at the question, averting her gaze and fumbling over her words for a moment before Rikki shook his head. "It's alright, you don't need to say. Whatever your reasons for holding your tongue are your own, and I don't need to hear them. But maybe now you have realized that nobody else has asked you that?"

He was right. The only name she'd ever given to anyone in the country, aside from Steward and the paperwork she'd needed to fill out to enter the country, was 'Sonia'. She'd been trying to keep her heritage as a Geisel secret, but… it had been easy. Nobody had ever asked. 'Sonia' was all she'd ever offered, and 'Sonia' was all they needed.

"I don't understand…" she muttered. "Why wouldn't people ask?"

"In Theron, maybe surnames don't quite have the same impact for most people. In Theron, maybe it's easy to give your surname, or it just doesn't matter quite as much. But Sonia… let me ask you a question: do you know _why_ people in Gahiji take on the names of their fathers or mothers?"

"Um… Pride, right? Pride in their family and legacy."

"Exactly. Gahin people add the names of their family to that of their own, to show pride in their heritage, where they came from and who raised them. You announce not only your own name, but that of your father or mother, the people you respect, and those who made you the person you are." Rikki was quiet for a moment, his gaze remaining level on the ground in front of them. "But then what would it mean, if someone _didn't_ have a surname?"

"If they _didn't_? At all? Wouldn't that mean that they don't… If they… Oh…"

"Now do you understand?" Rikki asked. He didn't seem angry, thankfully, but was making sure Sonia understood. "Those that don't have a surname either never knew their parents - either orphaned or otherwise - or they don't have any pride in the parents they _do_ have.

"The former isn't too common, honestly. Parentless children often take the name of the caretakers at the orphanages that they are sent to live in. If you stay in Dundorma a while, you might hear someone with the surname Madoc. Madoc ka'Gendry is an old man who runs an orphanage in Lowtown. He tries to act like a proper father figure for those he cares for, so a lot of the kids that live there tend to take his name as their own. As far as I know, there are hundreds of people in Dundorma and throughout Gahiji that have the surname tar' or ka'Madoc. A couple of my friends have ka'Madoc as their own surnames. Though, there _are_ some that feel like that's not good enough, and _never_ take a surname, no matter how kind their caretakers are."

Sonia nodded in understanding, before looking at Rikki and speaking in a quiet voice. "And… what about you?" she asked, and Rikki sighed.

"I am the latter. I knew my parents, but I don't want my name associated with _either_ of them; my name is the _only_ name which I have pride in. Rikki is the only name I go by, Sonia, and probably the only one I ever will."

The pair descended into silence once more as Rikki finished speaking. Sonia didn't know what to say. How was she supposed to respond to a statement like that? In the end, she couldn't think of anything, and the two continued on down the streets of Dundorma, with only the sounds of their boots, the _clicking_ of Sonia's crutch, and the clamor echoing out from the side stalls to accompany them.

"I… I love my parents," Sonia eventually said, and Rikki looked at her curiously. "I may have given the… the wrong impression when I didn't want to say my last name. I'm not withholding my last name because I don't respect them, or because I don't want to be associated with them. I'm proud to be their daughter. I just… want to make a name for myself on my own."

Rikki didn't respond immediately, and Sonia kept prattling on. "It's just that my parents are… they're kinda famous back home, and I wanted to be a hunter like they were, but because of my last name people would put all these expectations on me, and I didn't want to succeed and have people say, 'of course she did well because she's their daughter', or fail and have them say 'I expected more from her'. I want to… I just… I want my family name to be an extension of who I am, not… not the other way around. I don't want people to think I'm hiding my family name because I don't… because I'm not…"

"Sonia." The huntress sputtered to a halt when Rikki spoke up. "You don't need to explain yourself to me or compare your reasons with my own. I think I understand where you're coming from. If you're happy with your family and your family name, then that's all that matters. Don't feel guilty just because your situation is different from mine."

"Oh. Sorry…"

"You don't need to apologize either. Now then, I believe we've arrived."

Sonia looked up, and sure enough the two of them were approaching the Hungry Seltas. As Sonia and Rikki approached the doors to the bar, however, Sonia could hear some raucous shouting coming from within. Another bar fight, she supposed. They were rare, since most folks were careful about angering Kaiden (despite being rather meek when it came to his wife, he was surprisingly skilled at ending fights) but Sonia figured alcohol brought it out of people. She was surprised nobody had been thrown out the door quite yet, if she could hear the shouting from here. However, as she neared, she realize that she realized that one of the voices was Tuulikki's… and the other voices rung a bell as well.

Sonia entered and spotted Tuulikki instantly, which wasn't hard since most of the patrons were staring uncomfortably in her direction. The huntress had her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her mouth twisted into a feral growl as she glared at the two men in front of her. Leon was standing next to her, looking uncomfortable. However, Sonia was surprised to find that the people Tuulikki was yelling at were Reynardine and Ysengrim from Lintukoto. The switch axe user had an amused smirk on his face as he faced down Tuulikki's glare unflinchingly, but the gunlancer stood a couple steps behind him, looking annoyed and bored more than anything else.

"How can you be this obtuse?" Rey cackled. "You all get run down by a Basarios and you have the gall to keep saying that our weapons are an 'affront'? Grim and I can, and have, blasted apart those rocks with legs before, and _without_ any big injuries I might add."

"After much preparation, I have no doubt," the huntress snapped back. "Bold words, Reynardine, but could you say the same if you were ambushed as we were? But I suppose I shouldn't have expected more from a pair of Progressives, a pair of high-ranked hunters who boast by comparing their efforts to those three apprentices and a single huntress trying to protect them all."

"She's got a point," Grim muttered, but Rey scoffed and shrugged.

"Perhaps, perhaps. But I can't help but wonder, even if you were ambushed, who did the most damage to it, hmm? Your glaive is nice and sharp, but against a rock… well. However, you do have a spry young man who uses a switch axe… how much did he contribute to the fight compared to the rest?" Tuulikki scowled and gritted her teeth at the words, much to the switch axe user's delight. "Heh! Thought so! Maybe you should tag along one day and you can watch what kind of damage a _real_ weapon can do compared to your precious blade-on-a-stick." The man gave her a sultry grin, taking a step closer. "Maybe we can even make a date of it, hmm? Show you what a Progressive weapon can really do, and show you a good time in other ways as well…"

"Don't you touch me!" the huntress barked, swatting his hand away as he tried to rest it on her shoulder.

"Ah, what a shame! I suppose you just prefer the company of guys like Lucky Boy here instead." Rey turned, sneering at Leon. "Ain't that right? Tell me, old buddy, how much did _you_ do to help fight the Basarios with your precious lance, huh?"

The lancer bristled at the words. "I played my role."

"Ha! Not very well by the sounds of it!"

Behind Tuulikki and Leon, the rest of Sonia's friends sat huddled in one of the booths, looking on uncomfortably. Vi had a nervous expression on her face as they watched the clash unfold, and even Ketrak had retreated and was nestled into Vi's lap. Logan looked confused at what was happening. Bram seemed to be the only odd one out, paying attention to the argument with only mild attention, but as Sonia had entered the room, he turned his gaze her way quickly, and he called out her name on impulse.

The word pulled Tuulikki's gaze to the door, where her eyes met Sonia's for a moment, before flicking towards Rikki. Her eyes widened in recognition upon looking on his face, and immediately her expression darkened and Sonia shivered involuntarily. Tuulikki's gaze was _filled_ with loathing; it was as though she was trying to erase the hunter from existence with only her eyes.

" _Rikki_!" Tuulikki hissed venomously, storming their direction. Rikki didn't flinch, however, meeting her vehemence with a level stare as she approached.

"Tuulikki. It's been a while. Almost a full six months… but you're still throwing a Purist fit like usual, even when I'm not around."

"What are _you_ doing here?" the huntress snapped as she ground to a halt in front of him.

Rikki raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm a hunter. In Dundorma. What do you _think_ I'm doing here?"

"You bastard, you know what I-!" The huntress paused, snapping her attention to Sonia for a moment before reaching forward and grabbing her arm, pulling her away from Rikki and nearly making her topple over. In a flash, Bram was next to her, helping her steady herself and get her crutch back under her arm. The archer shot Tuulikki a scowl, but the huntress had already returned her attention to Rikki. "What were you doing to Sonia? Why were you-"

"Oh, please. What kind of person do you think I am?" the man grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I _know_ what kind of person you are! I don't need to think about it."

"Clearly."

"Tell me! If you did anything to her…"

"Please. I just met her on the road and accompanied her here." Tuulikki scowled distrustfully, giving Sonia a questioning look.

"My, how interesting!" Sonia blinked in surprise when Reynardine suddenly swept up to her, grinning wickedly. "First of all, it's wonderful to see you again, lovely little Therian. Sonia was it? I suppose I missed that when we first met. Normally, I'd make amends by treating you to a drink or a night on the town… or did Rikki already seduce you? Did he sweep you off your feet, little Sonia?"

"What? I mean, no, he… A bunch of Fel-, uh, Melynx tried to mug me in an alley, and-"

"Wait, what? When? Where?" Bram gasped, gripping her shoulders tightly. "All you alright? Did they hurt you at all?"

"No, I'm fine. They didn't hurt me. There were six of them, but if it weren't for this stupid cast, I… Um, but Rikki showed up and chased them off," Sonia said quietly, and Tuulikki blinked in surprise.

As Bram sighed in relief, Tuulikki frowned, returning her glare to Rikki. The hunter simply shrugged nonchalantly and faced Bram. "I'd keep her company on the streets for a couple nights if I were you. Melynx aren't generally a vengeful group - they're more scavengers and opportunists than anything from what I've seen - but the ones I saw seemed better armed than your run-of-the-mill thieves. Keep out of the alleys and side streets for a while, alright?"

"Yeah, sure," Sonia muttered.

"I appreciate what you've done," Bram nodded gratefully. "But, ah, who exactly are you? Your hair is…"

"Ha, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that she never mentioned me, considering our relationship. Allow me to introduce myself properly then: My name is Rikki, and I am Tuulikki's older brother."

"Her _brother_?" Sonia gasped. Their hair color and skin tone were certainly similar, but even so the revelation had caught her off guard. "But… why would-"

"Because he's an unrepentant _thief_!" Tuulikki hissed venomously. "A heartless bastard who stole from the people of Lintukoto! And even when father forgave him and annulled his crime, he turned his back on his heritage, erasing his surname! He has no pride in his family, and is a _Progressive_ as well!"

Sonia glanced in shock at Rikki, but he met her look with one of nonchalance. "If you're looking for some sort of denial on my part, I'll have to disappoint you. She's telling the truth: you're looking at a thief, and one who doesn't regret his actions either. I stole almost a hundred thousand zenny from the village elders with the intent of going for a ride on an airship. Guilty as charged. Tapio even used his position to keep me from being punished too badly, little good though that did." Rikki gave Tuulikki a level stare. "What can I say? I just couldn't help myself. Though, in all fairness, I did pay the elders back what I had left when I returned-"

"You did so while our mother was _dying_!" Tuulikki roared. "By the time you came back they'd already buried her, you bastard!"

"Now, that's not true," the man replied. "She was _dead_ , yes, but they hadn't had the funeral yet. Not that I actually would have attended the ceremony had I the _choice_ , but-"

Something inside Tuulikki snapped then, and the huntress' arm snapped to her belt reaching for the hunting knife she kept attached at her waist. Rikki didn't even flinch, maintaining an even, unfettered gaze on the huntress. Thankfully, at that moment Kaiden stepped in, grabbing her wrist and keeping her from drawing the blade.

"Alright, little lady, I think that's far enough," the barkeep said. "Shouting's one thing, and fists are another, but don't think I'll let you draw a weapon here. Gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Don't you-" The glaive wielder was cut off as Vi appeared behind her, swinging her arms around the small huntress' torso and pinning her arms to her side.

"Stop it Tuli!" Vi shouted.

The huntress growled darkly, but Rikki raised his hands. "No, don't worry yourself, me and my friends were just leaving. We don't want to cause any trouble… well, any more than we already have. My apologies for any disruptions."

"Huh, is that so," Kaiden replied flatly.

"Aw, I wanted dinner!" Rey whined, only to get whapped in the back of the head by Grim.

"Shut up. We're going."

"It was nice to meet you Sonia," Rikki nodded politely. "Good luck to you and your friends during the exam. If I have time, I'll try to come watch."

"Oh. Uh… thanks?" Sonia replied nervously, getting a dirty look from Tuulikki. "And, uh, thank you again."

"Like I said before, don't worry about it. It was the right thing to do."

"As if you'd know what it meant to do 'what's right'!" Tuulikki hissed. Rikki ignored her and turned to look at Rey and Grim.

"You two ready to go?"

" _I'm_ not," Rey huffed. "I think I was getting somewhere!" He winked at Tuulikki, and Vi had to struggle to keep the smaller huntress from breaking loose of her grip.

"We're leaving," Grim growled, grabbing Rey by the shoulders and dragging him towards the doors. "Much as I'd like to see your sister hospitalize this moron, we've still got a job the Guild wants us to do."

"And you just can't do it without me? Is that it?" Rey beamed.

"We just need someone around stupid enough to be bait for a raging monster, and you're the easiest to convince."

"And my dashing good looks are a wonderful bonus, huh?" Grim didn't even reply, growling under his breath and pushing the switch axe user out the door as Rey cackled in amusement. Before they vanished into the darkness, Rey turned and leered at Leon. "See you 'round, Lucky Boy!"

Rikki gave one last poignant look at Tuulikki, nodding at her before turning and following his friends out the door. As their footsteps faded away, Vi finally released Tuulikki from her grip, allowing the smaller huntress to seethe where she stood. She was breathing heavily, and Sonia could see her fists shaking in rage at her sides.

"Still gonna have to ask you to leave," Kaiden said sternly, crossing his arms as he looked down at Tuulikki. "You can come back tomorrow, but for tonight, you're out."

The huntress nodded slowly, glaring at the ground. Then she turned to Sonia, her voice hissing out of her mouth in a raspy growl. "That… _creature_ is the worst human scum in the world. If I were you, I would do well to _never_ speak to him again, understand?"

The huntress didn't even wait for a reply before storming out of the tavern, nearly knocking the swinging doors off their hinges as she burst through them. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, before idle chatter began to pick up from the other customers around them again, and Kaiden huffed before returning to the bar. Vi looked hopelessly at the doors before groaning and turning towards the others.

"Well… that was Rikki," Vi muttered blandly. "He's… pretty much the reason Tuli doesn't care for Progressives."

"Hoy, that's some kinda relationship…" Logan muttered at he and Leon finally approached from where they'd been. Sonia didn't really blame them for trying to keep out of the blast radius. "Was she really gonna knife him?"

"I'd like to say no, but… when it comes to Rikki…"

"They're usually more civil than that," Leon explained. The Therian hunters all gave him disbelieving looks, and he shrugged uncomfortably. "Not much more civil, admittedly. Back in Lintukoto, they usually only dicker over Purist and Progressive ideals…"

"He lives in Lintukoto?!" Sonia gasped. "If they act like this in passing, how have they not killed each other yet? And how come I never saw him there?"

"Technically he doesn't live _in_ Lintukoto. Apparently Tapio couldn't get him off completely scott-free when he stole that money, and the village elders he robbed forbade him from living within the village, so he has a house just outside the village limits, up above the lip of the gully where he's technically not 'in' the village. Anyway, the only reason they're polite - and I use that word in the _loosest_ sense - to each other in the village is because Rikki's leading the Progressive movement and Tuli's fronting the Purists, and both of them are trying to maintain upstanding and professional appearances as the faces of their factions. Though, even then their arguments tend to get really fiery, and that's without even taking into account Rikki's past. The second their mother is mentioned… things go downhill fast."

"That's probably why Tapio shunted off Rikki and his friends to Stellazzio when you guys first showed up," Vi sighed, "and why he gave you to Tuli. As much as I love Tuli, her fights with her brother are bad, and I can understand Tapio taking any excuse to keep the two of them separated, even if it means forcing you three into her tutelage and Rikki into being a caravan guard."

"We was only put with her to keep her busy?" Logan asked sourly.

"No! I mean, not entirely. Tapio probably wanted to teach Tuli a lesson on making assumptions about people too, and she really is one of the best huntresses in the village, so you'd be guaranteed to receive proper training. As far as I can tell, he's succeeded on all accounts. You've all grown a lot as hunters, and Tuli's gotten a lot nicer around you, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hoy… maybe so…"

"Tapio's always been the type to try and kill two Bnahabra with one stone… though I guess separating her and Rikki was just a delaying tactic." Vi frowned, looking towards the door. "I'm gonna… I'm gonna go after her and try and calm her down. Go ahead and get something to eat without me."

With that the huntress darted out of the tavern, leaving the Therian hunters alone with Leon. The lancer sighed, leading the others back to the table, before Sonia asked him a question. "Why was Rey picking on you when we first got to the bar? It looked like he had something in on you."

Leon winced, scratching his head uncomfortably. "I, uh… I've known those two all my life. Back before I met Vi, I was friends with them."

"What? Really? But the way they were talking to you-"

"I know, I know. It was a long time ago. Back then, we all lived in Lowtown, the, uh, more impoverished section of town to the north. Slums, really. In those days, none of us were very well off, and our families were just scraping by. When I was about six, Mom and Dad managed to get a job working for Vi's parents and eventually became good friends with them. But… you remember how I told you about the disease that went through Lowtown when I was younger, the one that killed my parents? Well, the same one killed Rey and Grim's parents too. Victor and Kumin were kind enough to take me in after that, but… those two were dropped off at an orphanage in Lowtown, one that was suddenly overcrowded with kids that had just lost their families." Leon sighed, resting his head against his wrist. "I guess they held it against me, that I managed to get plucked up by people with good means, while they were stuck in the slums."

"Wasn't you fault, though," Logan noted, and Leon nodded.

"I know. It's just envy at best. But to them it was like I cheated my way out of the same struggles they were living in, getting a life of relative luxury while they had to stay in Lowtown, like I played some great trick and never let them in on it. We were just kids at the time, and we'd all just lost our families, but I was the only one of us lucky enough to have someone that would take me in, so they resented me for that."

"But you didn't deserve it," Sonia said.

"No… but when you've lost everyone you love, what someone else does or doesn't deserve rarely matters. I guess it's easier to vilify someone when they get something that you feel like you deserve just as much as them. If I was in their situation, I'd probably feel the same way they do. I was so devastated after my parents died that I never really realized how lucky I was to be taken in until a while later."

The conversation came to an end a moment later when Kaiden appeared, presenting them with their dinners. Sonia barely even noticed what it was they were given, and the four of them ate silently before paying and leaving the bar.

As they were walking back to Vi's house, Sonia found herself lagging behind the others. Bram noticed and paused to let her catch up, as did the others, but Sonia waved Logan and Leon on, telling them that she wanted to take a quick break and that Bram was enough company for her. The two of them nodded and continued on towards the house as Sonia and Bram found a bench to rest on near the eastern river.

"Bram, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"It's just… What did you think of Rikki?"

Bram thought about the question for a moment, staring out over the water in front of them. "I don't know enough to make an accurate assessment of his character. Tuulikki certainly doesn't care for him, and he certainly doesn't seem to act kindly to her in turn. And he did steal a lot of money and doesn't seem guilty of his crime. But he acted politely to you and helped you when you were being mugged, so that ingratiates him to me. Why?"

"I just… he seemed so nice at first. He saved me from the Melynx and made sure I was fine afterwards. He's been nothing but polite and courteous to me. But he's a thief. And he hates his family. I mean, Tuulikki's not the _nicest_ person I've ever met, but she's alright once you get to know her. And Tapio was one of the most amicable people we've met in Gahiji. But Rikki hates them both, and I don't understand why."

"Everyone has their reasons," Bram replied simply. "Even members of a family can fall out with each other. One person's ethics rarely aligns perfectly with those of others, even when they're blood related, and such clashes can create rifts." The archer paused for a moment in thought. "And just because he's got a sketchy past doesn't mean Rikki can't be kind, Sonia. His relationship with his father and sister doesn't dictate what his relationship with others will be."

Sonia frowned, tapping the end of her crutch against the ground rhythmically. "Do you… think it's _wrong_ of us to want to hide our surnames from the others like we have been?"

Bram blinked in surprise. "I don't understand. We're only trying to keep people from recognizing-"

"I know that, Bram. Hell, it was my idea in the first place, but… do you think we're wrong for doing so?"

"...No, I don't believe so. But why do you bring it up now? We've been keeping our surnames to ourselves ever since we entered Gahiji."

Sonia sighed, and explained what she'd learned from Rikki on the walk to the Hungry Seltas. Bram listened patiently, and nodded in understanding when she was finished. "So that's it. You're afraid that, by hiding our names, we're acting like we're ashamed of our families?"

"Pretty much. I mean, I just want to make a name for myself on my own terms. I don't want people to think that I don't… that I'm ashamed of my mom and dad or something."

Bram was silent for a moment, staring out over the canal. "I think the others understand us." Sonia looked up at Bram's words, meeting the archer's eyes. "We've told them about our parents before, remember? You've told them a few of the stories your mother and father have told us, and you always sounded so excited when doing so. I've mentioned my parents and siblings to them as well on occasion. They've seen that we send letters home and receive them in return. Violetta, Leon, and Tuulikki, though they may not know who our parents are, I'm certain that they know how much we love them, even if we keep our surnames to ourselves."

Sonia nodded slowly, returning her gaze to the slow-flowing canal ahead of them. "You really think so?"

"I do," the archer nodded confidently. "Are you thinking about telling them who our families are? At this point, it's only a matter of time before they find out, since our mothers are coming to watch us during the exam. As far as I can tell, our only real options are that we either tell them ourselves, or let our families reveal us. Though, we _could_ try and get a letter to them beforehand and ask if they'd be willing to go incognito on our behalves-"

"No, not that. I don't want Mom to go to such lengths."

Sonia frowned, glaring at the stone walkway under her. She didn't like either choice. She wanted to believe that her friends here wouldn't change the way they thought of her if they found out who she and Bram's parents were. She wanted to think that they'd gotten to know each other well enough over the last five months that revealing her surname and heritage wouldn't change anything. She wanted to think that… but she'd been disappointed before. People she'd known before had changed the way they treated her just by learning her surname, and she didn't want that to happen again. She wanted to be 'Sonia', not 'the heir to the Geisel name'.

Maybe she'd get lucky though. The Geisel name was well-known in Theron, certainly, but that had been the Alatreon's primary stomping grounds. Maybe stories hadn't really circulated through Gahiji like they had back home. Maybe the others would hear their surnames and be surprised but not shocked. Maybe, but…

"Do you think they'll change their opinions of us when we tell them who we really are?"

"...I couldn't say. But I don't think so," Bram admitted. Sonia frowned at the words, and there were a few moments of silence between the two of them. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Let's hold off for now," Sonia decided. "Maybe we're just delaying the inevitable, but if things… change between us and them, I wanna put it off as long as I can, alright?"

"I understand," Bram nodded, pushing to his feet. "Shall we go? You look tired."

"Yeah… yeah, alright," Sonia sighed, taking his hand and standing up. She stretched wearily, realizing how tired she really was. The stress of the last couple hours had taken their toll, and she really wanted to get some sleep. "Oh, yeah… There's going to be a weapon expo during the exam that I think you'll like."

"You don't say?"

"Mmhmm. It's right up your alley, I promise."

"Really? Well, we'll have to make time for a quick trip over to that side of town sometime then, won't we?"

"Yes we will."

With that, the two hunters slowly made their way back to Vi's house, talking quietly between themselves.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about siblings!**

 **For those that have suspicions about where the Hungry Seltas got its name… you're probably right.**

 **And here we meet the last of our nine main characters, Rikki, Tuulikki's elder brother. From here on in we'll be seeing a lot more of him, Rey, and Grim, though they'll still be separated from the main story for a while yet.**

 **Next time, we see Ellie and Kerry again, and begin the hunter's exam proper!**

 **MHGen Cart Counter: 19 carts!  
Playing: Stardew Valley, Ratchet and Clank, Fire Emblem: Fates, Bravely Second, MHGen  
Listening: Pet Shop Boys, Van Morrison, Undertale soundtrack  
Watching: Red Cliff, Deadpool, Voltron Legendary Defender (WATCH THIS! It's so good…)  
Reading:** _ **Hakumei to Mikochi**_ **by Kashiki Takuto,** _ **The Rising of the Shield Hero Vol. 5**_ **by Aneko Yusagi,** _ **Agatha Heterodyne and the Clockwork Princess**_ **by Phil and Kaja Foglio,** _ **Drowtales: Moonless Age**_ **by Yan Gagne**


	21. The First Test

The First Test

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

"Hokay, I is back. Think I got everything… Chocolate for Sonia and Vi, vanilla for Bram, honey for me and Leon, and for Short Stuff… Hmph. Butterscotch ripple with chocolate syrup, almonds, and toffee on top."

"Very good. You know why I asked for that?"

"Spite? And 'cause I keep calling you Short Stuff?"

"As long as you understand."

"Hoy… I got all the rest of you right too, ja?"

"Looks like it," Sonia replied gleefully, snatching a cup of ice cream out of Logan's hands and scooping into in with a small wooden spoon. "I can't believe they actually sell this in Gahiji! Much less out of a wagon."

"After the last three months, I'm less and less surprised by what you can buy from caravans with each passing day," Bram replied, taking his own cup as Logan passed them around. "Portable restaurants and smithies… My only question is how he manages to keep all this cold on the move."

"Lotta ice crystals and freezer sacs and a big ol' insulated box covered in Lagombi fur and some kinda blubber, by the looka things," Logan muttered, handing Tuulikki her cup last before digging into his own ice cream. "Entire cart was letting off this cool air, hey? 'Magine he gotta buy lotta stuff from hunters up north to keep it all running, hey?"

"Maybe he trades in ice cream!" Vi giggled happily. "I'd swap a freezer sac or two for a carton of this stuff!"

"Much as he charge for this stuff, might be what it takes. Guy tried to convince me it was all made of Kirin milk, of all things. Peh, I hear of people making butter from Kirins, but ice cream too? Is a bit much, I think."

"You accept Kirin butter, but not Kirin ice cream?" Tuulikki asked.

"Not from a guy selling it outta a wagon, hey? 'Sides, this don't taste too different from the buffalo milk ice cream they sell back home. Thinking he's trying to bump up the price."

"Oh! Speaking of Kirin butter, all of Theron's supply comes from Gahiji, right?" Sonia spoke up.

"Probably," Leon replied. "Unless you get it shipped all the way from Schrade."

"Does that mean there's a Kirin dairy farm somewhere in Gahiji? Some ranch where they keep and milk free-roam elder dragons out in a pasture like Kelbi or Popos?"

The three Gahin hunters paused, looking between each other uncertainly for a moment. "Uh… I… don't know," Leon admitted.

"I see it in restaurants and bars all the time, but I've never really thought about where it all comes from," Vi said. "I mean… if Kirin butter is… _actually_ from Kirins, that means someone's captured and milked a Kirin, an elder dragon… right?"

"That seems to be the case," Tuulikki replied. "But… I've never heard of a farm where they keep these Kirins or anything of the like…"

"We should ask around," Sonia said. "Maybe we could take a trip that way and see how it's done. I mean, wouldn't that be interesting, to see how people managed to capture and tame a bunch of elder dragons?"

"Count me in," Leon replied. "I've lived in Dundorma for most of my life. If there's a way to contain elder dragons, I'd like to see it."

"If nothing else, should make for a good story, hey?"

Sonia nodded in agreement, and for a moment their conversation stopped at she and the others returned their attention to their snacks.

She and the others were just outside the main wall of the city, in a wide bailey stretching out to the west of the city inside a protruding outer curtain wall and ramparts. While there were no houses or shops built within the area itself, the entire field was packed to the brim with wagons and itinerant huts and tents. It was as though all of Val Habar had picked up and scuttled their way here instead, every traveling merchant searching for a chance to profit off the Hunter's Exam.

Stellazzio was set up about a hundred yards to the north of where they were now, circled up and selling to the locals. Apparently they'd managed to get a pretty good spot this year, due to arriving several days earlier than they planned to, which was giving them quite a bit of extra business. Unfortunately, their early arrival, mixed with Sonia's sickness and the temporary loss of four hunters from their employ, meant the caravan hadn't had time to gather all the materials they needed to maximize their profit.

Sonia was happy to say she could help make up for it now that her leg was healed. It had been about two and a half weeks since she'd finally gotten her cast off, and she was pushing to get back into fighting shape again. The first few days had been used to ease back into the swing of things, not hunting any large monsters but just getting her stamina and mobility back up, and she'd used the time to explore the thick forests surrounding Dundorma and collecting materials for Stellazzio. While she found the work tedious at best, she wanted to try and make up for the trouble she'd caused for the caravan. Even if Steward and the others insisted she didn't need to, that it wasn't her fault she got sick, she still did her best to gather anything and everything they requested to make up for time lost. She even resigned herself to gathering every Kelbi horn she could within twenty miles of the city, just to help out Daguerreo.

That wasn't to say she hadn't fought any large monsters since her recovery. Once Tuulikki and Violetta agreed she was in ship shape again, she had finally been able to rejoin the others in large monster hunts. She'd had to start off easy of course, Kut-Kus, Dromes, and Seltas, but quickly moved back towards more difficult monsters. Just yesterday, she and the others had managed to take down the first Gypceros she'd ever had a chance to fight! She'd even managed to gather enough materials for Cleyra to forge her a new pair of dual blades to replace the ones she'd lost during the Basarios fight. All in all the fight had gone well, except for…

"Hey, Leon, how's your head feeling?" she spoke up. The lancer looked up from his cup and brushed a hand across his forehead, where a wrap of gauze looped around his skull.

"It's not that bad an injury, but the doctors don't want me hunting for another day or two to be sure."

"Just in time for the exam, huh? For all the running across stone walls and tree trunks that Gyp did, I never thought it'd lose its footing like that."

"And I just happened to be under it when it did, of course," Leon sighed.

"Maybe you just got the bad luck when it comes to those poison-slinging beasties, hey?" Logan noted. "First the broken leg, now this?"

"It's not…" Leon paused before saying anything else, glancing between Vi and Tuulikki and scratching his head thoughtfully. He raised a hand and ticked off a short count of numbers under his breath, looping through all his fingers once. "Seven… huh. I guess I can't really argue with that. Maybe I should pass on the next one, just to be safe…"

"Just hope you don't get set up against one during the exam," Tuulikki said flatly. "Especially if precedence is any indication."

"Oh boy… Do the monster keepers at the arena accept bribes?"

"If they do, not on your budget."

Sonia grinned and looked around her again, letting her gaze linger over the signs and advertisements surrounding her as hundreds of merchants bellowed promises to passersby of the quality of their goods, and how what they had to offer were by far superior to anyone else's. Sonia had long since tuned out the calls of the salesmen and their ilk, and her eyes kept returning to a wide open area not far away, unoccupied land marked off by small poles and ropes. Several merchants had been eyeing the space with envy, but it had already been bought and claimed by Rising Dawn.

She and Bram had scouted out the site where the airship display would be over a week ago, and the city had been surprisingly generous with their space, giving them a full two acres to land in and display the ship. Judging by the disgruntled complaints she'd heard from the nearby merchants, Silas must have paid the city a small fortune for the space. Sonia could help but wonder what sort of display they'd be presenting… or why they were waiting so long to arrive. Most of the caravans in the area had been in town for a week or more, yet the Therian airship wasn't due to arrive until today, even if the area had been roped off for at least two weeks.

As the six of them chatted between each other, a low rumbling filled the air. Sonia glanced up in recognition of the sound, looking towards the western wall of the city, where several guards were scurrying around and motioning wildly out towards the far side of the barriers. A moment later, a sleek airship sailed into sight, flying several hundred yards in the air and slowly lowering towards the earth. The engines sounded surprisingly quiet to Sonia's ears, but maybe they were just tuning them down.

Sonia laughed eagerly, leaping to her feet and darting towards the sectioned-off area with the others following behind her. A crowd was starting to gather, staring up at it and whispering between each other in either awe or distaste; it seemed like there was a pretty even split between the two sides. Sonia could hear surprised shouts coming from some of the civilians around them at the sight of the ship. An announcement had been made to the city about the arrival of the ship a few weeks ago, and Sonia had heard people gossiping about it, but apparently not everyone had gotten the memo.

When the airship reached the point where it was only maybe twenty yards off the ground, several ropes were thrown over the sides, and a collection of crewmen sharply slid down them, landing in the grass and pulling the ropes taut. The ship lowered more carefully now, sinking down until the hull pressed against the grass, at which point the crewmen sharply plunged a collection of stakes into the earth and wrapped the ropes around them, safely mooring the ship. They'd done their jobs well: though the gas-bag bobbed and swayed in the breeze, the ship itself remained firmly in place. With a sputter and cough, the engines strapped to the side of the ship began to wind down.

Sonia wanted to hop the ropes and rush the airship, but she knew it was better to keep her distance until the crewmen were done with their work. Her eyes were locked on the deck of the ship, however, trying to catch sight of her mother and brother, but all she could see were crewmen darting around making sure everything was in working order. Soon, however, the flurry of motion died down, and a long gangplank was extended over the side, latching into place and _thumping_ against the grass below.

At the top of the gangplank, a man appeared, wearing a royal blue coat emblazoned with Rising Dawn's logo, as well as a pristine white captain's hat. He was of average height, fairly lean, and his back was slightly hunched over as he folded his hands behind his back, but his stride and his gait clearly labeled him as the man in charge as he lurched down the plank. His face was weathered and worn by time, with sharp blue eyes and a long, thick beard hung down to his chest, which had slivers of chestnut brown coloring in it but was mostly covered in grey.

Sonia had met Captain Marcus several times. Her parents were friends with him, and he always gave Sonia sweets whenever they had traveled with him when she was a little girl. She hadn't seen him in a while though, since he'd apparently been doing different tasks for Silas the last few years. However, her attention swiftly shifted from the old captain as two familiar people appeared at the top of the gangplank.

" _Mom! Van!_ "

Eleanor looked up at the sound of Sonia's shout as she walked down the plank, scouring the crowd and spotting Sonia hopping up and down on the other side of the rope and smiling broadly. Marcus spotted her as well, motioning for her to enter the area, and Sonia quickly slid under the rope and dashed towards her family, nearly tackling her mother as she was pulled into a fierce hug.

"Oh, my sweet little girl! I'm so glad you're alright…" Eleanor pulled away, clutching Sonia's face in her hands. "Let me look at you. Goodness, Hellrot Fever? None of the doctors in Theron even knew what that _was_. It certainly doesn't sound good… Are you okay? Recovering well? Are those bandages on your arm? Is that-"

"Mom, I'm fine!" Sonia laughed. "I'm okay, really. I've told you pretty much everything I could in the letters. I've gone in for like ten checkups in the last month, and the doctors say I'm right as rain. The bandages are a leftover from a Gypceros hunt, but it just nipped me… It was trying to steal my bracer off my arm."

"It tried to steal your armor?"

"That's what they do, apparently. It tried to yank my item pouch right off my belt!"

"Huh. Well, I hope you-" Eleanor paused, looking down at the tug of her coat to find Van looking up eagerly at the two of them.

"Oh, I didn't forget about you!" Sonia said, sweeping down and picking Van up and kissing him on the cheek. "How you doing, little guy?"

"I'm good. Are you not sick anymore?"

"Fit as a fiddle. Can't get rid of me that easily!"

"That's good. I would've missed you."

"Well, we can't have that, now can we? Don't worry, your big sister won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"Does that mean you're going to come home?"

Sonia frowned uncertainly, rolling her head. "Well… eventually. I won't be gone forever. I need to at least pass the exam first, and there's a couple things I want to do here once that's done. Tuulikki's promised me that she'll teach me how to use an insect glaive and raise a Kinsect as a reward for passing, and I want to do that before I come back to Theron. We'll see after that."

From the deck, Sonia spotted Bram's mother coming down the gangplank as well, dragging a pair of large suitcases behind her. Already she was looking around the area with interest, scanning the crowds and wagons and shops. However, her eyes landed on Bram and the others, who were approaching the ship with more decorum, and she smiled warmly at him, setting the suitcases down and opening her arms.

"Don't pretend to be aloof, Bram. Come give your mother a hug." Bram chuckled sheepishly as Kerrigan pulled him into a hug, patting him on the back. She pulled away a few moments later, keeping her hands on her son's shoulders and looking at his face. "You look tired. Are you sleeping well?"

"I… I've been stressed lately, but I'm sleeping better now. Sonia and the others are keeping an eye on me." The archer paused, shifting his weight slightly in contemplation. "Also, I, uh, may have found my calling, which has led to some sleep loss."

Kerrigan tensed at the words, her smile creasing into a nervous grin. "Really, dear? That's… good." She glanced around uncertainly before leaning forward and lowering her voice. "Have there been any explosions?"

"Oh! Ha, no, none at all," Bram laughed. "I'm studying a mix of medicine, herbalism, and, uh, entomology."

"Insects?"

"Of a sort. Not the most volatile line of work… or at least, I'm not studying anything that's _supposed_ to explode. I think Tuulikki would flay me alive if I blew up a Kinsect."

"Oh thank goodness…" the woman sighed wearily, leaning forward and resting her forehead against her son's shoulder. "You have no idea how stressful it's been, not knowing what to expect from you. Every single one of your siblings has caused some sort of… _disaster_ when they found their callings! Well, not Lucy. There's only so much mayhem you can cause as an archeologist without destroying your subject of study. But Senya's a botonist, yet _somehow_ … Oh, but you'll have to tell me all about it while I'm here. I'd love to see what you're working on!"

"There isn't much to look at yet, I'm afraid. I'm only in the development stage… But my notes are in the wagon over in Caravan Stellazzio, and I can show you my theories and ideas sometime before the exam."

"I can't wait," the woman replied with a smile. She turned, looking towards Logan. "And how are you doing, Logan?"

"Eh, I is fine, don't you worry 'bout me."

"That's good to hear… but I'm sorry, Logan. We tried to convince Lynn to come with us-"

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it. She seen me pass one exam already, she don't need to watch another, hey? 'Sides, she gots her bar to see to, and is kegging season, so she gotta be there to talk with all the liquor salesmen, hey? Busy time of year. I know how it is."

"Still, Kerry and I promise to do our best to cheer you on just as loudly as she would've if she'd been able to come," Ellie grinned. "Or… we'll try our best. Lynn has vocal cords that would make a Rathian envious."

"Heh, ain't that the truth," the great sword user smirked. "Could hear her yellin' for me from halfway 'cross Loc Lac when I was little, hey? Well, I 'preciate it anyway."

"Of course, dear," Kerrigan nodded. "Now, we'll have plenty of time to catch up later. Why don't you introduce us to your friends?"

"Right!" Sonia replied, stepping forward and motioning to the three Gahin hunters and introducing them in turn. "This is Violetta, Tuulikki, and Leon, the ones we've been hunting with here in Gahiji. We're staying at Vi's house as long as we're in Dundorma."

"And you three are more than welcome to stay with us as long as you're here!" Vi said eagerly.

"That's really nice of you. I admit, I was worried about trying to find a place " Ellie said politely, smiling at all of them. "I'm Eleanor Geisel, Sonia's mother. This little one here is Sonia's brother, Van."

"And I'm Kerrigan Renfield, Bram's mother," the researcher supplied. "It's wonderful to finally meet all of you. We've heard a lot about you in the letters we've received."

"Nice to meet you too!" Vi replied eagerly. "Sonia and Bram have told us stories about you guys too, so we've been looking forward to… to, uh…" The hunting horn user petered to a halt, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

Leon was the one to speak up first, however. "Geisel and Renfield? Aren't those the names of the hunters that… that, ah-"

"That hunted down and killed the Alatreon?" Sonia finished nervously. "Yeah, that's them… Tah-dah?"

There was a long, awkward silence between all of them, and Sonia could see her words sinking in as she nervously watched on. She could feel her nervousness growing with each passing moment, until finally Leon tilted his head and nodded.

" _That_ explains it," Leon said. "I was _way_ off."

"Explains what? And way off about _what_?" Sonia asked carefully.

"Why you and Bram have been acting like you're hiding government secrets for the past couple weeks," Vi laughed. The hunting horn user spun and grinned at the other two Gahin hunters. "I was closest!"

"Oh come on!" Leon scoffed. "Fame and nobility aren't the same thing!"

"Might as well be!"

"Erm… What exactly are you two talking about?" Bram asked.

"Oh, right! For the last couple weeks, whenever we'd mention your parents in passing, you'd panic and think of an excuse to run off. Well, Sonia in particular. You were subtler about it, Bram, but it was pretty much the same reaction."

"You both were really not subtle at all," Tuulikki smiled. "We knew from your stories that your parents had all been hunters, that all of them except Sonia's father had retired some years ago, and that there were several stories about them that Sonia was hesitant to tell, but beyond that we knew very little."

"We started making guesses on who they might be, since you were trying to hide it from us," Vi admitted sheepishly. " _I_ thought you might be the children of some nobles or something along those lines."

"I said that wasn't the case!" Leon scoffed. "You saw how shocked Sonia was when she first saw the manor, and I told you how she reacted when I showed her the room she'd be staying in. She wouldn't have acted that way if she'd come from a noble background right?"

"Well… maybe? I don't know how things work in Theron! Maybe nobles in Theron are less ostentatious than those here in Gahiji. And they're supposed to be famous, right? That's _almost_ the same thing as nobility, isn't it?"

"Not even close!"

"It is not as though _your_ guess was much better than Vi's," Tuulikki grinned. " _You_ thought she'd been adopted by Shakalakas."

"I was being facetious!" Leon sputtered as Sonia looked at him incredulously. "I just meant that _maybe_ she'd been adopted, and she was worried about our reactions when we realized she didn't look like her parents! The Shakalaka bit was just an exaggerated example, since we don't see any of them here in Gahiji! Besides, you don't really have room to critique my suspicions; you thought they were going to be _criminals_ or something."

"I just said it was a possibility!" Tuulikki snapped, though her face was flush in embarrassment. "Sonia never gave us their names, so I wondered if they were political dissidents or revolutionaries or something along those lines. Maybe they were in hiding and needed to flee the country for some reason! I don't know the political atmosphere in Theron right now! Trying to outrun the law was just a parallel to that…"

"But that still means I was the closest!" Vi squealed. "Okay, their parents aren't nobles, but they are famous, and that means I'm the winner!"

"You know, now that I think about it, you _could_ technically qualify as a noble," Ellie said thoughtfully, nudging Kerry. Violetta immediately snapped her attention to the two of them, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kerry frowned.

"Well, the Guild gave Harker essential ownership of the Compound and everything within, and you're the ones in charge of overseeing its state of affairs. Granted land by the government to rule over as you see fit as long as you follow the Guild's orders? You _could_ make an argument that you've been granted 'nobility' in a sense of it. Harker already calls you Lady Kerrigan, after all, why not bump it over to _Baroness_ Kerrigan Renfield, eh?"

"Ha," Vi smirked, sticking out her tongue at Leon and Tuulikki.

"Ugh, no thank you," Kerry sighed. "I prefer the title _Professoressa_ , myself. But if that's the case, you could make an argument about that criminal bit as well. After all, we _did_ organize and conduct a prison break. That was certainly not legal."

"That doesn't count," Ellie grumbled. "It wasn't an _official_ prison, so it wasn't a prison break."

"It was still aiding and abetting a convict."

"Huh… Alright, good point. But even _trying_ to hunt the Alatreon was a pretty big felony back then… Stergo told us we _all_ would've been thrown in prison if it weren't for all the issues in Loc Lac at the time. But… even if we were acquitted for that, I guess there's an island off the coast that Levin and I are forbidden from stepping foot on."

"Not to mention Harker's… indiscretions when it comes to his experiments and research," Kerry sighed wearily.

"Yeah, Levin's been tagged with a few of those too ever since he started acting as a bodyguard. Property damage, trespassing, endangering public safety…"

"Noise complaints, instigating a riot, arson… though that one actually wasn't their fault. Nobody in my family is legally allowed to live within the walls of Nastre since we've been deemed a fire hazard. Not to mention the countless times the Guild has caught Harker reading restricted research files in the Guild's library."

"How does he keep getting in there in the first place?"

"I couldn't tell you. But apparently Levin's taken up the habit of going to a certain food stand whenever he does, so the Guild's been paying one of the waitresses to send a warning to the library every time she sees him take a seat at the bar by himself."

"Wow. So I guess the criminal bit _does_ sort of fit for us… though we're not exactly on the run from the authorities or anything."

"Ha _ha_!" Tuulikki smirked, crossing her arms smugly.

"You got lucky," Vi huffed. "Oh, but this'll be great! You guys must have the absolute best stories to tell! And maybe a couple _embarrassing_ stories about Sonia, Bram, and Logan to make up for all the stories my parents have been telling?"

"What?!" Sonia yelped.

"Oh, I'm sure we can provide stories of _all_ kinds," Ellie grinned wickedly, giving her daughter a devious look.

"Oh no…"

"Oh, this _will_ be fun!" Leon grinned.

Sonia could only nod quietly on as the conversation progressed. Logan was chuckling to himself, and Bram looked slightly amused as well as she leaned over and nudged him. "I gotta admit, out of all the ways I thought this would play out, this wasn't one of them."

"But it's not bad, right?" Bram asked with a small smile.

"No… No, I guess it's not," Sonia replied, smiling a little as well. It didn't seem like their friends were too chuffed by the reveal of her heritage. Things didn't seem like they would change, at least not badly. Time would tell, but for now, Sonia was hopeful.

"Hey! Hey, Sonia!"

Sonia turned at the familiar voice, grinning excitedly as a tall man rushed down the gangplank of the ship: Bram's older brother, Arthur Renfield. Crisp blond hair hung over a thin but handsome face, warm brown eyes, and a wide grin. He wore a royal blue jumpsuit which had to have been new only a week earlier, but was already badly stained with grease and dirt and other mechanical fluids. His hands were almost as bad, looking as though they'd been washed recently, but with dark stains under his fingernails which could be seen from a dozen yards away.

"Come here, pipsqueak!" Art laughed, sweeping Sonia into a tight hug and swinging her around a couple times and she laughed in delight. He was still grinning enthusiastically as he set her down, ruffling her hair.

"How come you greeted Sonia before you greet me?" Bram asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh, because _she_ is a lovely young woman who knows her way around an airship schematic, and _you're_ just my younger brother," the man scoffed. "When you gonna get around to making an honest woman out of Sonia here?"

The archer rolled his eyes but smiled. "Oh, I'm just delaying the act to spite you."

"Pssh. Well, get to it, or I'll steal her out from under you. Get her out of this nasty, dangerous occupation and get her into a _real_ job as an airship mechanic. I could use a girl like her in the shop." He turned back to Sonia, giving her his most winning smile. "What do you say, pipsqueak? I'd make a good husband, wouldn't I?"

"I'm sure you would," the huntress agreed, "but I think your _wife_ might have issues with you proposing to another woman."

"Sheila? Eh, maybe. But _she's_ happy with me! The opinion of a married woman is a good endorsement as to my value as a significant other, right?"

"I think good husbands aren't _supposed_ to proposition other women, Art. So that's minus about fifty points right there."

"Fifty? Drat," Art sighed dramatically, before glancing up and smirking deviously. "Maybe I can grease the wheels a little. I was going to give this to you after you passed the exam, but I suppose you can consider it a _preemptive_ congratulatory gift… and a slight bribe to convince you to keep your employment options open."

Art reached into the satchel hanging over his shoulder, pulling out a large binder. Sonia only needed to glance at the cover before snatching it out of the man's hands and clutching it eagerly.

"Eee! Is this-"

"Yep. The latest Rising Dawn airship almanac, with all the information you could ever want about the company's discoveries and experiments over the last year. You have _no idea_ how much of a pain it was to sneak that out of the complex without getting caught. Silas keeps that stuff under so much lock and key you'd think they were national secrets… but hey, gotta keep that monopoly monopolizing I guess."

"You stole an airship almanac?" Bram asked with a wince. "That's… risky. Those are the company's trade secrets. Won't you get fired if Silas finds out?"

"' _If'_ being the key word there," Art grinned. "That's actually my personal copy, but I've already got the information inside memorized, so it's not like I need it. Besides, I think of it as an investment: one book a year for the chance she'll eventually see the error of becoming a hunter and come work with me instead. Besides, I'm too valuable for Silas to fire me over something like this… unless it falls into the hands of one of our competitors I guess. You just, uh, keep that to yourself when you get back to Theron, alright? There's a few companies that would like nothing more than to get their claws on Rising Dawn's schematics and designs."

"Please. I'm not sharing this with _anybody_ ," Sonia replied greedily.

"Well, that's a relief. The old Cap over there was lecturing me all the way here once he found out," Art chuckled, pointing a thumb in Captain Marcus' direction. "For a guy who's supposed to be retired from all this, he's a real stickler for the rules, y'know?"

Sonia grinned, looking towards the captain, who had been giving sharp orders to the rest of the crewmen as they disembarked and unloaded equipment. Marcus had an odd look on his face, however, and Sonia realized he was giving a curious look at Tuulikki of all people. The glaive wielder frowned uncomfortably at the attention.

"It is impolite to stare."

Marcus blinked at the words before shaking his head and chuckling sheepishly. "Ah. Yes, you're right. Sorry lass, I didn'a mean to offend. It's just… we ever met before? You look right familiar…"

"No, I do not believe so," Tuulikki replied, glancing at the vessel with a frown. "I have never left Gahiji, and I most _certainly_ have never ridden aboard an airship, so I cannot imagine when we would have ever met."

Marcus pursed his lips, muttering to himself a little. "Eh, maybe you're right, lass. Been a long time since I was in this country anyway. Probably thinking of someone else… Might be that hair of yours, all silver-like."

"My hair…?" Tuulikki muttered, confused. Sonia was surprised as well; the only person she'd met with a hair color like Tuulikki's was Rikki. How many people with hair like hers could there be in Gahiji?

Marcus mulled over his thoughts for a moment more, before muttering to himself and waving a hand dismissively. "Eh, don't worry 'bout it lass, aye? Probably just my old mind playing tricks on me. Been 'round twenty years since I was here last, and you'da been no higher than my waist by the looks of ye back then." Tuulikki frowned, but Marcus snapped his attention away from her and towards Art. "And as for you, ye brat, spiff yourself up. You're coming with me to talk to the city council."

"What?! Why? You know I hate politicking!"

"Consider it my price for letting you give away company manuscripts to a civilian. While we have permission to land here and show off the airship, Silas wants us to try and convince the council to let us take passengers and do laps around the city, try and showpony the whole thing. I want you there to explain all the technical shizzle-wizzle I don't know. Then after that we got a meeting with the Troverians-"

"Aha! Now _that_ I'm looking forward to!" Art turned and grinned at the others. "Well, looks like I've got stuff to do. I'll see you all around."

"Do you need a place to stay?" Vi spoke up. "I can-"

"Oh, don't worry about me, little lady," Art cut in. "The crew are required to stay aboard the airship as long as we're in town - breaks and sightseeing aside - and that includes me. Tourists and civilians like my mother can stay where they want. Just come by to talk sometime, Sonia! Now if you'll excuse me…"

The man turned and hurried back up the gangplank, with Marcus shaking his head. The captain then turned towards the crew and shouted at them to prepare the ship for display and boarding observers.

"We should probably get out of the way," Kerry insisted, looking towards the locals milling just outside the landing zone. "It looks as though things are going to get fairly crowded soon."

"Sure thing," Vi replied eagerly, picking up Kerrigan's luggage for her. Rather than holding it herself, however, she promptly tossed it to Leon, who nearly toppled over as the suitcase hit his chest. Then she did the same for Ellie and Van's suitcases, tossing them in turn to Logan. "Come on! We can stop by my house first and get you settled in, and then we can show you around."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Ellie nodded, taking hold of Van's hand as the group of them made their way through the crowds. Vi and Leon began pointing out sights and shops and other places in town they liked. As they walked, the woman nudged her daughter. "It's nice to see you again, Sonia."

"You too, Mom," Sonia grinned, wrapping her arm around her mother's shoulders and giving her a side-hug.

"I like your friends. I'm glad you've managed to have fun while you were here. I have to admit I was worried after your first few letters, but you've done well for yourself. I can't wait to see how much you've grown when you take the exam!"

Sonia grinned sheepishly, but her smile faltered a moment later. "I wish Dad was here to watch me too…"

"So do I, Sonia," Ellie sighed. "I swear, that man has the worst luck… An elder dragon scare? Really? If he's just managed to smack some sense into Harker earlier…" Her eyes grew lonely for a moment before she shook her head and smiled at Sonia. "Well, just do as well as you possibly can during the exam, Sonia. When your father finally gets back, you'll just have to make sure that the story you tell him about how well you did makes him wish he'd never left in the first place."

"Hee. I can do that."

* * *

Sonia, Bram, Logan, and Leon all reported to the arena early in the morning the day of the exam. Sonia had been there a couple times in the last few weeks, once to sign up for the exam, and once to get an idea of the battlegrounds she'd be performing in. Her mother and father had rarely brought her to the arena in Orage Dell or Loc Lac - neither of them cared for the arena in general - but she had to admit, it was impressive.

It was nearly the largest structure in the city, second only to the Elder Hall at the top of the hill, pressed against the eastern wall just to the south of the Great Hospital. It was shaped like a large number 8, with each separate battleground pressed into each other and molded into a single massive structure. Sonia couldn't wait to have her chance to show off her abilities within.

That wouldn't happen today, however. As soon as the hunters had arrived at the arena and signed in at one of the side gates, they'd immediately been shunted to the tall walls protecting the city behind the buildings. Her mother and Van would've come to watch, but apparently the first test was far from any sort of stands or spectating locations. As such, Ellie had decided to use today to explore the shops around the city in search of monster materials to purchase and bring back to Theron. She was obsessed with purchasing the horns of a Rajang, but if anything Sonia had heard of the creatures was true, she'd be hard pressed to even _find_ any, and less likely to have the money to purchase them.

Sonia had to admit she was excited; she'd heard stories about the battlegrounds the city had constructed, used to funnel attacking monsters into locations which would give hunters and the city guards an advantage. She'd wanted to visit the walls during her time wounded, but walking with crutches was too exhausting, and once the crutch was off she'd spent all her time getting back into shape. She was here now though, and as several blue-suited Guild workers motioned them through a raised set of solid metal gates, Sonia pushed her way forward towards an embrasure in a tall stone wall, her eyes widening in admiration.

Before her lay one of at least several dozen exterior battlegrounds surrounding the city of Dundorma. Rows of tall, tiered stone walls wrapped around the city, creating several layers of defense between the main walls and the thick, lush forest of the Everwood off in the distance. A good two hundred yards of forest had been cut down between the walls of the city and the distant forest, the stumps long since rotting over as the land slowly shifted to grassland.

The shapes of the defenses were strange, looping around in horseshoe shapes to create wide fields between them, encircling them on three sides by the tall stone walls; Sonia had seen a map of the city in Vi's house, and the whole city was surrounded by such arenas on all sides, making the city look like a sun from above. Stone watchtowers rose up from each 'horseshoe', and Sonia could see at least two guards manning each tower, watching the treeline vigilantly. Dozens of ballista launchers lined the battlements, each one primed and ready with racks holding dozens of shafts for ammunition sitting next to them. From here, Sonia could see some sort of railroad track running along the lower walls of the battlefield, where a large cannon mounted to a wide handcar was mounted.

From the angle she was at, Sonia was surprised to spot the points of not one, but _two_ dragonator spears sprouting out from the lowest wall. It was rather impressive, honestly; Sonia knew that most warships which sailed out into the sandsea to gather materials from Jhen Mohran were mounted with a single dragonator. If that kind of weapon was needed for something as large as a Jhen, what sort of dangers hit Dundorma to require two of the massive spears? And that wasn't even taking into account the dragonators which might be mounted in the other battlegrounds around the city, either…

A couple squads of soldiers were marching across the walls, their armor sets all the same, male and female alike: shining steel plate mail with royal blue scale overlays trimmed with red lining hanging over their shoulders, embroidered in the Dundorma city crest. Most of them were equipped with lances, though there were a few of them who wore other weapons as well. A pair of the guards were standing next to one of the stairwells motioned sharply to the hunters, and the four of them began their descent.

"Wow, this is all really cool…"

"It very well should be," Leon replied with hometown pride. "Dundorma has been defending itself from elder dragons for over a thousand years. We should be good at it by now."

"Can you tell us about it?" Bram asked.

"What exactly do you want me to tell you about them?"

"Come on, Leon. You've lived here your whole life," Sonia said. "Be a tour guide! Surely there's some way you can present this stuff with a little enthusiasm."

"A tour guide, huh? Ha, fine," Leon chuckled, straightening his back and altering his voice to a slight falsetto. "If you look to your right, you'll see a scenic view of the Battlegrounds, where hunters and guardsmen alike fight for the safety of Dundorma town. See the towering walls. Admire the lovely dragonator spears! Witness the grueling battles between man and monster. Bring your popcorn! And your potions. Dundorma Town is not responsible for any cuts, bruises, maiming, poison, burns, dismemberment, or deaths of any audience members."

"Ha! Sweet mercy, Leon! I honestly didn't know you could crack wise like that."

"It happens every now and then, under the greatest of circumstances," Leon laughed. "When the moon is full, the planets are aligned, all the Jaggis in the arena bark in unison…"

"Well, you should act like that more often. It might help you-"

Sonia's words cut off as they reached the base of the stairwell, walking onto the grassy field where several dozen other examinees were milling around. Several Guild workers were standing around a tall wooden stage which had been constructed near the wall of the city. What had given her pause though was the sight of a wide, badly-damaged section of wall. At least thirty yards of stone and mortar had been completely blasted apart, and tall scaffolding had been built up for the sake of reconstruction. Even now there were at least a dozen men and women working to rebuild the structure, overseen by a pair of Guild workers and a tall hunter in a spiny grey armor.

"Woah, what happened there?"

"From what I heard, there was a battle with a Seltas Queen out here," Leon replied, looking around. He motioned to the lower section of the wall, where a tall entryway led underground, under the arena itself. The entryway was massive, at least thirty yards tall with several layers of defense, including a tall metal grate and wide wooden doors. "This is where monsters are dropped off for arena use. The cages are located underground. From what I heard, one of the transport caravans miscalculated their tranquilizer dosages, and the Queen broke free. The damage was caused before the hunters could take it down."

Sonia hummed as she looked around in interest at the damage, but a moment later she frowned and looked worriedly at the lancer. "But if a Seltas Queen causes this much damage, how does the city stand against creatures as powerful as elder dragons?"

"Experience," Leon replied. "Several hundred years of repelling elders will do that. And having most of the best hunters in the country within the walls of the city doesn't hurt. The Seltas Queen was just a surprise since it woke up close to the walls; normally we'd see an attack coming before it hit and have time to prepare, or get proper warning from the dragonseer teams. Though, in all fairness, Dundorma isn't really the norm for Gahin defenses. Just look at Val Habar. Their big elder dragon defense strategy is to put the whole city on wheels and scoot somewhere else when the city looks like it's in danger."

"Still don't mean the city ain't impressive, hey?" Logan said. "Is a lot better than what we got in Loc Lac."

"Personally, I'd love to see Dundorma have the same level of defense Loc Lac has," a voice behind them said. "Those walls are stunning!"

Sonia turned around, finding a hunter standing behind her and the others. He was an older man, maybe in his late forties or fifties. He was only a few inches taller than her, but he was broad-shouldered, and Sonia could easily tell that he was immensely powerful. His armor was made of thick and solid materials, with a core made of jet-black plates accompanied by a dark, brownish-tan scale overlay. Thick, sharp spikes lined the edges of the armor, especially over the rims of the long, pointed pauldrons. A thick leather belt hung faulds down from around the armor's waist, and was accompanied by a small, narrow short sword with a scabbard that had been made from the same materials as the armor. The helmet he carried under one arm was a full helm with two long wings sprouting out the back. There was even a battered, dull yellow and green cape hanging from the back, though the material was torn and shredded at the ends, showing its age. Hanging from the man's back were a tower shield and lance, the shield made from thick white shells, though the lance was constructed from a single, straight horn of some monster.

He had a square jaw and rugged countenance, with all the wear and tear of an experienced hunter: hard- and rough-looking skin, a broken nose, and a long and prominent scar which stretched from his upper-left forehead, over his nose, nicking the edge of his lips before ending just under the right side of his jaw. His hair was dirty brown, with the tips starting to grey, pulled back and kept in a topknot at the back of his skull. As menacing as the armor and face was - and it was all _very_ menacing - the man's eyes caught her by surprise. They were as blue as a clear sky, and filled with kindness and curiosity as he looked between the group of them.

"Well, the Loc Lac walls ain't exactly manmade or anything," Logan replied to the man's statement. "Is a natural plateau with a hollow center. Not like the Therians built them up themselves."

"The next best thing would probably be Orage's walls, but they've been building those thicker and taller for centuries," Bram noted. "However, the only elder dragons they have to worry about are Ceadeus, and they can't go on land. The only thing better than that would be the Compound, but we're sort of cheating by setting up shop within a Meridian tower."

"Don't sell Loc Lac short, even if the walls naturally formed," the older hunter said with a grin. "Good walls are worth noting, but a city is just as valuable as the terrain it's built upon. Oasis in the middle of the desert, surrounded on all sides by hundred-yard tall stone walls, with only a few small entrances outside of airship travel? It's all but insurmountable to anything that _isn't_ a Jhen Mohran… or, um, certain _other_ elder dragons. There's a reason Theron's first king made that his capitol. And, mercy, if we could reverse engineer the stone from those white towers? I'd trade an arm and a leg for that!"

"I think most architects share the same sentiment," Bram replied.

"Isn't that the truth." The hunter's expression faltered slightly for a moment, and his eyes grew concerned. "You alright, young man?"

Upon turning to look at Leon, Sonia was surprised to find the lancer staring wide-eyed at the hunter before them. As the man gave him a curious look, the younger lancer flushed, coughing to clear his throat nervously.

"You… you're the Shield," he sputtered, and the other hunter's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh. Yes, I am. I apologize for not introducing myself properly. Klaus ka'Damien, at your service. A pleasure to meet you all." The man bowed slightly at the words, and Leon nervously returned the gesture.

"A p-pleasure to meet you t-too, sir!"

Klaus chuckled sheepishly as he stood upright, and Sonia cocked her head slightly as she studied him anew. He was a lot friendlier than she would've thought the Shield would've been. Now that she thought about, she'd seen him talking with the workers who were repairing the damaged defenses. "They have the 'Shield of Dundorma' rebuilding walls?"

"Well, the Shield is supposed to be the man who 'oversees the protection of the city'. While that _does_ mean I'm supposed to be on the front lines when an elder dragon or other dangerous creatures attack, I'm also supposed to oversee the defenses of the city in general… and that includes the repairs. I've helped rebuild and improve almost every square inch of the outer walls…" Klaus chuckled to himself. "Heh. Hell, the short of it is that I'm a stonemason who wears armor to work! Though I honestly prefer rebuilding walls to fighting the monsters that break them. Personally I think I'd be better off dropping the armor and weapon entirely and settling down as a professional architect and contractor."

"What?" Leon gasped. "B-but you're the greatest hunter in the country!"

"Ha! Only reason I've got the fame I do is because old Leto throws me out here to fight every elder dragon that hits the walls, and I just do my best to minimize casualties. There are _so many_ other hunters out there I'd say are better than me. Let's see, there's the big fella Zame, those two weirdos Rhyme and Reason, that stern man with the dual blades who leads the 'Aces' and the bowgunner who follows him around (never did catch their names), 'Adamant' Saul back before he got hired on as a bodyguard for old Titus, and Titus himself was absolutely indomitable before that Rajang took his leg… and mercy, Titania! That woman's more terrifying than the monsters she fights when she's in her battle frenzy. I've only teamed up with her once about a decade ago when a Teostra attacked the city, and all I could do was stand back and stay out of her way."

The older hunter shook his head a moment later. "Ah, but this isn't really the time to think about old and accomplished hunters, now is it? Today's the big day for you examinees, eh? I'm a little surprised to see Therians taking the test, at least ones your age. Usually the Therian hunters I see signing up are men and women who feel slighted by Gahiji's stringent hunting regulations when it comes to foreign hunters."

"I can understand how they feel," Sonia muttered.

"As can I. Can't say I wouldn't be a little miffed if I visited another country, only to have them tell me I need to retake my exam after fifty years on the job. Though, considering the pass-fail rate of Therian hunters, I suppose the need is justified."

"Ugh, that's not encouraging."

"Honestly, the Therian Guild could afford to do the same. As nimble as Gahin monsters are within our borders, your Therian monsters are built out of _eltalite_."

"What do you mean?"

"Therian monsters are durable as hell. I had a bout with a Stygian Zinogre up in the north that had crossed over from Therian territory about a decade or so ago, and it just _would not die_. It must've taken at least twice as much damage as any Gahin Stygian. Damn thing nearly outdid us in a battle of attrition, and we only won because we managed to blind it with a flash bomb and send it skidding into an ice flow." Klaus scratched his chin in thought. "Guess the same could be said about the Therian hunters, too. They're a sturdy bunch from what I've seen."

The sound of a gong echoed through the battleground, and Sonia glanced up towards the stage in the middle of the area, where a group of Guild workers and guards were standing atop it, scanning the collection of examinees before them. A small gong was up near the edge, where a tall woman holding a mallet stepped forward, addressing the crowd.

"Attention, examinees! Gather up in front of the stage! We will begin shortly. Klaus, get over here!"

"Well, I suppose that's that. Been a pleasure talking to you four," the man said with a smile. "Do your best in the exam."

"We certainly will!" Leon replied sharply, and the Shield nodded, turning to stride over towards the stage. Sonia grinned wickedly as she approached Leon, patting him on the shoulder.

"So that's the Shield huh? That's the big idol you fanboy over?"

Leon flushed. "I, uh, I wouldn't call him my 'idol'. And I'm not a _fanboy-_ "

"Pssh. Yeah, you were. You should've seen yourself there, all flustered just to be talking to the _great Klaus_."

"I seen girlies that was less blubbery when they meet the handsomest actors back at the theater in Perir, hey?" Logan cackled.

"Oh, shut up," Leon grumbled. "Come on, we need to group up in front of the stage."

"Aw, he's embarrassed!" Sonia squealed. "Are you worried about performing with him watching? Are you gonna get him to sign your shield? Or your armor? Or your forehead?"

"I'm ignoring you now!"

Sonia giggled in amusement as she and the others followed Leon out to the center of the field, where the other examinees were. There were more of them here than she would've thought, at least a hundred of them. A rainbow of multicolored armors were splayed out around them, in blues and reds and yellows and everything in between. Sonia's eyes narrowed on a pair of hunters - or huntresses maybe; she couldn't tell - wearing heavy, white, plated armor made from Basarios materials. She wondered how much effort they'd put into the hunt, and if she'd have a chance to ask for advice. However, as she scanned the crowd, she lowered her gaze slightly, searching for…

"Ah! Hannibal!" she shouted, darting through the crowd towards the black-furred Felyne. Behind her, she could hear Bram groan in frustration, and the Felyne himself even sighed at the sight of her approaching but turned to face her as she approached.

"I see you're still alive," he noted.

"Yeah, somehow," Sonia nodded. "You have any trouble finding housing in town? I mean, me and the others are bunking at Vi's house-"

"There is Felyne housing in the east district," Hannibal replied flatly. "I stayed there, hoping to find other Felynes with… similar ideals to me."

"Oh. Um… did you find anyone?" The Felyne's silence and scowl was answer enough, and Sonia shifted topics. "That's some nice armor. Is that what you got from Cleyra?"

"Ah, indeed it is!" For perhaps the first time since Sonia had met the Felyne, Hannibal's perpetual scowl had vanished, replaced with a look of pride.

His armor was a far cry from the armors she'd seen other Felynes wearing. It was obviously used his previous armor as a base, but there had been several additions to improve it. What looked like Tetsucabra materials had been provided to fortify the chestplate, and two armored sleeves had been attached to the pauldrons as well, providing more protection for the Felyne's arms. The helm had received a new addition as well, providing a red and orange mask covering the Felyne's nose and lower jaw. The most prominent and unique addition to the armor was an actual set of armored faulds and leggings which hung from the Felyne's waist, something Sonia had never seen on a Palico… ever, not even in Theron. It was intricately wrought, with a lot of effort going into providing the Felyne with real protection, though Sonia wondered if he was sacrificing any of the mobility his small frame would require. The only unprotected spots on the Felyne's body now were his eyes, his ears, and the paws on his arms and feet.

"I must admit, I was hesitant to entrust my armor to that Wyverian," Hannibal said, looking himself over, "but she has done a fine job, much better than those _other_ smithies I've been forced to offer my patronage. It is… a little bulkier than I would prefer, however…"

"Oh, yeah, she prefers providing defense over mobility. She probably reinforced it with a few armor spheres, making it heavier. That's what she did with Bram's armor… and my chestpiece when I had it mended. You gotta watch out for that weight increase."

"Ah, I see, that makes… sense." Hannibal paused uncomfortably, and the scowl appeared once more on his face.

"Is something wrong?"

"...No. Go back to your human friends," the Felyne muttered. "It looks like they're beginning."

Sonia looked up as the iron gate behind the platform groaned, rising into the air. Sonia glanced down to Hannibal once more, but the Felyne steadfastly ignore her, and with an uncomfortable shrug the huntress slipped back through the crowd towards Bram. Soon all the chatter around her dimmed as the gates opened, and the heavy wooden doors behind the iron gates were now creaking open as well. As the doors swung open, she could hear a deep rumbling echoing out from within the cavern below…

Sonia's eyes grew wide as something massive - at least ten yards tall at least - lumbered out from the darkness, looming over the men and women ahead of it. Her hand instinctively slipped towards the hilt of her sword, but Leon grabbed hold of her wrist, shaking his head with a small smile on his face and nodding back towards the doorway. As the monstrosity took shape, Sonia realized it was humanoid, a Wyverian wearing fine clothing and armor, but absolutely massive in size! Every step he took made the earth shiver slightly underfoot, and he was carrying a longsword as tall as he was!

"What… Who the hell is…"

"That's His Immenseness, Lord Leto ka'Polus," Leon chuckled. "Our country's king in all but name. He lives up to his title."

"Hoy, don't he just," Logan sighed. "I never seen a Wyverian that big before…"

"I thought the title was figurative…" Bram muttered.

"Heh, not at all."

Sonia looked around to the other hunters in the group, and she was relieved to see that she, Bram, and Logan weren't the only ones who had been shocked by His Immenseness' size. A few of the hunters had actually drawn their weapons in fear before the Wyverian had revealed himself, and now their weapons hung limply in their grips as they stared slack-jawed at the massive man.

"Kinda wanna see that guy fightin', if he still use that sword on his back," Logan mused.

"That kind of thing is rare," Leon replied, scratching his head.

"I hear he gets antsy dealing with politics all the time and escapes the Elder Hall to hunt monsters sometimes," one of the hunters in the crowd near them said. "Few years back he just showed up at my village and butchered this Azure Los that was causing trouble for us."

"My grandpappy told me he climbed the Heavenly Mount about eighty years ago to wrestle a rampaging Deviljho," another person spoke up. "Beat its skull in with only his fists and dragged it back to the village over his shoulder. They still keep the skull mounted in the inn."

"I heard he fought off a Teostra single-handedly about ten years ago, the one that burned half the southern district."

"No, I thought the Shield did that?"

"Maybe they worked together."

"Damn, wouldn't _that_ be a fight to watch! They could sell every seat in the arena and half that again standing-room-only if they put those two toe-to-toe against something like a… a Rajang."

"Or a Deviljho."

"Or a Rajang _and_ a Deviljho! There's that flower pair they keep together, right? Two versus two!"

As His Immenseness neared the platform, rather than walking around the sides to the stairs, the man simply climbed up the five-foot tall ledge with a single stride, bearing himself up even taller in front of them as the wood creaked and groaned under his considerable weight. He cleared his throat, harrumphing deeply, the noise rumbling across the grass like thunder.

"Welcome, young hunters-to-be. I am Leto, Lord of Dundorma, and I welcome you all to this Hunter's Examination. In this place you will be tried and tested to determine whether or not you have the mettle to prove yourselves as hunters worthy of receiving a Guild license. The men and women you see before you shall be your judges, and we expect to see great things from all of you." The massive Wyverian paused for a moment, his bushy eyebrows furrowing thoughtfully for a moment, then he grunted and shook his head. "Good luck. That's all I've got."

There were a few groans from the others on the stage, and a stubborn expression crossed His Immenseness' face. "Oh, shush. I'm no good at these things. These kids know what they're here for, they don't need some grand speech from me reminding them. That's what Klaus is here for. Come on man, get up here and give your piece."

Klaus nodded, taking a step towards the stage, but paused at the first wooden step, looking at it worriedly. A few of the other Guild workers up on the platform nudged each other, smirking between themselves and looking on expectantly. Klaus frowned and took a deep breath, as though bracing himself, and stepped forward to climb the stairs… and the first step fractured. The lancer yelped, toppling to the ground to the side of the stairs, while the other Guild workers on top of the platform covered their mouths with their hands to hide their laughter. The man pushed back to his feet with a frustrated grumble, brushing the dirt off the front of his armor before shooting a glare at those who were still laughing. Even His Immenseness wasn't immune to the humor of the situation, and a deep rumbling could be heard rolling over the grass as the massive man chuckled.

"Uh… Is he alright?" Bram asked.

"Eh, he look fine," Logan replied. "Though, the folks up on stage look like they was expecting that, hey?"

"It's something he's infamous for," one of the hunters next to them chuckled. "He has notoriously bad luck with stairs and chairs and stages and stuff like that. They keep breaking underneath him, no matter how well they're built, unless they're made of solid stone."

"I heard the carpenter's union has a reward for anyone who can make a chair that won't break under him," someone else spoke up.

"I heard he hasn't been up to the second floor of a building in _years_!"

" _This_ is the Shield of Dundorma?" Sonia asked, giving Leon a sideways glance. The lancer looked embarrassed.

"Nobody's perfect, I guess."

"Heh, he might as well be, the way you been going on 'bout him," Logan laughed.

"You know what? I'll just give my speech down here," Klaus decided up in the front, waving a hand dismissively. "More personal that way."

"You sure don't want to try again?" His Immenseness asked, motioning to the other side of the platform. "There's more stairs over there."

"I'll pass, Lord Leto," the hunter huffed, turning back to face the hunters as the massive Wyverian chortled behind him. "Gotta leave some way for the everyone else to get down."

He gazed out across the examinees for a couple seconds as he gathered himself up a little. Sonia could see a fair number of the others were looking at the Shield with a mixture of awe and reverence, not unlike Leon. Even those who weren't were at least be giving him their attention and respect, and only a few of them were like the Therian hunters, watching with a mixture of uncertainty and confusion.

"Well," the man began. "I suppose you can take that little, eh, _show_ as a bit of encouragement. If a guy who can't even climb a few steps can get his hunting license and be called a respectable hunter here in Dundorma, I'm sure any one of you certainly can as well."

A few of the apprentices laughed at the words, and Klaus grinned appreciatively. "Now, as His Immenseness stated, I'm sure the lot of you have a firm understanding of what you're getting yourself into, so you don't need me to remind you. In short, over the next three days, you will all be given three tests to determine your ability as hunters, and will require you to display knowledge and skill you should already possess as a result of your training.

"However, do not think this will be easy. Do not think we will judge you gently, as the Guild can only accept the best of the best of you. In a country rife with elder dragons and other creatures of such power, we can't afford to do anything less. There are one hundred twenty-three of you here right now, but only thirty or less of you will be _allowed_ to pass the exam. Look around you. Only one of four people will leave this city with a license in their pocket at the end of the week."

Sonia couldn't help but look around nervously at the words. A lot of the others in the crowd were doing the same, as though trying to measure their odds of success against the other hunters around them…

"But don't let that discourage you!" Klaus spoke up quickly. "If you're here, it means that you spent years building up your strength and skills to be worthy of the title of 'hunter'! Don't think of this as an exam or as a trial; think of this as your proving ground! This is where you will _prove you deserve_ the proud title you desire! You've put in the time and the effort to become a hunter! You have paid in blood, sweat, and tears to get this far! Push aside your doubts and fears and worries! Hold your heads high and hold nothing back! Take on this exam with nothing less than your best, with everything you have, and you will _earn_ your place as a hunter!"

There was a smattering of cheers and whoops of excitement from the collection of examinees, and Klaus looked pleased with himself. The air of nervousness which had been hovering over the examinees had dissipated somewhat; Sonia figured that had been his goal had been in the first place.

"Now," the man continued, clearing his throat, "let's get right into it, shall we? Miss Georgia, if you would be so kind?"

A sharp-looking woman with horn-rimmed glasses standing up on the stage nodded, stepping up towards the edge and raising her voice. "Alright, listen up! We're going to be splitting you into twelve groups. Each group will be led to one of the nearby battlequarters surrounding the city, where they will be given more information about the nature of the first test. Please listen closely for your name. Team one will be…"

For the next few minutes, the woman rattled off a list of names, motioning the named examinees towards a Guild worker who would lead them to the location of their exam. Several teams were gathered and sent away ahead of them, the sound of clanking filling the air as they were marched up to the tops of the walls. Eventually, Sonia perked up as she heard Logan's name being called, and a few seconds later her own name came up, and she leaned over to nudge the great sword user.

"Looks like we're working together."

"Guess so, girlie," the great sword user smirked. "Let's try to team up 'gainst whatever they throw at us, hey?"

"You got it. See you later, guys!" she said, waving to Bram and Leon as she and Logan followed after the Guild rep.

"Do your best!" Bram called after her.

Sonia and Logan, as well as eight others, were marched along the walls of the city up towards the north, following the Guild worker along the balustrades and defenses. They passed more battlegrounds as they moved, each one of similar design but with minor differences to match the terrain. Some were narrow, some were wide, some looked brand new, while others looked as though they had been ravaged by centuries of wear and tear.

Finally the Guild worker turned and marched them down into one of the battlequarters. This one was quite narrow compared to the one they'd started in, only a couple dozen yards wide at the base, but much deeper. There were a full four tiers of defense, with ballistae and cannons lining every level. Near each launcher or cannon were small alcoves filled with ammunition, as well as small collections of other materials as well: first aid kits, rations, and the like. Long nets hung down over each ledge, providing places to climb up to the next tier without running all the way to the staircases, though long swaths of the netting looked as though it had been burned through, leaving climbing areas sporadic. There were several hunters and Guild workers standing around the area and looking down at them, making Sonia shiver nervously.

The Guild worker turned sharply as the group all reached the base level. "This is the location of the first test. As you should know, the terrain of Gahiji is some of the most unpredictable and treacherous in the world. In order to be considered as capable hunters, you must be extremely mobile, versatile, and fluid in your movements. You will not always have time to plan and prepare, and must act quickly to succeed, no matter the complications, and have a watchful eye for detail."

The man paused, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large marble from his pocket, colored a golden yellow. "These are your objective. Scattered across this battleground are buckets filled with twenty-four different-colored marbles. You must collect as many different colors as you possibly can. Only collect one; any duplicates will lower your score. You have five minutes. Go."

There was a moment of silence as the examinees registered the words. A fraction of a second later it clicked, and the group immediately scattered. Sonia turned to run with the others, but snapped to a halt at the sound of Logan shouting her name. She spun, giving the great sword user a frustrated look.

"What?! We need to-"

"Work together!" he said, cutting her off and making her blink in surprise. "We gotta work together on this!"

"...How?"

"You get that side," he said, pointing the direction she'd been running, before pointing a thumb over his shoulder, "and I get this side, hey?"

Sonia thought for a moment before nodding in understanding. "Get two of each type of marble-"

"And we meet in the middle when we done and trade!"

"Right! Okay, hurry up, we only got five minutes!"

"Hoy, was my idea, girlie…"

"I know, but you're the slow one!" she laughed, turning as Logan grumbled in frustration.

Sonia was off in a flash, eager to make up the precious lost seconds she'd used. Already several other hunters had surmounted the first tier and were scrambling around in search of the bucket of marbles they'd been told about. Where would they be? Were they hidden? How many would Sonia be able to find before time ran out? For that matter, how would she know when it was time to head towards the center and meet Logan? Her internal clock wasn't _that_ accurate!

Pulling herself over the first ledge, she immediately caught sight of the first bucket… or rather, the resulting mess. One of the other hunters had knocked it over in their hurry and now a stream of green marbles were rolling over the stone walkway, some of them rolling over the edge down to the ground below. Sonia darted towards them, bending down to pluck a pair of the marbles up and slipping them into her pouch before leaping over the remaining spheres and darting down the battlements in search of another. She paused a couple times, once to search the inside of a munitions closet and once to scan one of the ballista launchers, coming up empty both times before catching sight of a metallic gleam hidden in the shadow of a pyramid of cannonballs, where she managed to collect a pair of magenta marbles.

She managed to finish her sprint across the first tier, gathering four more marbles before beginning her ascent to the second tier. However, as she pulled herself up over the lip, a hissing caw caught her attention. She looked up just in time to see a tan and green blur darting towards her, and she instinctively rolled to the side, unsheathing her sword and swinging her shield around to defend in the same motion.

Before her stood a Genprey, twisting its head and glowering at her in frustration. Sonia blanched in shock; how had one of these managed to sneak into the exam? The creature squawked and lunged, and Sonia swatted its fangs away with her shield and swung her sword down into the creature's torso, tearing a long gash through its hide. The Genprey squealed in pain, coiling up to lunge at her again, but Sonia darted around it and kicked her foot out, booting the creature in the side and knocking it completely over the edge of the tier. The creature wailed in terror as it plummeted five yards straight down, followed by a loud _crack_.

She swung her attention towards the nearest wall, where she could see one of the overseers standing. "Hey! We got a-"

Her words caught in her throat, however, as she realized the man was looking directly at her, unfettered by the presence of the Genprey and simply watching her own movements as he leaned nonchalantly against the wall. Sonia frowned and turned to scan the rest of the battleground, and realized this Genprey wasn't the only one of its kind in the arena. A small pack of the creatures had been released, and she could see several other hunters scrambling to deal with one or two of their own. One unlucky hunter was even being swarmed by five of them.

"Another part of the exam…" she muttered in realization. She scowled in frustration at the overseer before shaking her head and continuing her search for more marbles.

The next few minutes were hectic as Sonia continued to climb the walls, scouring around in search of marbles, fending off any attacking Genprey, and looking across the way to see how Logan was doing while trying to keep track of time. She managed to collect another fourteen marbles with seven different colors, but if there were twenty-four colors, she was still missing five on her side…

A horn sounded from the center of the battleground and her blood ran cold in terror. Was her time up? She had two of every kind of marble! If she lost points for every copy she had like they said, she wouldn't score any points at all!

"Thirty seconds!" the Guild worker in the middle called out using a megaphone, and Sonia nearly collapsed in relief. The feeling was replaced by adrenaline, however, as she spun to dash back towards the lower lever to meet up with Logan; she could already see the great sword user scrambling down each level on the other side of the arena as well.

"I got ten!" she gasped as she and Logan nearly collided in the middle.

"Got six, hey?" the great sword user replied, just as exhausted as he fumbled through his pouch. "One o' the damn biters nipped me, made my arm useless for a bit. Had to gut it with my knife."

The two hunters scrambled to pass the marbles between each other, each heartbeat feeling like another passing second with both of them desperate to get as many as they could between each other as possible. Still, Sonia couldn't help but feel nervous. Between the two of them they'd only managed to collect sixteen out of twenty-four! Was that a passing score?

A horn sounded again and the Guild rep's voice bellowed out across the battleground. "STOP! TIME'S UP! DO NOT MOVE OR TRY TO DISCARD ANY MARBLES! Return to the center to be judged!"

Sonia cursed; she was still holding onto two copies of the pink and orange marbles she'd managed to collect… She considered trying to pass them to Logan anyway, but she saw one of the overseer's gaze boring into her intimidatingly, and she sighed in defeat, returning what she had into her pouch and shuffling back towards the stage. The other examinees were gathering up, as were the overseers who had been observing from the walls. Several were walking between the examinees, bearing empty satchels.

"Empty your pouch and pockets," the one who approached Sonia and Logan growled. "Don't try to hide anything, either. We're not above forcing you down to your underwear and frisking you."

"Ja, ja, we get it," Logan grumbled, snatching a bag and dropping his entire item pouch into it. Sonia merely emptied her item pouch into the bag rather than dropping it in completely. The man nodded in approval before turning to return to the center.

Soon enough the rest of the examinees had been relieved of their item pouches and any excess. Apparently a pair of hunters had been trying to pull a similar plan to Sonia and Logan, but had rejoined a little too late and tried to hide the duplicates in their armors. Both hunters now stood in little more than their underclothes as the overseers searched their armor nearby, plucking several matching marbles out from the nooks until they nodded in satisfaction and allowed the men to dress themselves again.

For a few minutes more the items the overseers had taken from the examinees were searched and the contents counted, separating the marbles from the rest of the items and setting the hunters' personal goods off to the side. Soon the Guild man stood up in front of the examinees and cleared his throat.

"Alright, it looks as though we have everything," the Guild rep noted from the center. "Now, your scores will be tabulated."

The man turned, approaching the two hunters who had been stripped. "You both received three points."

" _What_!?" one of them snapped. "But we only had a few duplicates! We had almost twenty different colors between us!"

Sonia blood ran cold at the words, fearing for her score. She'd only gotten sixteen different marbles, and had two duplicates… However, the Guild rep narrowed his eyes on them.

"Your score would've been fifteen had that been the case, only losing one point per duplicate. However, you tried to hide the marbles. You tried to lie, and thus each duplicate became worth five points instead."

"How is that fair?!" the second hunter shrieked.

"How is a hunter to be trusted if they withhold valuable information from the Guild for their own ends?" the Guild rep asked, and both hunters froze. "The Guild relies on accurate information in order to function efficiently, and lives are at risk without it. Receiving incomplete data based on speculation is one thing, but deliberately trying to deceive the Guild or withholding pertinent information for your own gain, or to hide your failures? Your lies carry that much more weight… as should the penalty for your actions. One point deduction becomes five for your attempts to deceive us."

The hunters were quiet now, suitably chastised, and the Guild worker moved onto the next person, reciting their scores. Sonia tried to calculate her own score based on what she'd heard: fourteen, she thought. But were there other penalties and score adjustments she didn't know about? And was fourteen even a passing grade? She heard other numbers; five, seven, twelve, seventeen…

The man approached her and Logan, and Sonia tensed nervously as he held out a bag for her containing all the goods she'd had in her item pouch, as well as Logan's entire pouch. "Twelve points for the both of you."

Sonia winced nervously, and Logan gulped next to her. They'd racked up a penalty somewhere?

"You worked together," the man said, pulling Sonia's attention back to him. It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.

"Ja, that's right," Logan replied, crossing his arms. "They a problem with that?"

The Guild worker looked at him oddly for a moment. "Do you think you could've done better without doing so?"

"No," Sonia replied. She wasn't sure she would've been able to gather the extra six marbles Logan had provided in the last thirty seconds when they'd been scrambling to trade, and Logan would've definitely been worse off without her. "Why would you punish us for working together? That's-"

"You weren't punished for working as a team. The Guild does not and _will_ not penalize willing coordination between hunters, and you were in the position to lose points as it was if you didn't have time to meet up before time was up to trade your duplicates; the Guild considers taking that risk penalty enough.

"What you were penalized for was relying on the Guild to remind you to meet up before the five minutes were over. Neither of you moved to meet with the other until the thirty second horn was sounded. While you aren't expected to keep perfect time, you still did not try and collaborate further until you were informed that you had very little time left. If you're going to work together to accomplish a task, you will need to do so better than you did here. Thus, two points were removed from both of you."

Sonia frowned in frustration, but nodded in acceptance of the judgement. Logan patted her shoulder consolingly, and the Guild rep went on to continue giving out scores until all ten examinees had received one, before returning to stand in front of them.

"Now then, you've all received your scores. Those with eight points or more receive a passing grade and shall be allowed to continue on to the second test."

Sonia blinked. "We passed? Ha! We passed!"

"'Course we did, girlie," Logan laughed, ruffling her hair, though he certainly appeared just as pleased with the announcement as she was. They weren't the only ones who were relieved and excited at having passed the first test, though there were four in their group who looked crushed, having failed to gather the points required or having lost too many due to penalties.

"Yes, yes, congratulations," the Guild worker sighed, waving his hand dismissively.

"It only took eight points to pass?" one of the other hunters groaned. Sonia frowned, noting that it one of the hunters who managed to get almost twenty points.

"We never said you needed to get an exceptionally high score here to pass. The marbles are quite spread out and intentionally hidden, and certain… other obstacles were placed in your paths; you were never expected to score highly. While this test does gauge your mobility and speed as dictated, there were other attributes we observed in you as well." The man motioned to the other overseers around him. "Whether you were willing to lie and cheat. Whether you sought to work together or by yourselves, and whether your teamwork was cohesive. There were other qualities we observed as well… but those aren't important right now. What mattered is if you passed or failed. Those of you who passed are to report to the arena's southeastern gate tomorrow morning. Those of you who failed… better luck in three years."

"Heheh… Well, that's one down," Logan smiled as the cluster of examinees made their way back towards the stairs and began their ascent back to the city. "Guessing the next test gonna be harder though. This one seem a little gimmicky, just to weed out the worst of us, hey?"

"The next two tests are arena battles," one of the huntresses with them commented. "I've lived in Dundorma my whole life, and it's the same thing year after year. Tomorrow's exam is a team hunt, and the one after that is a solo hunt. I'm not too sure if they'll add any gimmicks to the test though."

"Well that's encouraging," Sonia grinned. "I'd much rather prove my mettle in an actual hunt than weird trials like this one."

"Just hope if they have a gimmick, it ain't too nasty, hey?" Logan muttered.

"Like what?"

"Like coating the arena in knee-deep water, or putting a buncha Giggi egg sacs up on the walls to drop Giggis down on us from above." Sonia shivered in revulsion at the thought, and Logan smirked. "That's what they did when I took the exam in Loc Lac, hey?"

"They wouldn't do that," one of the other hunters replied, and Sonia sighed in relief, before wincing as he continued. "Yeah, they'd use Zamites, not Giggis. They're easier to find in Gahiji. If they suck enough blood out of you, they'll actually grow legs and start moving faster to finish you off. They're probably not that dangerous outside the frozen north, but if all the Guild wants is a distraction-"

"Oh, pecker…" Sonia muttered, and Logan laughed next to her.

The examinees made their way back towards the arena gate at a leisurely pace, looking down on the other battlegrounds they passed on the way back. Some of them were still conducting the test, with the examinees within darting around in search of marbles, while others were wrapping up and tallying points already. Sonia wasn't able to catch sight of Bram, Leon, or Hannibal, and so as she and Logan passed through the gate they'd first entered, they found a seat nearby, resting atop a small grassy knoll under a small tree.

Eventually, Logan nudged her, motioning towards the gate as both Bram and Leon walked through the gate. Bram had a pleased expression on his face as he approached, but while Leon's expression didn't seem to indicate failure, he seemed solemn about something…

"I assume you passed, judging by the look on your face," the archer smiled as he walked up to them.

"That's right!" Sonia grinned. "Me and Logan teamed up and managed to collect sixteen marbles between the both of us! Though… uh, we had some penalties, and we only got twelve points each. But we passed! How'd you do, string bean?"

"Passed with sixteen points. They released a pack of Genprey, but none of them were ganging up on anyone, so they were dealt with rather succinctly. All in all it seemed fairly straightforward. Three of the hunters failed, but the rest of us passed handily."

"Great! How about you, Leon?"

The lancer sighed miserably. "I only managed to gather five marbles."

"What?" Logan gasped. "Hoy, kid, you didn't…"

"No, no! I passed!" the lancer replied quickly.

"Oh… But if you only got five marbles…"

"About that… I didn't manage to gather all the marbles I needed because of the Genprey they released into the arena. I would've been able to avoid them for the most part, but about halfway through, one of the other hunters in my group got cornered by about ten of them. I thought the overseers would step in, but all they did was watch, so I jumped in to help. In the end it cost me the rest of our time, since we had to kill or chase off the Genprey, and even after that one of them bit my arm, so I couldn't climb any higher to look for more marbles thanks to the paralysis." The lancer groaned, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. "I thought for sure I'd failed, but the overseers said that I'd earned five points for stepping in to save a hunter in trouble, so I managed to score ten points total."

"Well, that's good though," Sonia spoke up. "If you passed, then that's all that matters, right?"

"I guess…" Leon muttered. "But still, I didn't manage to gather enough marbles to qualify by themselves. If it hadn't been for those bonus points-"

"Eh, don't get you underwear in a bunch," Logan interjected, waving a hand dismissively. "Hell, I only got six marbles, hey? Not much better than you, but since I was teaming up with Sonia, we got a better score. So I ain't too bothered by it. And hey, if you didn't help that guy what was in trouble, you probably woulda passed, ja?"

"Well… probably so, but-"

"But you wouldn'ta been happy just leaving him behind, hey?" Logan asked, and Leon nodded. "So you do the right thing, even if it costs you points. That ain't a bad thing to do."

"Yeah, and it sounds like the judges agreed, you know?" Sonia added. "I mean, they wouldn't have given you points if they didn't think it was the proper thing to do. And even if you got all the marbles, it wouldn't have meant success. I mean, there were two in our group that had almost twenty marbles, but they failed since they tried to cheat."

"Hmm. Maybe you're right," Leon conceded, his expression brightening a little bit. "I passed, that's the most important thing."

"That's the spirit," Sonia grinned. "So all of us are moving on… Oh yeah, what about Hannibal? I haven't seen him come past yet."

Bram let out and strained sigh and crossed his arms. "I think he was in the group which left right after yours. If you haven't seen him, you likely missed him."

"Oh… you think he passed?"

"Who knows."

"He fast on his feet," Logan shrugged. "Doubt something like this gonna slow him down, hey? Probably got more than enough o' them marbles."

"Unless he was docked points," Bram muttered, and Sonia frowned worriedly for a moment before shaking her head.

"No. He passed, I'm sure."

"What makes you so certain?"

"Because. You hear that?" she said, and the others craned their ears.

"Hear what?" Logan asked, and Sonia smirked.

"Exactly. You think someone like him would be _quiet_ if he'd failed?"

"Ah. Good point, girlie. Guess we gonna see him again tomorrow too."

"I hope so…" Sonia said, grunting as she pushed to her feet and stretched. "But right now I need to find my mom and tell her I passed!"

"Think you gonna be able to find her in the merchant district?"

"Shouldn't be too hard. Just gotta follow the trail of hunters that look both pleased with themselves and simultaneously worried that they've been ripped off… Is there a word for that?"

"Bittersweet? Ambivalent?" Bram supplied.

"No no," Logan smirked. "Is called 'buyer's remorse'."

"Right! That's it!" Sonia grinned.

"I'll head back to the manor myself," Leon said. "I'll need to let Tuli, Vi, and her parents know."

"I think my mother was planning on visiting the city library today," Bram pondered. "I suppose I'll head that way if we're all splitting up."

"Then I will go find us a table someplace we can all eat and celebrate, hey?" Logan grinned. "Someplace we ain't been yet… Maybe that soup bar Vi's mama tell us about, hey?"

"Erk… I suppose that's a good place," Leon replied nervously. "I just hope the owners don't remember us… It's been over a decade by now. But how long do you plan to hold a table by yourself? Our families are all over town."

"Oh, ja… Didn't think of that… Is a _little_ early to sit around drinking."

"You should tag along with me," Sonia offered. "If Mom's in the merchant district, she'll be close enough to the soup bar, then all of us can sit together as we wait for everyone else to arrive."

"Hokay, that sounds good, girlie."

"Plus, Mom'll probably want help carrying all the monster materials she's bought, and I don't wanna do it by myself."

"...Hoy, girlie."

"Aaaanyway, let's meet up at the soup place in a couple hours, and we can celebrate a successful first test! See you then!"

* * *

Stars in the night. Thousands of them, glittering in the skies above Dundorma, never moving or changing, save for the slow and steady shifting of seasons which carried them to and fro like the tide. And the foam of it all was splayed out, stretching across the infinite blackness that would otherwise loom over the world, filling the sky with wonder and majesty.

It was all so beautiful, Klaus thought to himself. He had never known anything quite as lovely for a… for a long, long time.

As much as he loved the city of Dundorma, he had to admit that the thing he disliked the most was the night life. The glow from lanterns and glowstones filtered up into the sky, dimming the glow of the stars and hiding the majesty of the skies. Some part of Klaus wished that he could implement a sort of curfew for the sake of dimming the light pollution at night, but he knew how well _that_ would go over if he tried to make such an idea a reality; Dundorma had always had a vibrant nightlife as long as he could remember, and he wouldn't change that.

It just felt like the world was muted, and made Klaus a bit homesick. The far north had always been his home, and at times like this he missed the frosty air and clear night skies. Even the larger towns up that far never had enough lights to blot out the skies like Dundorma did, and the shimmering aurora which appeared during the winter and blotted out his beloved stars was something Klaus wished he could see again… But his work kept him rooted here, his task to protect this city and the people within it, and he would see that through for as long as he could.

Having the Lost around the last couple decades hadn't helped. Klaus had spent a fair portion of his paycheck buying astronomy books that the Library had been printing for Lost publishers, and most of his bookshelf back home was filled with them now.

Thumping footsteps announced the arrival of His Immenseness long before Klaus needed to turn around to greet him. The lonely platform hidden on the north side of the Elder Hall flared with light as the door behind him creaked open, coating the balcony in warm light for a moment from the lanterns within the building, but the door swung shut a moment later, blanketing the platform in darkness once more. Klaus turned, bowing respectfully, an act he'd performed a thousand times to perfect.

"Good evening, Lord Leto."

The great Wyverian harrumphed, striding forward. There was no regality in his actions at the moment, and His Immenseness unceremoniously dropped down to sit on the ground and crossed his legs, leaning back against the wall of the Hall. "Evening, Klaus. Admiring the stars again, are you?"

"It's hard not to," Klaus shrugged, sitting down on the ground next to the giant Wyverian. No point acting professional now; Leto wasn't in his 'lordly' mode at the moment, and preferred others to act casually during that time. "They are very beautiful."

Leto nodded simply in reply. "So, what do you think of the newest examinees?"

"They're a decent bunch," Klaus said. "A few of them have a lot of potential, some have failed once and are trying again… there are a few Therians in the bunch, a few Lost as well."

"Anyone special?"

"Not really. A few look like they'll be shoo-ins. Personally, I think about sixty of them have the potential to pass… Shame we can't let them all."

Leto nodded solemnly. "Let the judges do their job, Klaus. They'll trim the fat."

"I know, I know, only 'the best of the best' and all that. I'm just…"

"You're too empathetic, that's what," the Wyverian chuckled. "You don't _like_ failing hunters and huntresses when they have what it takes to have a license, just because there are others taking the exam that are better than them. I don't care much for it either, but that's the way it is."

"But it's not good enough. At least, I don't think so…"

Klaus was surprised when His Immenseness chortled at his words. Leto hummed thoughtfully to himself for a moment, sliding his fingers through his thick mustache. "Tell me, Klaus. Do you, perchance, believe in… reincarnation?"

"Um… not particularly, Leto," Klaus admitted. "I suppose it's an interesting thought. There are certainly people that have passed away who I would… like to see again, even in a new form, but… but I've never seen any sort of proof that people have been reborn in new forms as new people in new lives. If I did, I think I would've… never mind. Why do you ask?"

The old Wyverian chuckled. "Because sometimes when I talk to you, I… I feel as though I'm talking to Shields of the past. There are bits and pieces of you that remind me so much of your predecessors sometimes, Klaus."

"Really?" Klaus replied, but he frowned. "How exactly am I alike to… to Titus?"

"Oh, not _him_ ," Leto guffawed. "I suppose he _would_ be the only Shield you'd remember considering your age… but Titus isn't dead yet, anyway. No, I mean other Shields, certain… others that I've chosen to hold your position. Your obsession when it comes to rebuilding the defensive walls reminds me of Horace. The way you fight is reminiscent of Grant. Those speeches you give to the examinees each year gives me pause, wondering if that firebrand Demetrius had risen from the grave. Even your… fascination with the stars makes me wonder if… if perhaps Kaido is sitting beside me once more."

Klaus blanched. "Kaido? _Kaido ka'Diamante_? The… the first Shield? I remind you of _him_?"

"In many ways, yes. Kaido fought valiantly with my father and I during the revolution all those years ago. He was there for those ten long years of war we fought through the entire country, marching from snow to sand to counter the forces of that vile King Desmond. He was there when at last we laid siege to this, our beloved Dundorma, and it was he that struck Desmond down."

Klaus nodded slowly, but frowned a moment later. "I… The histories say that _your father_ was the one who killed King Desmond."

"Hmph. They do, don't they?" Leto huffed, rolling his eyes. "That was Kaido's idea. Though my father and I were the ones who lit and fanned the flames of revolution in the first place, the war could not have been won without him. His wisdom and compassion were rare to see in someone so young, to the point where, even before Desmond's body was cold, my father and I were prepared to pronounce him as the new king of the country. Hmph. But he refused, proclaiming that he was not worthy of the seat - though I have never found a man more deserving - insisting that my father take claim for the vile King's death and take up the mantle instead, as it would be greater for the throne to be occupied by a man who could rule wisely for a long, long time… I suppose we Wyverians are nothing if not long-lived compared to the rest of this world's sentient species. In exchange, however, we gave him the title 'Shield of Dundorma', a position of great honor… and one which even now feels too little of a reward for all he had done."

"I've never fought in a war, Lord Leto. I doubt I'd be much use in a battle like that… How exactly do you see a part of him in me?"

His Immenseness shrugged, nostalgia on his face as he leaned against the wall of the Elder Hall, staring up at the sky. "I knew Kaido very well, young Klaus, which is why I see so much of him in you. Your love of the stars, your magnanimous desire to protect Dundorma… even certain little personality quirks that make me wonder if you _are_ him sometimes. It's why I sometimes wonder about reincarnation; you and so many hunters that have taken up the Shield's mantle since Kaido's death remind me of him in little ways, to the point where I wonder if some greater power is keeping his soul here continue protecting his city. Sometimes… sometimes I admit that those certain traits are things that I look for in young, upcoming hunters that may one day themselves receive the title of 'Shield of Dundorma'."

As Leto looked down at Klaus, he found the lancer had a concerned expression on his face. "Hmm… But perhaps this isn't something you want to hear, young Klaus? I suppose a human may not favor the idea of having his personality and fate tied into something they cannot control, nor to hear that they might have been chosen for their character rather than their skill. Make no mistake: you were given the role of Shield because you _earned_ it, Klaus."

"I… Right. Thanks, Leto."

"Hmm, yes, you're welcome…" The Wyverian sighed, resting his head against the wall again. "Ah, yes… Is Zame back yet?"

"Oh, yes. He was poisoned during his last mission, but the doctors say he'll be up and ready again within the week."

"Good… and the others?"

"They're already in town and waiting for us to call on them."

"Ah, _very_ good. Once Zame is healed, call them in. I'll want to send them out as soon as possible."

"Yessir."

For a moment there was silence again, allowing the two men to admire the stars. Behind them, however, the sound of shouting could be heard from within the Hall, and Leto visibly winced. "Looks like they're looking for me again… damnation."

"Oh, the burdens of office," Klaus smirked.

"Shut up," the Wyverian growled as he pushed back to his feet. "It's stupid things like this that make me wish my father had forced the crown on Kaido all those years ago… It's part of the reason why I like the exam so much: I can actually just sit around and enjoy a good show. For all the effort they put in to ensure I show up, I don't have to actually _do_ anything except look magnanimous."

"And not fall asleep in your chair again."

"Once! I did that once."

"And you were snoring loud enough that they could hear you over the roars of the audience."

"Oh, shut up. It was a slow year anyway…" More shouting from within the Hall, and Leto groaned in dismay. "Well, I'd better see what they're shouting about. It's probably something like the impending collapse of the country's economy or a legion of elder dragons or war with Theron… or _they'll_ think it's that vital."

"Have fun."

"Yeah, yeah… Enjoy your stars, Klaus."

With that His Immenseness lumbered away, heading back into the Hall to deal with whatever 'crisis' called for his attention at the moment. Klaus watched him go, before returning his attention to the skies above him. He was too distracted now to really enjoy them as he had been before, however, and soon his gaze dipped down to look over the city as a look of uncertainty crossed his face. He rubbed a hand over his jaw and back through his greying hair.

"Reincarnation, huh? Wouldn't that be something?" Another quick look at the skies, and the Shield frowned to himself before turning to walk back into the Elder Hall. "I need a new hobby…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about test taking! And welcome back Ellie and Kerry!**

 **Sorry for the wait folks! I admit, my writing's been a little slow recently, but hopefully I'll be able to get a few chapters out within short succession here in the next few weeks. Chapter 22 is almost done, and 23 is close behind.**

 **Admittedly though, I'm already a bit burned out when it comes to Generations. The game is fun of course, but it just didn't pull me quite like 4U did, even with all the added stuff in it. I've been playing Pokemon recently, trying to fill up my Dex, and it looks like I might actually catch 'em all for the first time in… 20 years? I'm at about 710 out of 721, just gotta find a way to gather those slippery legendaries!**

 **Hopefully I'll get some time into MHGen after that… but Battlefield 1 comes out soon, as does The Last Guardian and the Skyrim remaster. Hopefully those will give me some good writing inspiration for the story, and not just be time sinks. Though, I'm not sure I'll be able to really escape that with another playthrough of Skyrim…**

 **Playing: MHGen, Fallout 4, Pokemon Y  
Listening: Van Morrison, Jack Johnson  
Watching: Game Grumps  
Reading:** _ **Agatha Heterodyne and the Voice of the Castle**_ **by Phil and Kaja Foglio**


	22. The Second Test

The Second Test

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk and DinoJake_

* * *

I don't normally suggest theme music, but for Bram's hunt, I recommend John Cage's _4'33" for piano._

* * *

"Waiting for Godot?" Sonia asked, pointing to a large poster plastered to the wall of the arena.

"Not sure what it's about, myself," Leon shrugged. "I know a couple people that saw it, but while one of them thought it was a hilarious masterpiece, the other thought it was boring garbage."

"Well, which one is it?"

"I couldn't say. Maybe it's different for each person. Kumin told me that the director of the theatre's been on a bit of a… strange streak recently. She went to a show last month called 'A Clockwork Orange', and the only thing she could think to say about it was that it was _unique_. Apparently people were pretty scandalized the month before that due to some crazy show called the… Rocky Show or something. I can't remember the name."

"And who the hell is… Tafkak?"

"It's not 'Tafkak'. It's an acronym, T.A.F.K.A.K. He's the male lead."

"His name is an acronym? What, he's got some really long Gahin name, with ka's and tar's all over the place back to his… two, three… great-great-great-granddaddy?"

"No, actually. It stands for 'The Artist Formerly Known as Kirin'."

" _What_."

"Apparently he changes his name once every ten years or so. When I was a kid, he decided he wanted to be known as 'Kirin', saying that the elder dragons were 'the most graceful and beautiful monsters in the world, and he wanted to exemplify that grace and beauty'. That went on for a while, but then he decided to change his name again even when he'd already become pretty famous as 'Kirin', so the producer just started referring to him as 'The Artist Formerly Known as Kirin'."

"...Okay. So what's he named now? Not the acronym."

"Kieran."

"No, his _new_ name."

Leon laughed. "K-I-E-R-A-N. Kieran, The Artist Formerly Known as Kirin."

"Dude, what."

"I know, I know. The locals are just… used to it, I guess."

"Okay, what was his _real_ name then? Before he started changing it?"

"I honestly have no idea. He's been acting for like fifty years now. I'm not sure if anyone remembers."

"What the hell."

"We can go and watch a show after the exam if you want to," Leon offered. "Despite his odd demands, he really is a fantastic actor, one of the best in the country. The only person more revered is the Songstress. When I was a kid I saw him play the male lead in a show called The Tempest, and he was so amazing I considered becoming an actor myself."

"Wow! What stopped you?"

"My respect for the Shield was just barely greater than my admiration of Kieran."

"We're back!" Sonia looked up at the sound of Vi's voice, spotting the huntress approaching, followed by her family as well as everyone else visiting Dundorma. "Thanks for saving us seats."

"No problem. Take a seat everyone!"

It was early morning the day of the second test, and the whole group, family included, were lounging around in front of the gates of the arena and waiting for the call to go out for examinees to enter. Apparently they were still preparing, so in the meantime Sonia and the others had stopped at a small restaurant to get some breakfast before the gates opened up to the public. There were a few other examinees in the area as well, familiar faces that Sonia had seen the day before; she'd even seen Hannibal through the crowd at one point, but he'd been speaking to a cluster of Felynes and Sonia figured it would be better not to interrupt.

"Sweet mercy, I'll never understand the digestive capabilities of non-Lost," Ellie muttered as she approached. She was carrying a wide plate filled with food, an array of steamed seafood and rice. Van tailed close behind her, carrying a much smaller plate loaded up with a large loaf of bread dripping with butter and melted cheese, filled with chopped onions, and dusted with enough garlic that Sonia could already smell it. With a loud clatter, the plates were placed on the tables that she and Leon had claimed. "Would you believe that this is one serving size? Honestly, this is enough for all three of us."

"Looks about right to me," Vi replied, setting down a massive plate with the clear intent to eat all of it. Behind her, her mother had a plate just as large as hers.

"Agreed, a meal of this size is just about right," Kumin nodded as she took a spot next to her daughter.

"Ignore them," Victor sighed, setting down a platter that was half the size of his wife and daughters, but was still more than Sonia would ever hope to eat on a particularly ravenous day. "They're anomalies."

"You know, most women don't favor their husbands referring to them as anomalies, _love_."

"I mean it in the kindest way, my dear."

"Honestly, I don't know how you put up with it," Ellie said as Sonia began to dig into the meal she was sharing with her family. "Levin eats enough that it's kind of shocking to watch sometimes, but you guys put him to shame."

"It could be worse," Kerrigan sighed from across the table, where she'd planted a fondue platter for her and Bram. "Harker's a pretty light eater, but most of our children have rather exceptional appetites, and they're not even in a physically intensive occupation like Bram is. When we have family gatherings, I sometimes wonder if I'll need to dip into the Compound's grants and funding to afford it all…"

"You could always fire one or two of the crazier ones," Ellie recommended. "Half the stuff I trade seems to go up to the Compound for the experiments there, and most of it isn't cheap. Besides, I know what kind of things those researchers of yours get up to, and the world could use a delay on some of the stuff they're looking into."

"I've considered that, but then I realized that the list of 'crazier ones' includes four of my children… and my husband."

"Oh, yeah… I guess it'd be hard to justify- Hey, where'd all the food go?!" Ellie snapped, and both Sonia and Van burst into giggles, having devoured almost half the platter of food in the time their mother had been talking to Kerry. Ellie rolled her eyes before sliding a sizable portion of the remaining food over to her side of the platter. "I'll let it slide this time, _I guess_. Just be lucky I'm still in a good mood from finding those horns yesterday."

"I still cannot believe you found someone that was willing to sell you Rajang horns," Tuulikki noted between bites off her own plate. "Most hunters would pay a small fortune for one of their own to craft into the finest of weapons."

"Ha, trust me, I know what hunters are willing to pay for things."

"What you gonna do with them, anyway?" Logan asked between bites of a rather large salad. "Is you planning on selling them to Therian hunters? Don't think they's gonna be a lotta call for them back home, hey?"

"No… not exactly," Ellie replied cautiously. "Honestly, they're so expensive and hard to find that I wouldn't normally try to look for them at all - I primarily deal in more common materials from less dangerous monsters - but one of my, eh, more _affluent_ clients has offered me a _very_ pretty penny for a pair of Rajang horns, enough that I'll make an exceptional profit even after traveling all the way here to find some."

"What's he gonna do with them, mount them on his wall?" Leon asked, eating from a plate that Victor had brought him.

"I'd like to pretend that was it," Ellie sighed, "but he made it _perfectly clear_ what he wanted them for, and it sure as hell wasn't decorative." She frowned thoughtfully before eyeing Victor and Kumin. "By chance, do either of you know if Rajang horns have, um… particular medicinal properties?"

Vi's parents looked at each other for a long moment before simultaneously shaking their heads. "No."

"Well, don't _you_ sound certain."

"I'm not listening to this…" Vi muttered under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut and placing her hands over her ears. Ellie chuckled at the sight, but blanched slightly upon seeing that the huntress' massive plate of food was already almost cleaned.

"Holy crap… Eh, well, whatever the horns are used for, it's not my problem, as long as I get paid."

"Attention, examinees!" The group perked up at the sound of a voice booming out from a megaphone, and turned to find the gates near the arena being pushed open. "All participants taking the second test are to report in now! This is an examinee entrance only: no audience entry!"

"Oh, jeez," Sonia muttered, shoveling in another couple mouthfuls of food and reaching down to pull her Seltas sword and shield out from under her chair before pushing to her feet. "See you after the exam, mom!"

"Do your best, sweetheart," Ellie replied, and Sonia nodded before she and the others made their way towards the entrance.

A couple dozen other hunters were already entering the alcove, with more clustering in behind them. They were all funneled into a small hallway where they signed in before being lead into a back room stacked with crates and barrels loaded with bowgun ammunition and other such goods. Near one of the doorways stood the cluster of Guild workers she'd seen the previous day, and once more, there was the Shield to greet them, though he was currently scrutinizing a collection of what Sonia believed were gunlance shells. The hunters piled in, spreading out through the room until they were all inside, at which point a red-clad woman swatted the shell out of Klaus' hands and motioned to the examinees. Klaus rolled his eyes and straightened up before turning towards them.

"Welcome back," Klaus said. "Congratulations on passing the first test yesterday, and welcome to the second. While you've proven that you have the mobility and sense of preparedness to be hunters, now you must prove that you have the physical prowess and combat capabilities to challenge the great many threats that lurk out in the wilds. As such, in this test you will battle a monster in the arena, under the watchful eyes of the Guild's judges and His Immenseness himself… as well as the cheering crowds of Dundorma's civilian population."

A few hoots and excited cheers rose up from the examinees, and Klaus smirked. "I thought that would make some of you happy. However, this test will not prove as simple as hurling you out into the slayground and watching how you fare against whatever we throw at you. No, there is still more that you must prove to us. Now, some of you may think that-"

Unfortunately, before Klaus could press on too much further with his speech, he was nudged rather sharply in the side by the Guild woman from the previous day, Georgia, who gave him a withering glare. Klaus frowned in disappointment and sighed. "Jeez, fine, I'll save it for later. Don't need to look at me like that… Alright, examinees, here's the short of it: today is team hunt day. You'll be split into groups of three or four and sent out to fight a monster. You'll have thirty minutes to get to know each other prior to the test, and three minutes to prepare once we tell you what monster you'll be facing. Use your time wisely, and do your best. Georgia, if you would?"

The woman nodded in satisfaction and stepped forward, holding up a clipboard. "Alright, listen up! We're going to have the first two teams get ready for their hunts, so when you hear your name, step forward. First team: Linlin, Jack, and Edward. Second team: Susie, Sonia, and Bull."

"Oh. I'm on deck, I guess," Sonia noted. "I'll see you later!"

"Do your best, Sonia," Bram nodded.

"Go get 'em, girlie," Logan grinned.

"Good luck!" Leon said.

Sonia grimaced for a moment, but quickly replaced it with a grin, turning and darting off to meet her up-and-coming teammates. This was her chance to prove what she was really made of!

* * *

Bram watched as Sonia vanished around the next corner, following the group of hunters off the prep room. A hand patted his shoulder and he turned to find Logan giving him a confident grin. "She gonna do fine, hey? Don't gotta have you around to do good."

"Hmm. I know, but I'm still worried. I know she's a team player, but I can't say the same for the people she's hunting with."

"Is gonna be a risk we all gonna take, hey?"

"But if they make Sonia fail as well-"

"As long as Sonia's doing her best to cooperate with her teammates, she'll be fine," Leon supplied. "These are meant to be challenging hunts, but not impossible. Cooperation will be key, and Sonia is well-versed in that."

"Well… alright," Bram muttered worriedly. "Guess we'll find out…"

Another call rang out among, and the Guild workers began marching the remaining examinees down a separate hallway sloping upwards. Bram, Logan, and Leon followed along as they were taken to a pair of broad doors and led through. Within was a wide seating area overlooking the arena, and the examinees began to file in.

The battleground below was referred to as the 'slayground', as the announcer had called it when Bram and Sonia had come to observe. It was a wide area, roughly sixty yards across, hollowed out deep into the earth to allow the spectators above a clear view of the action below… though 'clear' might not be the best word for it. Most of the arena was covered in a canopy of vines and netting, creating a wide second level that blotted out the dirt floor below for the most part. Observers in the front rows could make out movement below, but it would certainly be hard to make out anything underneath clearly. Bram would've thought that such a setup would lead to smaller crowds due to the lack of a decent view, but the stands above were filling up quickly, and were sure to be full long before the first group of hunters entered the arena.

The terrain of the arena was much less treacherous than Bram had once feared, thankfully. Below the netting and vines, the floor was mostly flat, with only a couple small hills and ledges built up from the stone and dirt, though off to one side of the arena a wide crescent-moon shaped stone platform which rose up a couple yards, providing a much larger incline to scale. On each side of the slayground was a towering metal door, ornately decorated with silvery trim and golden crests. It seemed to be well-maintained, but there were still several burn and blast marks lining the door, as well as some stains that could've been from poison or some other substance. There were also a few bunkers near the floor of the arena, narrow windows with thick metal bars criss-crossing them and human-sized doors down in small nooks nearby, no doubt the prep rooms where hunters would emerge to battle whatever beast they were slated to challenge.

Across the way, hanging over the center of the arena, was the great hunter's gong, a massive, intricately-wrought metal plate. Bram knew that the gong was precisely shaped and tuned, designed to emulate the powerful roar of an elder dragon, though which particular elder dragon that was, Bram didn't know. He supposed it didn't matter in the end. Whatever dragon it was meant to be, it had the same effect: any lesser monster, large or small, immediately seized up in innate terror for a moment or two at the sound of the gong, fearing for their lives at the hand of a dragon far more powerful than them. The hesitation wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to halt any fatal attacks here in the arena, and give the bowgunners manning their stations time to pepper the creature with enough sleep shots and tranquilizers to knock it out to pull a wounded hunter out of the fire.

Bram had to admit, he was rather… interested in the idea. Hunting horns could produce sound waves instilling strength and healing in humanoids that listened, and the hunting gong could instill a feeling of dread and fear in monsters. Perhaps there was more power that sound waves could-

"Oy, oy, faster!" Logan pressed, pushing against Bram's back. "We need to get a front row seat!"

"I think we already lost that chance," Leon noted, and Logan groaned. The other examinees with them had been just as eager for a good view, and now the front was clogged by a wall of multicolored armor and weapons. With a grunt, Logan pushed past Bram and stepped onto one of the seats, craning his head and looking over the others.

"Eh, better than nothing, I guess."

"It's not as though they're starting immediately," Bram replied, taking a seat behind the great sword user on the third row. "There's a good twenty minutes before the first group, and thirty more before Sonia's turn. We have time."

"Hoy… this why I call you boring, hey?" Logan sighed, shaking his head and looking back out towards the arena.

Time passed, and the stands above them continued to fill up. Bram looked around, wondering if he'd be able to find his family in the stands, but he didn't have any such luck; picking out one small group of seven people amidst the thousands of onlookers was borderline impossible. He did see Hannibal standing around on the other side of the examinee bleachers, sitting in the back and obstinately trying to ignore the enthusiasm of the other hunters. The Felyne seemed determined to ignore him and the others, and Bram was more than willing to do the same.

Around twenty-five minutes later, Bram realized that the crowds were starting to quiet down a little, and he looked up towards a wide, posh viewing booth where the large shape of His Immenseness was striding in, alongside Klaus and several other finely-dressed individuals. The large Wyverian didn't step forward to speak, however, instead settling into a large chair the size of a small house to observe. From the back of the booth, a man dressed in bright blue clothing approached the front of the podium, to the excitement of the crowd.

"Welcome, my friends!" he boomed joyously, his voice echoing out from the sound amplifiers, and the crowd erupted with cheers. "Yes, welcome indeed, to the Dundorma Hunter's Exam. Here we will judge the skill and talent of those brave young souls who seek to become hunters, challenging beasts great and terrible for the safety of this country… and for countless other reasons, each their own. Within this arena we have seventy-one examinees - Human, Wyverian, Troverian, and _Felyne_ alike - who are here to prove their mettle!

"Today's test, as most of you know, will test their teamwork, and see if they have what it takes to grasp the ideals of camaraderie when faced with a great challenge… which means that, for your viewing pleasure, some of them will be fighting some rather nasty beasties." The man paused for a moment to allow the more bloodthirsty members of the audience to applaud. "But… ah, who am I kidding? Most of you out there only care about who wins and who loses based on who you've placed bets on, am I right? In that case, let's cease with all this idle chatter and get the show started, shall we?

"Alright then! Let's welcome our first group of hunters out into the arena: Linlin, Jack, and Edward!" The crowd cheered as the three hunters strode out confidently into the slayground, waving at the audience above them excitedly as they made their way to the center of the arena. "We'll be starting out with a standard staple of the hunting faire here in Gahiji, the 'teacher' who gives any rookie a run for their money out in the Everwood. Our three hunters now have three minutes to prepare themselves for… the Yian Kut-Ku! Not the _deadliest_ beast at our disposal, I'll admit, but let's see what kind of display our hunters can give us to show that they mean business."

Bram perked up a little as he watched the first group take their test. The three of them talked quickly amongst themselves for a minute before splitting up in three different directions to prepare. One ran to the center of the arena and set a pitfall trap right in the middle, while the other two branched off to separate corners, planting themselves carefully behind a couple of the trees that rose up from the earth. It was hard to make out, but it looked as though the latter pair were planning something, fiddling with some sort of equipment in their hands. Time passed slowly, but eventually the announcer declared in the arrival of the first team's challenge, and the doors on the far side of the arena began to crawl open. As the opening grew wide enough, there was a loud squawk, and the Kut-Ku burst through the gate, cawing menacingly and ready for a fight.

At first, however, the creature was confused; all three hunters were hiding in wait, and eventually the Kut-Ku began to wander forward, scanning around uncertainly. As the creature veered off to the right from where it had entered, the hunter opposite it released a sharp whistle, and the Kut-Ku's attention sharply turned towards him, curling its ears up and stalking his direction… and falling right into the pitfall trap.

The next couple of minutes were quick and concise. The hunters converged on the pitfalled Kut-Ku, assaulting it with everything they had. The bird wyvern managed to survive, and even was able to fly free of the trap and into the air, but only managed to get itself tangled up in the netting and vines hanging over the arena floor, allowing the hunters to compound their damage. Eventually the vines tore apart and the Kut-Ku fell to the ground again, but that was the last straw. Within seconds the bird wyvern gave its final death throe, collapsing to the ground dead.

"That was short," Logan noted as the crowd above them roared their approval. "Thought they'd start off with something bigger, hey?"

"They've already got a full crowd," Bram shrugged, motioning to the audience. "They don't really need to draw anyone in. They're probably saving the good stuff for later to keep the audience in their seats."

"Ho! Guess that means _we_ gonna be the ones that fight something _real_ fun, hey?"

"Erm… guess so…"

As the examinees left the arena, waving to the crowds as they were cheered them out, and the arena crews marched out to clean up the remains of the Kut-Ku and cart it away. Bram noted that a cart of soil was pulled out into the arena, and the bird wyvern's blood stains were carefully and meticulously covered in dirt, patted down and blotted out. The crater left behind by the pitfall trap was hastily covered over, and soon the arena seemed little different than it had been before the battle. The only thing that remained unrepaired was the hole the Kut-Ku had torn in the overhang, and it looked as though they weren't planning to repair that at all. Maybe that was why they'd started off with a simple Kut-Ku. By the time they got to the more dangerous and exciting monsters, the canopy could very well be completely shredded, with only the thickest vines remaining, allowing the audience a much nicer view of the arena floor.

Soon enough, the clean up crew was finishing up and making their way out of the arena. _Now_ Bram got to his feet and started pushing through the rest of the hunters, trying to make his way to the front to get a better look, slinging half-hearted apologies and explanations that his best friend was taking part in order to shove his way right up to the edge overlooking the arena floor.

"This why I said to hurry when we get here, hey?" Logan grumbled behind him as the great sword user squeezed into a spot next to him, and Leon managed to grab a place on the other side.

"Yeah, yeah…" Bram replied, his attention on the arena below. Behind him, one of the Guild reps was calling out the names of three other hunters to gather and prepare for their turn in the arena, but Bram's attention was on the announcer's booth as the man's voice began to echo once more through the arena.

"Quite an excellent start to our day, wouldn't you say, my friends? That Kut-Ku hardly knew what hit it! Let's see if our second team of hunters can match that kind of performance. Allow me to introduce our next would-be-hunters: Susie, Sonia, and Bull!"

The crowd applauded politely as one of the four doors into the arena opened up and the three hunters walked in. Bram had half-expected Sonia to dash out ahead of the other two, but she seemed to be acting reserved compared to normal. Bram could barely make her out from this distance and through the remaining vines, but her body language seemed to indicate that she was… uncomfortable about something. Alongside her were a hunter and huntress: Bull was a tall, powerful-looking man with Rhenoplos armor and a large hammer shaped like a Kut-Ku head slung across his back, striding forward boldly across the sand; Susie was walking back with Sonia, wearing familiar pink Kut-Ku armor with a large and heavy-looking hunting horn that looked as though it was made of stone… Basarios materials.

"Huh. Wonder what kinda songs the horn player's got?" Logan muttered.

"I couldn't tell you," Leon replied. "Though… Basarios materials, looks like. Someone went into that fight a lot more prepared than we did. Still, no matter the horn, it should provide some decent boons to-"

"Ja, ja, I know… but what if it got a stamina song?"

"Oh…" Leon and Bram both winced, returning their gazes down to the arena floor. "I don't think I could say. Wish I'd paid more attention to Vi when she was talking about horns…"

"I think it might," Bram frowned. "Sonia seems pretty nervous about something…"

"You can tell from this distance?"

"Yes. I think she's on good terms with the horn player, but… it doesn't look like she cares for that hammer user."

"He don't look too happy 'bout _something_ ," Logan noted. Bull was jabbing his finger roughly in the huntresses' direction as the three of them approached the center of the arena.

"Alright then, folks, let's hope they're ready for this fight! It looks like they'll in for a bigger challenge than the first group, because the three of them will be going toe-to-toe with… a Gypceros! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the rubbery bandit himself! That said, the Guild would like to remind the audience that the Gypceros _does_ create blinding flashes of light with its crown, and you should not look directly at its skull! Those with weak eyes or those who suffer from seizures should consider visiting the snack bar and buying a pint or two during this hunt…"

"Guess it's lucky we hunted that Gyp few days ago, hey?" Logan noted.

"Guess so," Leon agreed. "Still, she's only fought one, so she's going to have to be careful, and who knows how well she'll work together with those two."

"Sonia's a good team player," Bram said. "Well… she is with people she knows at least. With these guys though…"

Sure enough, there seemed to be an argument breaking out among the three down below. Bull seemed to be getting very angry at Sonia and Susie, and the three of them were motioning sharply between each other.

"Oh my, looks like there may be some contention between these three. This could be a very _interesting_ hunt to watch!" the announcer purred excitedly, much to the pleasure of the crowd. "Only a couple minutes left before the Gypceros is released! Can they work out a plan?"

At the words, Bram could see Sonia look up and scowl at the man in his booth, before returning to the argument. She said something, motioning between Susie and the far side of the arena, and the bickering seemed to fade. Bull had his arms crossed in clear frustration, but finally raised his hands in a show of acceptance, turning to stalk away from the other two and sidle up next to one of the thicker tree trunks. Sonia and Susie talked for another few moments, and Bram saw the horn player pass something to Sonia before tailing after the hammer user. Sonia took off to the far side of the battleground, however, planting herself about as far away from the other two as she possibly could.

"Wonder what that's about?" Logan muttered.

Music began to lilt over the arena as Susie began to play, almost inaudible over the dull roar of the crowd. Bram watched Sonia carefully, but the huntress seemed to be listening to the song play without worry. The song finished soon enough, though Bram couldn't tell what effect it had, and the horn player quickly continued to the next song. Again, Sonia seemed unperturbed about listening, and the song reached its climax and shut off. As Susie began her third song, however, Sonia suddenly curled up on the other side of the tree, covering her head.

"She's plugging her ears?" Leon asked.

"The horn must have a stamina song," Bram muttered worriedly. "She's trying to blot it out."

Eventually the song ended, and Sonia's hands lowered from the side of her head. However, Bram could tell that she was standing rather stiffly, and even as she reached for her sword, her movements seemed wooden and stilted.

"It got her," Bram sighed. Logan and Leon grimaced, but could do little more than look on as the announcer declared the arrival of the Gypceros, and the grand metal doors began to creak open.

The grey-hided rubbery wyvern burst through the door a moment later, squawking wildly. Already the creature was spitting globs of poison around, splattering the soil with purple, steaming venom, and Bram wondered how many battles the creature had been in to come out swinging like that. After a few steps, however, the creature ground to a halt, craning its head around in search of the hunters it apparently _knew_ were there. Then the creature began moving in the direction of Bull, perhaps catching sight of his bulky armor around the sides of the tree.

With its back turned, Sonia slipped around the side of her tree, darting towards the Gypceros from behind. Bram frowned at the sight: her movements were stilted, and he could tell that she was struggling to hold herself back and gauge how fast she should run, how hard she should push herself when she couldn't feel her limits. She was going much slower than she should've been. It was slow enough that the Gypceros heard her coming before she could get to it, and the wyvern craned its head around to face her… but that suited Bull just fine, and the hunter swung around the side of his tree while the Gyp was distracted, smashing his weapon against the monster's head and catching it by surprise.

The next few minutes were fairly standard as far as hunts went, now that the battle was started. Everyone seemed to know their role, with Bull assaulting the Gyp's head with assistance from Susie, and Sonia slipping around and attacking the wyvern's legs when she could get under it. Even so, the Gyp seemed to have plenty of experience in the arena, and while the hunters were wearing it down, the creature's constant spray of poison and repeated flashes of light were making it a challenge for them to bring it down quickly. Thankfully, Sonia knew her way around dealing with flashes, blotting out the burst of light with her shield. This may have been her second Gypceros, but she had plenty of experience with Gobuls, and had used a couple of the 'special' flash bombs that she'd nicked from her father's item chest once; after a few uses of those, she and Bram had become _very_ proficient at learning how to block out bright flashes.

Sonia continued to have trouble properly attacking with the effects of the stamina song still lingering. Several of the other hunters around her had noticed, and Bram could only grimace uncomfortably at their comments. Her attacks were all weaker and more awkward than they should have been, and Bram could see Bull growing frustrated with her down in the arena.

However, things took a sharp turn a couple minutes into the fight. Sonia's attacks on the wyvern's legs had finally managed to trip the Gypceros up, sending the creature toppling to the ground, and the hammer user was charging in to smash his weapon down onto the fallen creature's skull when he abruptly dropped to his knees. On the other side of the Gyp, Bram could see Sonia stagger for a moment as well. Susie was the only unaffected hunter, and Bram could see Bull shouting at her in frustration.

"Song musta worn off, hey?" Logan muttered. "Looks like that hammer user really feeling it."

Before the horn player could sound off with another stamina song, however, the Gyp managed to push back to its feet, whipping its tail around and swatting Bull across the arena floor. Then it launched itself towards Susie, pecking at her wildly and backing her against one of the trees as she tried to retaliate with her heavy horn.

However, Sonia suddenly appeared from behind the Gypceros, cleaving into its ankles once more with her Seltas blade. The wyvern staggered, nearly toppling over as its leg buckled slightly, allowing Sonia to pull her blade back and plunge it into the creature's side. The Gyp wailed in pain, twisting its head around to face the huntress and snapping its beak down towards her shoulder, but she nimbly slipped out of the way, slashing at the wyvern's neck with three sharp cuts before leaping away again as the creature snapped at her with its beak.

Whispers of shock rippled through the examinees around them at the apparently sudden increase in Sonia's skill, but Bram was simply relieved. Without the effects of the stamina song forcing her to restrain herself, Sonia was able to fight with confidence, slipping around the Gyp's attacks with far more ease and fluidity than she'd shown before, catching the wyvern off guard at her speed and dexterity when she'd shown so little before.

The distraction allowed Susie a chance to cut in with a surprise attack, swinging her horn down into a sharp overhead smash onto the wyvern's skull. Bram could almost hear the creature's crest cracking from his seat. The horn huntress tried to wind up for a second blow, but the Gypceros recovered too quickly, spraying a gush of poison out of its mouth at her and forcing her to leap back as the venom splattered against her greaves. Before she could retreat any further, the wyvern spun around again, its rubbery tail snapping out and whipping the huntress' feet out from under her.

The creature's spin brought the Gypceros face-to-face with Sonia, however, who had lunged at it from behind. There was a moment of surprise between the two of them before the wyvern let out a squawk. Sonia, however, reacted instinctively and lashed out to strike the wyvern across the beak with her sword. The blade clashed off the hard marrow, but before the wyvern could retaliate, Sonia followed up and swung her shield arm into a sweeping uppercut, smashing it directly into the Gypceros' lower jaw. The wyvern's head snapped upwards from the blow and the beast teetered for a moment, before toppling over onto its side, flailing its head around wildly as globs of poison splattered out from its mouth and pooled on the ground under its skull.

Sonia was still for a moment, clearly confused as the Gypceros writhed around on the ground, but shook her head and dashed around the wyvern over to Susie to help her to her feet. As she was doing so, however, Bull reappeared and leapt over the creature's wing, sliding to a halt next to the beast's head. With a roar, he raised his Kut-Ku hammer and drove it down onto the Gypceros' skull, and the tip of the 'beak' slammed cleanly into the creature's eye socket. Bram winced, looking away as the impact smashed the Gypceros' skull into chunky pudding. Leon reacted with similar distaste, and though Logan seemed unfettered, there was still a tightness at the edge of his mouth.

"Oh! That's a messy finish…" the announcer noted, though there were some wild cheers from the crowd despite it all. "But I suppose some folks like that kind of thing, eh? Well, it may not have been as fast, but that was quite an exceptional hunt, wouldn't you say folks? Alright, let's give one last round of applause for Susie, Sonia, and Bull!"

There was a smattering of applause from the crowd, though it wasn't nearly as exuberant as the one for the hunters before; Bram could make out small cluster of noisy cheering coming from somewhere in the crowd, likely from their friends and family. Sonia and the other two hunters quickly made their way out of the arena, Bull puffing his chest proudly while Sonia and Susie hung back talking with each other, walking around the clean-up crew as they scurried out to clean up the mess.

"How you think they did?" Logan asked. "Or, better yet, how you think the _judges_ think they did, hey?"

"Hard to say…" Leon muttered worriedly. "Sonia didn't really show her full ability during the start thanks to the song, but she and that horn player worked pretty well together once it wore off."

"But they was all arguing at the start of the hunt, and can't say they really worked well with that Bull fella." Logan shrugged and slouched down to lean against the railing. "Guess we just gotta leave it to the judges, hey? They probably got someone in the prep room listening to whatever the hunters say 'fore the fight."

Bram could only frown and stare back down at the arena as the crew below carted away the remains of the Gypceros, and cleaned up the blood and poison as best they could. A few minutes later, a Guild worker appeared at the entry to the stands, shouting over the din of the crowds.

"Alright, next on deck: Logan, Zola, and Collette."

Logan had perked up at the sound of his name being called, but now his eyes had lit up deviously. "Heh, two girlies on the same team as me? Oh, I is gonna enjoy this…"

"Really? Mercy… Do try and focus on the hunt, Logan," Bram sighed. "I doubt the huntresses will find you very attractive if you cause them to fail."

"Heh, don't worry 'bout me, Pinkie. I can fight and flirt at the same time, hey? These girlies wouldn't be the first ones I… _enticed_ during a hunt."

However, Leon was holding back laughter next to him, and as Logan gave him an odd look the lancer smirked and motioned to the door. "While I'm not too certain what attracts you to a woman, Logan - and you can keep that information to yourself, by the way - I'm pretty sure these girls aren't your type."

The great sword user frowned, followed Leon's finger, and his face sank. Next to the Guild worker that had called their names were two huntresses, and indeed they were both rather pretty… but they were also both insect glaive users, and both of them seemed very fond of their Kinsects, allowing them to fly freely and follow the huntresses around at their leisure.

Logan let out a long-suffering groan of dismay, and Bram didn't even bother to hold back his laughter as he patted the great sword user on the shoulder. "Go get 'em, lady killer."

"Eh, shut up…" Logan muttered as he dragged himself towards the door, his expression now one of defeated resignation. Bram and Leon both chuckled as he followed the Guild worker and the huntresses out of the viewing area.

"I may need to reconsider my stance on the arena," Bram told Leon with a grin. "I've always considered it a rather blasé place which catered only to gamblers and the more bloodthirsty scoundrels of society, its only redeeming feature to provide a safer place to conduct the Hunter's Exam… but maybe it can really be entertaining after all!"

"Agreed."

Bram and Leon watched as the next battle unfolded, where three hunters were sent out to challenge an impressively large Tetsucabra that unearthed several large chunks of earth and smashed them against the arena walls and doors, and shredded almost all the remaining vines hanging over the dirt. In the end the hunting gong above the arena needed to be sounded when one of the huntresses was clipped by a thrown boulder, breaking her arm and nearly making her a meal to the Tetsu. The sound of the gong nearly sent the creature into convulsions for a moment, leaving plenty of time for the bowgunners at the ready to pepper the creature with sleep shots and put it under. The huntress needed to be escorted out by a medical team, and the cleanup crew came back in to work on filling in the holes that the Tetsu had unearthed.

"Attention!" Bram looked up at the shout from the Guild rep. "Would Abraham, Vincent, and Leon please accompany me to the prep room."

Bram blinked in surprise, glancing towards the lancer, who looked just as stunned as him. "I guess we're on the same team."

"What're the odds?" Leon muttered. "Well, at least it'll be nice to have someone I know on my team."

"Agreed," Bram nodded as the two of them walked up to the door and followed the Guild rep into the dim hallways.

As the two of them followed the man down the flights of stairs, Bram took a look at the last member of their group, a hunter in thick and fluffy Lagombi armor. Most of his face was blocked out by a black facemask pulled up from the collar, or from the folds hanging down from the tall white cap on his head, but he nodded politely at him and Leon as they continued down. He wore a green and brown shield on his right arm, and the sword hooked onto his belt was long and curved. The sheath was made from a collection of green and brown scales, which Bram recognized as Genprey materials.

The prep room at the ground floor was smaller than Bram would've expected, but there were still several weapon racks holding blades and bows and bowguns, with crates of ammunition and barrels of arrows stacked atop each other, and a few sets of armor were placed on a few mannequins that were shoved into the corner. There were several benches, as well as a long, barred window stretching across the wall and providing a view into the arena. The only other people in the room were a pair of hunters in Guild knight armor, wielding bowguns and sitting next to the windows; their bowguns were mounted professionally, the barrels pointing out into the arena and ready to fire at a moment's notice. There wasn't a battle occurring at the moment, however, so the pair of them were at ease and nodded at the three apprentices as they entered.

"You have about thirty minutes to get to know each other," the Guild rep behind them stated. "I suggest you do your best to acclimate to each other's abilities in preparation for whatever monster you face."

The third hunter in their group nodded and turned towards Bram and Leon. "Hmm. If I'm not mistaken, I saw you two talking to each other earlier, so might I assume you two were lucky enough to be partnered with someone you already know?"

"That's right," Leon replied. "Bram and I have been training under the same hunting teachers for the last few months now."

"That's fortunate for you. In that case…" The hunter pulled the tall Lagombi hat from his head, revealing a collection of messy black hair over a pair of forest-green eyes. His skin was well-tanned, and pulling down his black leather facemask revealed a thin, well-trimmed beard that trailed under his jaw. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Vincent ka'Moriah. Vince for short, though, if you please."

"Certainly. I'm Leon ka'Virtus, and this is my friend Bram… uh…"

"Bram Renfield," the archer finished. He and Sonia were already here, so there was little point in trying to hide who they were from people that might know them.

"A Therian, huh? That's rare," Vince noted, apparently not recognizing Bram's surname. "Well, how should we proceed with this talk? What, uh, what do we talk about? I mean, our weapon choices are obvious, but…"

"If it helps at all, I prefer to keep my distance and stay stealthy where I can," Bram spoke up. "My bow can support most types of status coatings, so I can pepper whatever we face with poison and paralysis and sleep."

"Convenient. My blade has a paralysis venom coating on it, so we should be able to keep whatever we battle good and paralyzed if we need to… unless it's a Gendrome or Najarala. In which case that coating might be useless. And I'll need some time to get in some solid hits on the monster's softer bits as well; I can't paralyze anything if I can't break through the harder plates."

"I can be the distraction," Leon volunteered. "The two of you do what you need to do to damage and hinder the creature, and I'll keep its focus. I can repel more damage with my shield than either of you can."

"Very well, that should…" Bram paused mid-sentence, turning to Leon. "Ah, Leon, exactly… how are you going to go into this hunt? I mean, being a follower of the Shield and all."

Vince raised a curious eyebrow at the words as Leon frowned. "I know what you mean, but… don't worry about my role in this battle. I understand that whatever we face has to… No, I know that it would be _better_ for the monster to die."

"Better?" Vince asked curiously.

"I greatly doubt the Guild will just let the monster go, even if we simply captured it rather than killed it. If this battle ends with the monster still living, the Guild will just let it recover and then send it out to fight for the crowd's pleasure over and over again until some hunter finally cuts it down. It would be… more _merciful_ just to kill it and allow it some peace, rather than live an extended life of captivity and meaningless violence." The lancer paused, a solemn expression on his face before he nodded with determination. "I'll do my best to make to make sure the monster we fight dies as quickly and painlessly as possible, I promise you that."

"Fair enough," Bram nodded.

The three hunters continued to talk for a few minutes longer, trying to devise some basic tactics, before Bram perked up at the sound of the crowd growing restless, and the voice of the announcer echoed in through the window.

"It looks like the arena's almost back in shape again folks… _almost_. But I think our young examinees should be able to handle a little rough-and-tumble landscape, don't you think? Ah, I thought you might agree, and with all those vines gone, I suppose you're happy to finally have a clean view of the fights, eh? Ha! Well that's an enthusiastic approval! Well then, let's take a look at the hunters that'll be taking part in the next hunt: please welcome Logan, Zola, and Collette!"

"Logan's up," Bram noted. He frowned in frustration upon realizing that he wouldn't be able to watch, however; the only windows were taken up by the bowgunners, and he doubted he would be able to ask them to scoot over.

"Another friend of yours?" Vince asked.

"That's right," Bram replied. He could practically picture Logan flaunting a bit as he strode into the arena, as the announcer's voice boomed into the prep room again.

"Now then, ladies and gentlemen, I believe we've seen enough of your run-of-the-mill monsters. These hunters should be fighting _real_ challenges, now shouldn't they?" the man asked, and the audience roared their approval. "Very well then! Our three examinees had better prepare themselves well this time, as they'll be challenging… the feared Thunder Wolf Wyvern, the Zinogre!"

"A Zinogre?" Vince winced. "That's going to be trouble…"

"Not as much as you might think," Bram noted, earning a curious look from the sword user.

"He's got a lot of experience with those, doesn't he?" Leon asked.

"I don't know if he has _a lot_ , but he's fought at least one or two. Enough for a full set of armor and his great sword."

"What?! How? He's only an examinee!" Vince exclaimed.

"In Gahiji, yes, but we come from Theron, and back home he used to talk about how he was being considered for G-rank," Bram replied, and Vince whistled in surprise. "I imagine he'll be trying to impress people with this."

There was silence from the arena for a while as the examinees prepared, though the announcer kept them updated during the downtime. It didn't sound like much, just basic discussion and preparation. Bram imagined Logan taking the lead in this one; he was the one with experience after all, but it was hard to tell without being able to see. One of them set a pitfall trap, apparently, and then they branched off to hide. Soon, however, the crowd grew excited as it neared the time for the Zinogre to be released. Bram heard the beast roar as it entered the arena, a powerful howl that echoed through the windows into the prep room. It was immediately followed by almost a minute of silence, however, as the creature started looking around the arena for the hidden hunters, followed again by a shocked yelp as the Zinogre apparently fell into the pitfall trap. The crowd roared their approval, and the battle began in earnest.

And unfortunately, Bram could see none of it. The announcer was on the ball proclaiming when there were close calls and daring stunts, but he didn't really paint much of a picture on what was going on. The man seemed quite complimentary of Logan's performance; Bram wondered if he knew that Logan had fought a Zinogre before. The team seemed to be doing well, but beyond that…

Things changed abruptly about five minutes in, when a gasp echoed through the entire crowd by the sound of it, followed by a shriek from one of the huntresses. Bram glanced up at the window worriedly, but though both the bowgunners were wincing at the sight of whatever had just happened, neither of them were firing, and the hunter's gong hadn't been sounded.

"Ooh, that's a heavy loss," the announcer groaned. "Too aggressive that time, I think. Much too aggressive…"

"What happened?" Bram asked the bowgunners.

"One of them got too confident," the one on the left replied, keeping her eyes leveled on the battlefield. "Sent out her Kinsect to gather essence and the Zin got a hold of it. Ripped the poor thing in half."

"Ooh… That's not good."

"Tuli's going to talk our ears off about that later tonight," Leon winced. "That was a bad move."

"I imagine getting your Kinsect killed is not exactly approved of in her book."

"You have no idea… If I had a chocolate Lagombi for every _hour_ I've heard her talk about proper Kinsect care and battle tactics, I'd weigh five hundred pounds." Bram grinned at the thought. "Don't laugh. I've done the _math_. Caloric intake, average daily exercise, the works. _Five hundred pounds_. She goes on about the Kinsect care books she's read, but she could probably write her own by now."

"Wow."

"Anyway, one of the biggest things she says about battle tactics is to be careful about how you order them around. They're not invincible little essence-collectors, and you need to be careful with them, or else…" Leon motioned vaguely towards the window. "You end up losing it. If Sonia ever gets a glaive and Kinsect of her own, that's something she'll need to keep in mind."

"I'll mention that to her… though I guess if she does get one, I'm sure Tuulikki will be more than willing to supply her with information."

"Maybe you should consider buying her some chocolate Lagombis."

"To see how much weight she gains?"

"No, to help her feel better after sitting through Tuli's Kinsect lectures."

"Heh, good idea."

Returning his attention to the sounds coming from the arena, by the announcer's word, the huntress lacking a Kinsect was acting neutered, and Logan and the other huntress seemed to be trying their best to pick up the slack. Minutes passed, with few other changes aside from the announcer's vague showboating, until Vince finally spoke up again.

"How are they lasting so long?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the stories about Zinogres speak for themselves. Even if your buddy has experience fighting them, the other two don't, and he can't protect them both. How come things haven't gone south yet? I mean, bug death aside?"

"I don't know," Bram admitted. For such a powerful creature, the Zinogre fight was lasting a lot longer than he would've thought, especially after a Kinsect death. He knew Logan was good, sure, but even so… "Maybe something's wrong or-"

Bram paused, however, as the noise from the crowd suddenly grew tense outside. He could make out Logan shouting about something, and the announcer was saying something about a dangerous mistake. Both of the bowgunners suddenly tensed, readying themselves for the worst. The edges of the windows were flickering with a blue-and-yellow light. Then there was a brilliant flash, a terrifying howl from the Zinogre, and a horrible scream. Both bowgunners had their fingers on the triggers of their weapons now, and though the battle in the arena beyond continued for another twenty seconds or so, the gong soon rang, and the bowgunners fired in unison, emptying their clips quickly. They paused, and Bram could hear a sigh of relief from the audience.

"Whew, that was a close one wasn't it?" the announcer declared. "The medical team is out in the arena… and… ah! It looks like young Zola's going to be just fine! Let's give her, Collette, and Logan another round of applause, eh?" The audience roared their approval at the showing of the three hunters, and the announcer declared that the next test would begin just as soon as the Zinogre was carted off and the arena floor cleaned.

"What happened out there?" Bram asked the bowgunners again.

"Aw, one of the girls put down a shock trap," the right one muttered, and Bram winced. "Yeah. Guess she didn't know that supercharges 'em."

"They might've held off a bit longer if the other one hadn't jumped on its back and tried to knife it in the neck," the other one said. "She was right on top of it when it lit up like a lightning bolt. Fried her and threw her halfway across the arena. Show was over after that."

"Yikes," Leon muttered nervously. "You think… we're gonna have to fight something like that?"

"Eh, can't say, kid. I know they've got a Najarala and a Nerscylla in the cages somewhere, but who knows?"

Silence filled the room for about ten more minutes as the Zinogre was carted out of the arena and the crew cleaned up the remains of the pitfall trap that had been left behind. Bram and the others occasionally made small talk, but the tenseness of the impending test kept them silent for the most part. Soon enough, the awaiting crowd began growing excited, and the announcer's voice boomed through the windows.

"Well now, we've received word again from our in-house doctors, and young Zola is going to make a full recovery! She'll be out of commission for a week or two, but she'll be right as rain in no time, courtesy our city's Great Hospital!" A ripple of applause echoed through the audience. "Now then, with that relieving news out of the way, let's see how our next team of hunters fare! Let's give them a proper welcome! Let's hear it for Abraham, Leon, and Vincent!"

"Alright, kids, you're up!" one of the huntresses bearing the bowguns at the window told them. "Good luck out there!" The three of them nodded thankfully, pushing through the large wooden door and stepping out onto the arena floor.

Bram blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering down from above, and the crowd applauded politely as he, Leon, and Vince walked towards the center of the arena. With the entire crowd around them though, even the light applause was like the roar of thunder. How were hunters supposed to communicate with each other with this much noise? Next to him, Vince was waving to the crowds with a broad smile, but on the other side of him, Leon seemed tense and ready for the hunt. Bram took a moment to scan the crowds in search of his mother and friends, but gave up after a few moments, trying to tune out the crowd and mentally prepare himself for the hunt. What type of monster would they send out for them to fight? A list of possible candidates scrolled through his skull, and Bram tried to conjure strategies based on what information he had about them. They wouldn't send out anything too dangerous, right? No Deviljhos or Rajangs or other such demons…

He paused and listened closely: no bells were chiming. That was a good sign.

He came back to reality as he heard the announcer's voice echoing over that of the crowd. "-and as for what they'll be fighting… oh my. One of the most reviled creatures in the country awaits them, dear audience! The sickly white worm of the north, the blind screeching terror… the Khezu! Three minutes until the beast is released! What sort of plan will our hunters concoct?"

"Oh no…" Vince winced. "This is gonna suck."

"I've never fought one of those," Leon said quickly, looking towards Bram, who shook his head as well. "I hope you can offer some advice, Vince."

"I doubt I can provide much more than you could get out of any of the Guild's ecology books. I've only fought one myself, and honestly I'm not looking forward to fighting another one. Like the announcer said, they're blind. Their skin is thick and rubbery, their necks are stretchy as hell, their bodies conduct electricity and they can spit orbs of it at you… Your lance and bow are more piercing than slashing, so its skin shouldn't be too much trouble for you."

"Hold on," Bram spoke up. "If it's blind, how does it track prey? Heat sensors like the Gigginox?"

"Giggi-what? Oh, right, those Therian worms. No, I don't think it has sensors. It just tracks through sound and sense of smell from what I know. If it has any other methods of detection, I've never heard of them."

"Smell and sound?" Leon noted, looking around. "We're in the arena and surrounded by crowds. Sound won't be on its side. We might be able to avoid it completely by just being quiet… But what about smell?"

"We might be able to stay out of its senses in that case too," Bram noted, pointing towards the center of the arena. Several red bloodstains from previous battle remained, soiling the dirt. "This arena is probably filled with the smell of a hundred different monsters and gallons of blood, some of it still fresh. The stands are filled, so I doubt it'll pick out our scent from five thousand other people's. How many scents do you think it could get from the tundra?"

"Not many, I guarantee you that," Vince stated, grinning with renewed hope. "Not much up there except snow and ice. The arena could very well overwhelm it! Unless… wait, maybe they got this Khezu from the Sunken Hollow. If that's the case, its sense of smell is probably a lot better."

"Damn. We can probably get a few good surprise attacks in on either way until it acclimates… unless this Khezu is used to the arena. We should try and be sneaky for as long as we can until it gets a bead on our scents."

"Sounds like a plan. Oh! We could try using dung bombs on it, if either are you are carrying any on you-"

"Ah, no."

"Sorry."

"So much for that, then… Leon, try and hit its legs. We'll topple it, and try and take it out quickly before it can really get a bead on us. Bram, if you could focus on poisoning it while I use my paralysis coating, we can hobble it badly enough that we can kill it with no hassle at all. If that's not enough, use your sleep coatings and we'll try and just… drop it in its sleep."

"Understood. Ah, I don't suppose either of you are carrying a trap on you?"

"Erm, not so much. I'm from the Frozen Seaway area, and traps don't work too well up there. Pitfalls don't work in ice and snow, and shock traps slip out from under monsters if you plant them on ice. Did you bring one?"

"A shock trap, yes, but will that even work if it conducts electricity? I don't want a rehash of Logan's Zinogre fight."

"Hmm. If so, not for long. Save it for an emergency then. If anything it may stun it long enough for a finishing blow." Vince nodded in satisfaction at the idea before looking towards the door. "Let's split up, then. Bram, you go wherever you can keep cover, and I'll try and attack from behind. Leon, it's up to you to keep its attention by making noise after that."

"Right."

The three hunters scattered, each branching away from the center of the arena. Bram approached one of the tree trunks nearest to the door and attached a bottle of poison coating to the shaft of his bow. He carefully tested the tautness of his string: he wasn't sure how thick the Khezu's hide was, so he might need to put a lot of power into his shots to get his poison into the beast's bloodstream. Would it be better to aim for the neck or the torso, though? Where would his arrows and toxins have the greatest effect?

His attention turned as the announcer declared the start of the battle, and the grand iron doors creaked open. Most monsters charged into the arena the moment the doors opened, but not this time. Bram watched warily as a slow and twitchy creature stalked out of the arena doors, its head bobbing around at the end of its neck like the end of a rubber hose. The drawings he'd seen of the creature really didn't do the Khezu justice: the beast walked at least twelve feet tall and a bit longer than that, its hide was rubbery but had a rather slimy sheen to it, with pulsating veins and arteries throbbing under its pale white flesh. There were no eyes, as Bram had expected, but even from here Bram could hear the creature sniffing the air in search of their scents as its many-fanged mouth dripped saliva down onto the dirt. Several old wounds covered its legs and belly, closed-up scars that showed that the creature had seen its fair share of combat. It seemed on edge, and Bram wondered how well it knew its situation.

The arteries along the beast's body drew Bram's attention, however; if those were the thicker blood vessels in its body, close enough to the surface of the hide to see, then they would be where to aim in order to inject toxin into the body. Bram glanced in Leon and Vince's directions, and both were ready. He drew his bow carefully to keep the weapon from creaking; he didn't know how well the creature could hear in the arena, and he didn't want to risk giving himself away quite yet. Bram took his time honing his aim on a particularly large artery crawling across the Khezu's back, then fired.

The shot sank into the wyvern's white flesh about an inch above the mark, making the creature jolt in shock. Bram frowned; the arrow hadn't sank as far into the Khezu's flesh as he had hoped, meaning the hide was thicker than he had thought. He'd need to get closer or put as much power into each shot as he could just to keep his damage up and get the venom into the creature's blood. He was sure that he had enough toxin to do it one way or another, but it was always better to be efficient.

The Khezu twisted its head towards the injury, smacking its head against the shaft of the arrow and knocking it off of its body, bobbing its head around and sniffing around. The beast turned in his direction, though it hadn't managed to get a complete bead on him. That didn't stop it from trying to attack, as lightning surged across its body towards its head and the beast spat out a trio of crawling electrical orbs. Bram ignored the threat, sliding behind the tree and sliding another arrow from his quiver as one of the orbs smacked against the other side of the tree and burst, sending a short blast of heat and wave of ozone into the air. Bram glanced around the side of the tree to find the Khezu waddling his direction, its head bobbing around as it sniffed the air in search of him. From behind it he could see Vince slinking up on its rear, his sword unsheathed and paralysis venom dripping from the hooks of his weapon…

The hunter dipped low, slashing the saw blades of his weapon across the Khezu's right ankle and tearing through the creature's hide. The wyvern wailed in pain, its leg buckling under it as it dropped. It nearly toppled over completely, but managed to land on one knee. Vince continued to hack into the hide along the creature's legs until the Khezu finally snapped its tail at its assailant. Vince quickly leapt back and pulled away from the wyvern, getting some distance from the beast as it pushed to its feet, spinning around in search of him. Bram could see thin trickles of yellowish para toxin trickling down from the wounds, and on the far side of the Khezu, Vince slid his blade back into its sheath to reapply more.

The Khezu hadn't caught onto Vince's smell yet, and with all the noise in the arena its sense of hearing wasn't much help either, leaving the wyvern little to do but sniff around in search of its assailants. That gave Bram time to fire two more arrows, one striking a thick vein just over the beast's wing and the other not far behind it. Again it spun, only for Vince to slink in from behind and hack into the creature's torso, before slipping away as the creature spun, its tail extending in an attempt to swat the hunter. Bram could see it growing frustrated, and its long neck swinging left and right as it tried to find them. As the archer drew another arrow and spritzed the head with more poison, the creature's head twitched in his direction, forcing him to freeze in worry.

" _Hey, monster_!" The Khezu jolted in shock at the sound of clanking armor as Leon spun from around his tree and thundered towards the wyvern. Before it could get a lock on him, the lancer had reached the wyvern and smashed his shield against the Khezu's face, followed by a sharp thrust with his lance into the beast's shoulder. The wound was shallow, perhaps glancing off of a bone or something, but the shock of the attack still sent the creature staggering backwards, before it tripped over its own feet and toppled to the ground. "Now, get it!"

Bram was firing before Leon had finished speaking, launching one arrow after another into the wyvern's spine as it writhed in the dirt. Trails of poison slid down the creature's white hide, mixing with the moist fluid coating its body and staining it purple. Vince was focusing on the creature's legs and belly, and Leon continued his assault on the Khezu's head and neck. A dull roar of approval from the crowd echoed in his ears, but Bram tuned it out, firing one arrow after another.

With a squeal of rage, the Khezu began thrashing around on the ground, forcing Leon and Vince to leap away from it, and not a moment too soon as flickers of voltage jumped across its pale hide before erupting in a wild surge of energy that arced into the dirt itself. Bram actually winced back; the voltage the Khezu was releasing was far greater than he'd expected it to. Even though he'd put some distance between himself and the Khezu, one of the arcs managed to jump out and catch Leon's lance, sending enough amperage to jolt the hunter and knock him backward. He managed to stay on his feet, but Bram could see that the lancer was twitching and struggling to keep from dropping to his knees as he collected himself, sparks dancing along his weapon.

The electricity kept surging across the Khezu's body as the wyvern struggled back to its feet, forcing Leon and Vince to keep back to avoid being shocked. Bram attempted to snipe the Khezu's legs and topple the creature again, but the metal heads of his arrows attracted arcs of electricity like a lightning rod, and each shot was zapped out of the air before they could reach the creature's body, and soon the wyvern was on its feet once more.

He and Vince had apparently done a good enough job, though. Bram could tell that the poison and paralysis were starting to do their work: some of the arteries had gained a sickly - or _sicklier_ in the Khezu's case - tint to them, and the beast's right leg seemed rather twitchy, a likely symptom of paralyzing toxin affecting the muscles within. Or at least he hoped those were symptoms of their toxins; the Khezu's strange and twisting body movements made it hard to be certain. Either way, he and Vince would need to keep it up until the Khezu was either a writhing mess on the ground or they ran out of toxins.

Once on its feet again, however, the Khezu started sniffing around again, frantically searching for the hunters. It wasn't necessary, however, as Leon had managed to recover from the earlier shock, and the lancer let out a loud shout, drawing the wyvern's attention. The Khezu huffed angrily, releasing an ear-splitting screech that ripped through the roar of the crowd with ease, and even from his distance and from behind the tree Bram couldn't help but wince in pain. As the wyvern's howl died away, however, it wasted no time in lurching towards Leon, its fanged maw dripping with saliva.

Only two steps forward the Khezu's neck abruptly stretched forward, twisting through the air in a wild spiral. Leon braced himself, and the creature's… face, Bram supposed, smashed headlong into the Kecha-material tower shield. Twisted screeching pierced the air as the wyvern's fangs scraped against the thick plating, trying to bite into the hunter and failing.

Bram swung around the side of the tree again, arrow at the ready, and fired a shot just ahead of the Khezu's wings, striking it at the base of its neck and making the creature squeal and reel back from Leon. The wyvern twisted its head painfully, shaking the arrow loose as poison dripped down from the wound, but even as it turned its head to search for Bram, Vince slipped in from behind, hacking the venom-tipped barbs of his blade into the back of the Khezu's leg, and leaping away before the creature could retaliate. And as the wyvern spun around to search for its latest assailant, Leon let out another shout and stomped forward, pulling its attention back to him with a loud charge and a few sharp jabs from his lance.

This continued for a few more rounds, the hunters taking turns snapping the Khezu's attention back and forth. Though Leon was keeping the creature's attention for the most part, the wyvern's focus couldn't help but split each time an arrow punched into its hide or Vince's weapon sawed through its flesh, failing to find them due to Leon making noise to draw attention to himself. The white worm's mood quickly shifted from enraged to frustrated, to downright frantic as it tried and failed to track either Bram or Vince.

The next time it was Leon's turn to catch the creature's attention, the Khezu leapt backwards, putting distance between itself and the lancer and sniffing the air. Leon was still shouting and making sure his armor was clanking loudly, but the Khezu wasn't falling for it, actually backing away from the sound of the lancer's boots as it tried to figure out where Bram and Vince would strike from next. To Bram's surprise, the Khezu coiled its head towards its spine, back towards one of the arrows protruding its body and giving the wound a long whiff. Then it twisted its head again, towards its underside, smelling at the wounds that Vince had inflicted. As it did so, Bram nocked another arrow, leaning around the side of the tree and pulling the string as he spritzed the arrowhead with a thin coating of poison…

The Khezu's head snapped up, its 'gaze' twisting in Bram's direction. The archer could've sworn that if the creature had eyes, they would be looking directly at him. But how? Behind it, Bram could see Vince trying to circle around the wyvern from behind, and he pulled out his sword, freshly coated in a new layer of paralysis venom. As he closed the distance on the creature's tail, however, the Khezu's head tilted as it sniffed the air, before abruptly waggling its torso and snapping its tail against the ground behind it. Bram could see the sword user biting back curses as he slid to a stop, leaping back before the rubbery whip could catch him.

"The venom… It's tracking us using venom," Bram muttered, glancing down at the bottle on his bow. The stuff was made from a concentrate of Toadstool extract mixed with… what, Gypceros or Nerscylla venom? There hadn't been a Nerscylla fight in the arena yet, and if the arena's crew had been covering up the bloodstains, could the Khezu track them based on so little information? Vince's weapon with paralysis toxin… what had that come from, a Gendrome? Bram hadn't seen one of those either.

He cursed, tilting the bottle and squirting some of it onto the side of the tree he stood behind before darting towards another of the trees. Sure enough, after a moment of sniffing around the Khezu launched an electric volley towards the tree, blasting a chunk out of the trunk right where the poison had been.

"Watch out, it can smell the venom!" he shouted at Vince. The sword user looked his way in confusion before the light of realization lit up in his eyes and he looked down in betrayal at his own weapon. A shout from Leon caught his attention, as the Khezu had turned on him and launched a trio of lightning orbs, forcing him to dodge between them. Leon stormed forward, trying to pull the Khezu's attention again, but the wyvern could no longer be fooled. The creature lobbed a lightning orb through the air, which landed a few feet in front of Leon's feet. The lancer cursed, skidding to a halt and hopping back before the orb detonated, creating a sphere of crackling voltage a few yards wide.

Bram drew another arrow, but his finger had barely touched the trigger to his coating bottle before the Khezu's head turned to face him. Electricity lit up across the creature's pale skin as it spun and began waddling his way. Bram let loose the arrow, striking the creature just over the shoulder before turning to dash away, when the Khezu's suddenly lurched forward with a speed boost that caught him off guard. The wyvern slammed into the other side of the tree he'd just been behind, splintering the bark and nearly breaking the tree in two. Jolts of voltage crackled against the wood, and Bram could see embers lighting up against the trunk.

He didn't even have time to get to a new position before the Khezu's turned on him again and lumbered after him. Bram cursed; the creature must've finally gotten a lock on him! Or perhaps… just a lock on his coating bottle? He had an idea, yanking the bottle free from its mount and rushing against the nearest tree, giving a small squeeze to drizzle the trunk. The Khezu picked up speed at the scent, its electricity growing brighter in its excitement to run the archer down. Bram could feel the tension as the Khezu barreled towards him, but he forced himself to move quietly to the side, allowing the wyvern to bear down on him. The creature's eagerness got the better of it, however, and its neck stretched forward, its mouth gaping wide before the Khezu's fangs sunk into the bark of the tree.

The creature registered that it hadn't gotten hold of Bram like it had tried, and the voltage coursing over its body fizzled out. As the wyvern peeled its fangs from out of the tree trunk, however, Bram leapt towards its head, unsheathing his carving knife and driving it into the creature's neck. The Khezu squealed in pain, but Bram twisted the blade, turning the wyvern's maw in his direction before raising the bottle of poison and squeezing a spray of venom directly into the creature's mouth.

The Khezu took a moment before it realized what was happening and began thrashing its head wildly. Bram's knife was yanked loose a moment before the creature's rubbery neck smacked into the archer's chest, hurling him against the wall of the arena and toppling to the ground. Bram groaned in pain, clutching his chest, but he wasn't in too bad of shape. The Khezu was a different story, however: the wyvern was wheezing in pain as it tried to spit out the poison Bram had shot straight down its throat, but it seemed to have swallowed a healthy amount. Already the creature's pale skin seemed to be shifting to an even more ashen grey color, and several of the veins and arteries covering its flesh grew more prominent as the creature began dry-heaving.

If there had been a chance for it to vomit up the poison, the Khezu lost it when Vince rushed its head from the side. The hunter had detached the sheath of his blade from his belt, keeping one hand on the hilt and the other firmly on the sheath. He drew his blade, dripping with paralysis venom, and when the Khezu tilted its head upon smelling the venom, Vince cleaved into the creature's neck with its saw-tooth blades. He managed to get a couple gashes into the creature's hide before the Khezu retaliated, spinning around and snapping its tail, but the hunter leapt out of the way. He slid his blade back into its sheath, shaking it a little to reapply a fresh coat of venom, before drawing the weapon again and hacking into the wyvern's flesh even further.

The Khezu gasped in pain as the beast started to tense. Its neck seemed to retract, looking as though it would nearly pull itself within its torso like a turtle before bending to the side at an awkward angle. Tinted drool leaked out of its mouth as its breath hitched in short, sharp gasps. Its right leg began twitch wildly, making the monster's entire body shake, until finally the appendage snapped straight out, throwing the creature off its feet and onto its side.

"It's paralyzed!" the sword user bellowed. "Come on, now's our chance to finish it!"

The three hunters converged on the Khezu, again assaulting it with everything they had. Both Leon and Vince were doing their best to apparently decapitate the wyvern, with Leon's lance piercing the beast's white throat and Vince all but trying to use his sword like a hacksaw. Bram fired around the two where he could, but with the creature's muscles tensed up from the paralysis, the heads weren't piercing the flesh nearly as deeply as he liked. They were doing their work, however, and the blood pooling under the Khezu's body was sign enough that the creature wasn't going to survive much longer.

It still had some fight in it though, despite the paralysis, and it apparently wasn't completely helpless. Both Leon and Vince froze as sparks began jumping across the Khezu's body, indicating a discharge of electricity. Leon quickly hopped backwards, and Vince spun to make a break for it as well, but before he could get far the wyvern snapped its wing down in a surprising display of dexterity for its condition, smacking its thick, rubbery 'claws' down onto the sword user's back and slamming the hunter into the dirt. Vince cursed, trying to struggle loose, but the Khezu had him good and pinned as the voltage continued to grow.

"No no no! Not again!" the sword user wailed.

Bram cursed, drawing an arrow and firing into the wyvern's wing, but whether from the paralysis or pure stubbornness, the Khezu would not budge. Leon rushed around to help, but the strength of the wyvern was just too much, and the flickers of voltage jumping across the creature's pale skin were only growing stronger. Bram's mind raced, searching for a way to keep Vince from being fried… It had no eyes to hit, and the creature was putting up this kind of fight after getting its neck half sawn off…

A thought popped into his head, and Bram shot forward, closing the distance until he was only a couple yards from the Khezu's spine, where he drew an arrow, pulled back on the bow as much as he could, and loosed it into the creature. He barely registered the arrow sinking into the wyverns body before pulling out another and firing it a scant inch from where the first one had pierce in, and then pulled out and fired a third, creating a small reverse tripod extending out of the creature's back. He sheathed his bow and dashed around the side of the monster, reaching down to help Leon pull Vince free.

Lightning raged across the Khezu's body, and Vince winced fearfully, but the bulk of the voltage never struck him. Rather, all the electricity coursed straight into the three steel arrows instead of the less conductive fur armor that covered his body. Arcs of voltage coursed between the metal, gathering in intensity for a short moment before a single, powerful thunderbolt lanced out from between them, firing off into the air and striking one of the thick vines hanging over the slayground. There was a brilliant flash of light, a sharp hiss of ozone, and a burst of flame as the wood erupted into fire.

As the electricity died away, the Khezu wheezed in exertion, and finally its hold on the hunter faltered, and Bram and Leon managed to yank Vince loose. The wyvern struggled to hold on, but its skin was growing sicklier with each passing moment, and the blood loss and lingering effects of paralysis weren't helping. While Vince was getting to his feet and swinging around to point his sword at the creature, the Khezu was breathing its last. Even the announcer and the audience could tell that the fight was pretty much over.

"Well, it looks like young Vince is doing alright! Can't say the same for the Khezu though… The three of them have done very well, don't you agree?" The cheers from above were enough to show the crowd's approval. "Well then, I think this fight's over! If the Khezu's still breathing, the hunters can leave it for the cleanup crew to finish, unless one of them wants to-"

Even though Bram could hear Vince growling under his breath and tightening his grip on his sword, he was surprised when Leon stepped forward first, raising his lance up and slamming the point down into the Khezu's skull. The wyvern seized up for a moment more, then went limp.

"Well, that takes care of that. How about one last round of applause for Abraham, Leon, and Vince!"

The crowd above them roared their approval, but Bram paid them no mind. Though Vince seemed eager to turn and wave to the audience, both he and Leon turned and started making their way back to the prep room. He heard the sword user yelp in surprise behind him when he realized he was the only one still standing around enjoying the praise, before running after them to catch up right as the doors to the prep room opened. Bram sighed as he and the other two stepped out of the arena, allowing the tenseness in his body to release as his eyes readjusted to the darkness.

"Not a fan of the crowds?" Vince asked.

"Not really. I don't care about having an audience."

"Ha! Be careful saying things like that! A hunter without an ego is hardly a hunter at all, that's what my master used to say. The Guild might cut you down for not having enough of an inflated head to meet their standards."

"I think we might be in trouble in that case," Leon grinned. "Is there a standard diameter we have to meet?"

"Of course! If your noggin is narrower than a basic iron greatsword, then you need to act more conceited." The sword user seemed to deflate a little, before giving a grateful smile at the two of them. "By the way, thanks for the save back there. I didn't want to get on the wrong side of a Khezu again…"

"Again?" Bram asked.

"Eh… bad run-in with one about a year ago. Trust me when I say sneaking up on one of those things is far more preferable to being the one snuck up on. I'll leave it at that…"

"Yikes…"

"Alright, you three, enough chit-chat. Come with me." Bram looked up to see the Guild worker that had led them here. The hunters nodded, tailing after the woman to be led through the dark tunnels. Bram had thought that they would be led towards a separate viewing booth or something along those lines, but he was surprised when they stopped in front of a simple wooden door, which the Guild worker opened. "In you go."

Bram stepped in, followed by Leon and Vince, and froze uncertainly. The room they found themselves in was small and dark, with only a few glowstone crystals mounted in simplistic sconces on the walls. A single wide table stretched across the middle of the room, accompanied by a collection of sturdy wooden chairs, where an older man in a striking green Guild uniform sat. Two guards stood at attention against the far wall behind him, their eyes following the hunters. Bram couldn't help but feel uncomfortable: the room felt like an interrogation chamber.

"What is this?" Vince asked sharply.

"Now, now, don't raise a fuss, young man," the Guild worker replied. "All you're here for is a simple debriefing."

"A debriefing?" Bram asked. "Why? Weren't the judges watching-"

"Other judges were, but _I_ was not." The old man pressed his fingers together and leaned forward. "In a real hunt, hunters will not have judges or an audience watching their every move and rating their performance. As such, if the Guild requests it of you, you must be able to provide us with an accurate summation of your endeavors. Now please, take a seat."

The older man motioned to the chairs on the other side of the table. The examinees looked between each other worriedly, before unslinging their weapons and placing them against the wall before settling into the seats. The man reached to the side, grasping a folder and opening it.

"Now, let us begin. According to this you were sent out to hunt a Khezu… and that you were victorious in killing it. Give me a report on the battle, including any pertinent information or irregularities that you may have encountered. Begin at the point when the announcer declared that the Khezu would be your opponent."

Again the hunters looked between each other nervously, before Leon began speaking, describing their preparations at the start of the hunt. For the next twenty minutes or so, the older man listened to their description of the hunt, occasionally interjecting with questions about flaws or missteps in their decisions or strategies. The man never seemed disappointed by what they told him, but neither was he ever impressed by them. Bram had thought that their planning had been sound, but with every question the man asked, he couldn't help but feel more inadequate.

All three examinees were thoroughly deflated by the time the debriefing was done and the Guild man snapped the folder shut. "I think I've heard enough. Less bragging and exaggeration than I'm used to; that's good. I'll be comparing your report to that of the judges that watched your exam. Good day."

At his words, the door behind them opened and the Guild woman appeared again. The hunters gathered up their equipment and left, with the eyes of their interrogator staring at their backs as they left. From there they followed the woman once more, weaving through the dark hallways as the dull roar of the crowd echoed through the stone.

"Well, so much for my confidence," Leon frowned.

"No, I'm still hopeful," Bram replied. "None of our mistakes were really devastating, I don't think. I believe he was just nitpicking… a whole lot of nitpicking."

"I agree, it didn't seem that bad," Vince noted. "Reminded me of my hunting master's lessons more than anything else. Maybe he's like that for every team…"

"I sure hope so…" Leon muttered.

The group continued to follow the Guild woman through the tunnels until finally they came upon a broad pair of metal doors. The woman opened the doors, motioning the hunters inside, where they found a broad chamber filled with the examinees that had gone before them. Some were nursing wounds, others were inspecting the damage their weapons had received, and a larger cluster of them were off in the far corner gathered around two hunters who Bram recognized as the hunters that took their turn before Logan, reciting the story of their hunt against the Tetsu.

"Hoy, Bram! Leon!"

Bram turned at the sound of Logan's voice, spotting the great sword user sitting against one of the walls. With a nod to Vince, he and Leon branched off to go meet their friend. Sonia was next to him, sprawled out on the bench with her arms and legs hanging limply over the sides. Her sword was on the ground under her, and she'd removed her shield and had placed it over her face and chest.

The archer frowned worriedly as he approached. "Is she…?"

"She fine, hey?" Logan said. Without moving the shield, Sonia raised her left arm, waving it a couple times in Bram's direction before letting it go limp again. He could hear her groaning a bit underneath the Seltas materials. "She just crashed out from her fight. She gonna be fine once she get some rest."

"Alright," Bram nodded. "Have they started announcing whether or not we passed yet?"

"Nah, looking like they's gonna wait 'til all the examinees is done with they hunts. Gotta keep the crowd around, hey?"

"I see," the archer sighed, sinking down onto the bench near Sonia's feet and sighing wearily. He'd need a good sleep tonight if he was going to be at the top of his game tomorrow. Leon planted himself next to him, wincing slightly as lingering sparks jumped across his armor, and he started peeling off the metallic armor.

"I hate thunderblight…"

"It could've been worse. It's not nearly as bad as dragonblight."

Leon grunted half-heartedly, but he glanced at Bram in concern. "You're still a rookie. The monsters that use dragon element are high-rank at the earliest. How do _you_ know what dragonblight feels like?"

"One of my sister's experiments gone wrong," the archer sighed, leaning against the wall. "Something involving dragonfell berries and dracophage bugs." Leon looked confused, but Bram didn't explain further, so the lancer eventually shrugged and returned his attention back to stopping his armor from sparking. After a few moments, Bram turned and patted Sonia's foot. "So, what exactly happened out there with you, Sonia? An argument with that hammer user and a stamina song?"

"Ugh…" the huntress groaned, not even bothering to pull down the shield covering her face, giving her voice a dull echoing sound. "Stupid hammer user demanded we play the stamina song for him. Shona… er, Susie was nice. Told her about my problems with those songs, and she said she wouldn't play 'em, but Bull threw a fit about it… Said that I oughta be willing to take the hit and let her play the song, even when it does _this_ to me… 'Ventually just let him have it, since he wouldn't shut up."

"He put up that much of an argument, only to nearly pass out when the effects of the song cut off?" Bram asked.

"Peh. _'parently_. Guess he thought Susie was gonna play the song again 'fore it wore off or something. Course, it'd have to be _him_ that got the killing blow…"

"Eh, you didn't do so bad youself, girlie. That was a real nice uppercut you gave the Gyp!" Logan cackled. "Where you get the idea to do that?"

"Oh, geez, don't bring that up…" Sonia groaned. "Been doing so much Kelbi horn gathering for Daguerreo, I just… did that on impulse. Saw its head looming over me and thought 'shield bash it', and muscle memory kicked in."

"Ha! Worked pretty good by the look of it!"

"Only 'cause Bull and Susie'd been smacking its skull around the rest of the fight! I think I just surprised it with my hit and stunned it."

"Eh, whatever works, girlie."

"I guess so…"

"What about you?" Leon asked. "Bram and I would've watched your fight, but there weren't any windows in the prep room."

"Heard one of your teammates got _smoked_ ," Sonia muttered.

"Ja, ja…" Logan sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Shoulda been a cakewalk, hey? Wasn't too long after the beastie walked in that I realize the Zinogre don't got many Fulgarbugs flying 'round it. The ones I fought before got _hundreds_ of the things crawling all over they bodies, but this one… guessing it only got a few dozen, hey? I is thinking that maybe the cages they keep all the beasties in ain't got all the food they need… least, if they got the food to feed the Zinogre, maybe they don't got the food to feed the bugs, or maybe the bugs don't like the cage and they fly away, something like that. So is thinking - and hoping - that maybe the Zin don't got 'nuf bugs to actually charge itself up all the way, hey? If that's true, then the fight gonna be a _lot_ easier than it woulda been.

"And things was going well until the girlie went and got her bug bit in two!" Logan grumbled. "I ain't even _like_ bugs and I know it was stupid to send the crawly thing at the Zinogre's face, hey! The girlie was kinda useless after that, and I had my work cut out for me keeping the monster's 'ttention offa her… Thought me and the other girlie was gonna be able to finish the beast off, since she was real quick and the Zin didn't got all its bugs… and then the damn girlie threw down a shock trap!"

"Why did she do that?" Bram asked. "I thought everyone knew that shock traps charged Zinogres up."

"Suppose they's _some_ folks that don't know it… Mean, I can see where she comin' from… they work on Lagis and Gigginox and stuff like that, so maybe they gonna work on Zinogres too, hey? Tried to keep it from jumpin' onto the damn thing, but it still did. Maybe we coulda won after that, but the other girlie jumped the damn thing and got fried for it! Hoy… why she even jump on the thing's back anyway?"

"I guess she's one of those hunters that like mounting monsters…" Leon shrugged. "Tuli hates them, says they give glaive users a bad name." The lancer paused, looking worried. "Oh, man, she's going to give us an earful tonight. Dead bug and a bad mount…"

"What you guys think 'bout that debriefing thing at the end?" Logan asked. "The girlie that got lit up on my team wasn't there, and the girlie missing her bug wasn't really in the mood for talking, so I was the only one that could really talk, hey?"

"Oof. Did you get the same old guy as us? I'd hate to have to explain things to him by myself."

"Oh, ja. Wasn't fun trying to explain why I didn't tell the girlies 'bout how Zins are charged by shock traps, 'specially when I fought a few of them before."

"Couldn't really talk much…" Sonia muttered. "Was crashing 'bout the time we got to the room, so I didn't really say much. Bull spent most of the time boasting 'bout how good he did. Couldn't really say much myself since I was being useless for the first bit of the hunt. Susie bickered a bit with him, though… He got on us for not really having a full plan, though, just me going for the legs while the other two aimed for the head."

"Eh, sometimes that all you need, girlie. Don't worry too much," Logan shrugged. Sonia merely grunted in reply.

The three of them continued their small talk for a while longer after that, but soon they realized how being part of the first few teams could drag on. With seventy-one hunters, the examinees had been split up into twenty-three groups, and the four of them had all finished their turns within the first six, and with an average of thirty minutes between each team, they were going to be gathered up here for another eight hours or so… and they didn't even have the courtesy of a view either.

Eventually they branched off on their own, talking to other examinees when they could or just keeping to themselves. Once she'd recovered her stamina, Sonia eventually wandered over to the collection of hunters who were telling stories to each other. As time passed, a system was set up where whenever a new team entered, they were dragged in front of the group to regale the others with their own rendition of their hunt. Or at least, they were when they felt like their hunt was a story they were proud to tell, or when they could spin into something worthwhile, or when the hunters weren't angry with their teammates about something or other… or for that matter, when the hunters even managed to get through the fight in good condition. A lot of teams were led in all together, but there were times when only one or two hunters were relatively unharmed, and a few times, none were brought to the room at all.

Hannibal's team entered nearly five hours after Bram had arrived in the room. Apparently he'd been placed into one of the four-man teams needed to even out the numbers. Two of the hunters in their group looked pleased with their work, but Hannibal and the last hunter were giving each other dark looks. When asked if they wanted to tell their story, the Felyne promptly huffed and shuffled over to one of the far corners, leaving the other three to tell the story on their own and clearly wanting to be left alone. The story the other three hunters told didn't seem too bad, but clearly something had happened that they were leaving out, though Bram couldn't guess what.

It was another few hours after that when the second test finally wound to a close. Bram knew it had to be pushing sundown by now. He and the others had been counting down the teams one by one, and sure enough, the next time the doors opened, Georgia stepped in to allow the examinees behind her to enter, and the group of them were followed by Klaus. The room was quiet as he stepped in and looked around them, expectantly waiting for him to speak. Georgia rolled her eyes behind him as he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"All of you have finished taking the test," he began. "The judges are making their final decisions as we speak. It may take a while… Can you guess why?" The examinees looked at each other uncertainly before Klaus continued. "This particular test can be rather difficult to judge sometimes. Other times… it's rather easy.

"Now, some of you think you can take on the world by yourself, that you're fully capable of hunting all on your lonesome. Some of you may think of yourselves as the best and brightest, the cream of the crop. Some of you may imagine that you can handle the greatest threats, the most dangerous challenges, the direst situations, all by yourself. Some of you have dreams of becoming a _hero_ , standing tall and solitary, outset from the rest of the hunters in the world as some pinnacle of skill and strength.

"But don't delude yourself. A hero is just someone who is stupid enough to think they're able to take on everything by themselves, and lucky enough to do so. The Guild adamantly opposes stupidity, and heavily advises that their hunters don't try to rely on _luck_. There are times when the situation demands that you challenge a monster alone, but it is far better to work as a team when the opportunity is available. Some of you may have had successful apprenticeships in which you worked alone, but as you proceed through the ranks, the Guild will expect you to challenge sharper and deadlier beasts, creatures which your current skills are hopelessly inadequate for."

For a moment, Klaus paused and gave a scrutinizing look at the examinees. "Some of you apparently weren't ready for that kind of responsibility. Some of you set out into the arena eager to please, eager to flaunt for the cheering crowd and scrutinizing judges, ramp up your showmanship for the sake of the audience… trying to play up your own abilities while failing to cooperate properly with your team. It's hard to ignore the siren song of roaring applause, isn't it? Some of you managed to win your fights despite your flourishing. Others… weren't so fortunate. Some examinees lay in the medical ward because of that flaunting."

A few faces in the group of examinees seemed to grow gaunt at the words. Klaus rolled his shoulders and moved on. "If you wish to be successful as a hunter, you must be able to work together with those who share your profession, to unify for the sake of the common good and a greater goal, leaving behind any hope for personal glory and praise. That is what today's test was meant to uncover: your aptitude for working together.

"But even those who weren't pulled in by the siren song of the roaring crowd had their risk of failure. Not everyone can get along immediately, I am well aware, but hunters must be able to push through that. In light of the current… social atmosphere, I feel like it would be prudent of me to clarify something: those of you with Purist leanings will be required to get along with someone with more Progressive ideals, and vice versa." There were a few scoffs and muttered words among the hunters. "Elder dragons don't care what weapons you bring to slay them with, understand?! If you can't get along with your fellow hunter for the sake of a mutual goal just because they have a different weapon strapped to their back, you'll find yourself six feet under whether you wield a lance or a gunlance! Save such bickering for the local pub, and put those things aside on the battlefield! Several of today's teams learned that the hard way today. Their _bickering_ will cost them a Guild license, their values concerning weapon choice apparently more _important_ to them than defeating the monster they had to fight."

The few lingering grumbles quickly faded to silence under Klaus' withering glare. Once the group was silent again, he cleared his throat and continued. "You must have the capability to work together with others, no matter who they are. More than any other skill or talent you may possess, you must be able to do that above all else. A cooperative mindset will serve you better than the sharpest blade or the strongest armor. Those of you that understand that, I'll see you tomorrow. The rest of you… you have three years to figure it out, or find another job. Georgia?"

The woman behind him nodded and stepped forward. "The judges should be concluding their assessments of your showings soon enough. We'll be announcing which of you passed outside the gate you entered within the next ten minutes, so follow me."

With some nervous muttering and some clanging from those who scrambled to re-equip their armor, the examinees began filing out the doors.

* * *

"Hoy… Ten minutes my ass-"

" _Logan_."

"Urk… eh, butt. Backside, hey?"

Bram chuckled as Logan withered under Eleanor's dark glare, before turning to look at Van. The boy had missed the great sword user's slip of the tongue, thankfully, as he was currently engrossed in trying to tighten the bindings on Sonia's facemask so that it would fit on him. Van had announced that his goal was to look like a turtle in the end, and he already had Sonia's Seltas shield strapped to his back to act as the shell. Sonia was helping him out, but the ties weren't made for heads his size, and she had her tongue poking out the edge of her mouth as she got creative trying to knock the cords without getting Van's hair tangled up in it.

It had been nearly an hour since the examinees had been led out of the arena, and the sun had long since set, but the area remained crowded and bustling as examinees and otherwise sat around waiting for results. For the first ten minutes they'd milled around in eager impatience. For the next ten minutes after that, things had devolved into nervous pacing and some spreading out. In the time since then the examinees had all but spread out across the small courtyard to the south of the arena, all of them in their own little groups but still within sight of the entryway where the Guild was planning on releasing the results. In the meantime, their friends and family had managed to find them amidst the crowd, and now the group of them were clustered together against the wall of the stadium under a bright red awning that blocked out the late afternoon sun.

"Be patient Logan. This is just the way things work," Bram's mother said loftily. She was only half paying attention at the moment, as she had her nose stuck in one of Bram's research notebooks, but she still managed to keep up with the conversation. "Surely they took this long when you took the exam in Orage?"

"Eh, ja, guess so… But that was to let the gamblers make all the bets they wanted to."

"And I have no doubt that Dundorma has just as much vice as Orage does in that department."

"Since you've got time, why not just go get a snack?" Vi supplied with a grin, holding up and shaking a small bag. "Twelve flavors of popped heftcorn! Including caramel and chocolate…"

"Or I could just steal some of _you_ popcorn…"

"If your hand touches my food, you're going to lose it."

"I'd take her word for it," Leon told him. "Just be grateful she's not eating something that requires a fork or knife…"

"I apologized for that!"

"Yeah, but the sentiment loses its luster after the fifth time."

"You should've learned your lesson by then."

"When I was reaching for the _salt shaker_?"

"Oh, yeah… whoops."

"So how'd you handle up in the stands for all that time, Mom?" Sonia asked as she leaned back, observing her handiwork on Van. The young boy stood, smiling and pleased with his appearance, with the shield on his back and the mask on his face, before wandering over towards Tuulikki to inspect Ketrak. "I know you don't really care for arena fights… and we were in there for a _long_ time."

"I'll admit, I tuned out for most of it. I _did_ meet a couple local merchants in the stands who I managed to cut some deals with. One of them was mighty interested in getting his hands on Therian monster materials, and was more than willing to set up a trading deal with me through Val Habar." Eleanor grinned deviously, crossing her fingers. "He was a rather shrewd negotiator. I'm going to have a lot of fun trying to get a better deal out of this than he'll get out of me."

"You have the weirdest hobbies, Mom," Sonia muttered. "But even if you were… negotiating, you watched our matches, right?"

"Of _course_ I did, Sonia. We were both there for the same reason, after all. Just as I cheered for you and your friends, he was cheering just as hard for a young woman with a long sword that took part near the middle. You did very well, sweetheart… though, you were acting a bit odd around that horn player."

"Ugh, you saw that? That's because she was playing stamina buff songs, and… I don't do well with those."

"Aha… Wait, really? I would've thought a girl with as much energy as you would've taken one of those stamina buffs in stride."

"We talked to Vi about it. She thinks it's something like an overdose. If someone with a lot of energy, who already _uses_ a lot of energy, feels like they can use even _more_ energy, they can, uh… overheat and burn out."

"I see. I suppose that makes sense now that I think about it… back when you were small your father gave you some coffee when you asked, and you shot around like a dart for about twenty minutes before crashing on the couch and passing out for an hour. If that's the case then it's probably best to avoid those kinds of things where you can. I never tried any dash juices myself; your father and I never really cared for them after he drank a bad energy drink blend during our rookie years."

"A bad energy drink? _How_ bad?"

"About five hours of jitters like he'd had a gallon of coffee, accompanied by wild hallucinations and delirium. Although, it probably didn't help that he had a few broken ribs, was doped up on potion anesthetics, and hadn't gotten much sleep."

"Yikes."

"Was it something my father gave him? It sounds like something he would cook up," Bram muttered.

"Surprisingly, it wasn't his fault," Ellie shrugged. "He wasn't even there at the time."

"Attention examinees!" Immediately almost every head within fifty yards of the arena's southern gate turned at the voice projected through a bullhorn, finding Klaus standing ahead of a small cluster of Guild workers who were dragging a large rolling chalkboard behind them. "We apologize for the wait, but we've finally chosen our passing hunters and huntresses for the second exam! There are forty-six passing candidates today… and here they are!" With little flair, the Guild workers promptly spun the chalkboard, revealing a long list of names. "Now then, we'll be expecting the passing examinees back tomorrow for the last test. Get some rest tonight, and we look forward to seeing you bright and early tomorrow morning!"

In a moment the examinees, as well as many others, were swarming the list, scrambling to find their names or the names of others. Sonia, Logan, and Leon were one of the many who rushed in to find their names, though Bram kept back; no sense getting mixed up in the crowd when Sonia or Logan would just find his name and let him know. Sure enough, about a minute later, Sonia returned with a beaming smile on her face and practically leapt at Bram to pull him into a gleeful hug.

"We passed!" she laughed. "All of us!"

"Well that's a relief," he chuckled, patting her head.

"Yeah, no kidding…"

"Congratulations!" Ellie said, stepping in and pulling her daughter into a quick hug. "Only one more to go and you've got your license."

"Heh, we got this in the bag, girlie," Logan grinned.

"Don't get overconfident," Tuulikki chided. "The Guild will skim off the cream of the crop during tomorrow's test, and they still need to cut more than a dozen examinees-"

"Oh, calm down, Tuli," Vi said. "I'm sure they know all that already, and I'm sure they'll do fine tomorrow. Now come on, we need to treat them to a well-earned dinner! I'm sure they're all _starving_ , considering how late it is."

"I wouldn't say no to a meal," Leon replied. "They only gave us rations when we asked in the arena."

"Well, damn, you definitely need a meal after eating that mass-produced garbage," Kumin scoffed. "Come on, all of you, we'll drop by the house so you can get out of your armor, and then we'll find a place for you to eat."

"Oh, where should we go?" Vi asked eagerly.

"Well, I think we should let the examinees pick, sweetheart. Though, there _is_ a new place that opened up we might consider trying. I hear their gimmick is to have the chef filet and cook the meal right in front of you, and they specialize in popfish, scatterfish, and arowana. If the fish explodes while they're preparing it, you get the meal for free!"

" _Awesome_!" Sonia squealed. "Let's go there!"

"Sounds interesting," Leon agreed. "Are there, uh, splash guards or something?"

"Who knows?" Kumin shrugged. "Don't wear anything you don't mind getting dirty."

"Any complaints about the choice?" Victor asked, and receiving none. "Well then, let's be on our way. I'm sure our young examinees wish to eat their fill and get some rest before their final test tomorrow."

* * *

 **Susie/Shona belongs to DinoJake**

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about testing teamwork!**

 **Been a while, huh? I'll admit, I've been a bit lax when it comes to writing recently, thanks in no small part to the release of several games. Holiday season really likes to unload all sorts of vidya games, don't it? Battlefield 1, the Bioshock Collection, Skyrim Remaster, Pokemon Sun and Moon… the list goes on. Then there's Final Fantasy XV, which I won't get quite so soon, and the Last Guardian which I expect to buy upon release.**

 **But there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that chapter 23 might take a while. It's only about half done and coming slow, and that's not including the editing time it'll need. The good news is that chapter 24 is actually complete already (not edited though), and I also have two DLC chapters in the wings, and chapters 25 and 26 are pretty close to complete as well, so once chapter 23 comes out you can expect fairly consistent updates for at least a couple months.**

 **Anyway, as you can see, Sonia has just unlocked Shoryugeki level 1! I don't plan on including too much content from Generations in this story, but expect to see a few Hunter Arts in the story. They won't be nearly as powerful as they are in the games, of course, but you'll see the main characters developing them as time goes on.**

 **I'm also considering commissioning some artists to create some drawings of my characters, possibly. If I do so, I'll let you guys know so you can see how I picture my own characters… or at least how well I can get an artist to draw them.**

 **And before I sign off, if anyone wants to trade Pokemans in SUMO, let me know. I've almost filled out my Aloladex already, but if anyone's looking for a particular Pokemon, or if they need a trading partner for things like Gengar or Machamp, I'm willing to help you out! Just ask me for my FC in an message, and we'll organize something.**

 **Playing: Pokemon Y, Pokemon OR, Fallout 4, MHGen, Stardew Valley, Bioshock Collection, Skyrim Remaster, Pokemon SUMO  
Watching: Pokemon Sun and Moon Anime  
Reading:** _ **Kobayashi-san chi no Maid Dragon**_ **by Cool Kyoushinsha**


	23. The Third Test, Part 1

The Third Test, Part 1

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

-absolutely must come and see! It's my _finest_ showing!

You say that every time we talk.

It's only true! As time passes, I grow more experienced, and my work becomes all the more _sublime_ for it!

I've already told you, I'm busy these days.

Hmph. One should never be too busy for _ART_. When was the last time you actually came by?

…Maybe a year?

Ha! Maybe a _decade_. And you claim to have the best memory of us.

Alright, alright! I'll make some time for you!

Excellent!

But not until _after_ the exam. I can't just drop everything and-

* * *

"Welcome back, young hunters, and congratulations for making it to this, the third and final test."

The mood was tense among the remaining examinees. Logan had been told that there were only forty-six of them remaining, and if Klaus' words from the first day still held up, a little less than half of them would be cut before the day was out… if not more. The man himself stood sternly in front of them, giving them a preliminary speech for the last time.

"Now, we've tested you on speed and dexterity, we've tested you on teamwork, but now we're going to test you on the simplest aspect of all: pure combat ability. No tricks. No ulterior motives. No hidden agendas. Just plain and simple skill.

"While teamwork and coordination is of greater value in the grand scheme of things, there will be times when a hunter will need to fight on their own and without help. As such, today you'll be sent out to challenge a monster one-on-one, and you'll need to prove that you're strong enough and sharp enough to be an exemplary hunter on your own merit. You will not be given time to prepare, not this time; the monster will be released into the arena before you, and you'll go out to meet it. Again, you're not necessarily expected to kill or capture your opponent, but you must display nothing less than your best until either you are victorious or the hunter's gong is sounded. Anything less, and… well, you'll make it easier for the judges to reduce your numbers. Any final questions? No? Good. Now then, let's get on with this."

Georgia, the sharp Guild woman from the days before, stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Alright, let's get the first six of you gathered up. First up: Jack. On deck: Abraham, Cardwell, Susie, Gerard, and Linlin."

"Looks like I'll be the first of us this time," Bram nodded solemnly.

"Do your best," Sonia told him, giving him a quick hug before the archer tailed after the Guild woman.

The rest of the hunters were uniformly led in the other direction towards their viewing stands. Logan was forced to stop for a moment when Sonia halted in front of him to look around; he supposed she hadn't gotten a chance to enjoy the view yesterday, having been on one of the first teams. However, he wasn't going to allow them to make the same mistake as yesterday, and with a frustrated growl, he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, pulling a squeal of surprise from her as he marched straight to the front row and plopped her down right in front of the railing.

"Ain't fightin' for a good view this time, hey?" the great sword user huffed. Sonia grinned, looking poignantly towards the rest of the stands. Following her gaze, Logan realized that there were few enough examinees left that it _probably_ hadn't been necessary to fight for good seating. Logan grimaced sheepishly, but thankfully Sonia didn't tease him about it. He sighed, leaning against the railing and looking out into the arena before being caught by a yawn.

"You're actually tired?" Leon asked as he strode up next to them. "I would've thought the anticipation would hype you up."

"Eh, just weird dreams, hey?" he replied, rubbing a bit of sleep from his eyes. "You know how it gets when you excited for something."

"What, like going into the hunt naked?" Leon asked. "Or those ones where you're moving in slow motion?"

"Oh, pecker, those dreams are the _worst_ ," Sonia groaned.

"Nah. Think it was… eh, can't really remember, but was real exhausting, hey? Feeling like I hardly slept at all."

"Hmm, that's no good," Leon muttered worriedly. "Maybe you should try and get a nap in while you wait for your turn."

"Pfft, like that'll happen," Logan scoffed, waving his hand and motioning to the filling arena. Already the stands were half-full, and they'd be packed in the next ten minutes. The noise was clamorous, and it would only get worse. "Doubt I could get a wink once they start sending out hunters, hey?"

"Just cross your fingers and hope you don't fight something with sleep venom," Sonia noted, "like the uh… hmm… Basarios? I think the Nerscylla can use sleep effects too? Can any other Gahin monsters use sleep?"

"I think that's about it," Leon replied. "There's rumors of some sort of bird wyvern or something in the southeast that can do something like that, but nothing substantial."

"Thinking if I gotta fight a Basarios on my own, I is gonna have other things to worry 'bout than the sleep gas, hey?"

"Ah. Good point."

Logan looked down into the battleground; this time they were in the 'true' arena… or at least this one didn't have a special name like the 'slayground'. It was quite a bit bigger, oval-shaped, with the widest part at about one hundred fifty yards across, and less than a hundred in the middle. But it was simpler, and no vines or branches hung over this battlefield. The terrain was a bit more dynamic, with the center of the arena being flat and open. On one side there were two raised tiers, each raising the elevation by a yard each time up towards a large metal door. The other half of the arena was a steep incline rising up towards another door, with two tall rocky outcroppings jutting out which stretched a good two or three yards tall. Large rock formations formed the outer walls, hanging tall over the sand and casting shadows over the floor. It was wide and open, and there would be no hiding from whatever the arena sent out for the hunters to fight. The only mystery about the arena was a long metal… something or other that stretched from one side to the other, straight across the middle, and two giant 'buttons' nearby.

"What is that thing?" Sonia asked, nudging Leon.

"What thing…? Oh, the gate."

"A gate?"

"Mmhmm. I've never seen it used myself - never really been a fan of the arena - but I hear that if a hunter hits one of those big buttons, a giant gate shoots out of the ground and completely separates one side of the arena from the other."

"Woah!" Logan whistled, impressed. "Bet _that_ gonna make the fights interesting."

"I don't think we'll be able to use it," Leon replied, much to Logan's disappointment. "They only allow it during big fights against the nastiest monsters… and probably not for the exam. It's probably locked. I don't think they want any of the examinees to be able to keep their monster at bay for… however long the gate stays up."

"Eh, so don't even bother thinkin' 'bout it, hey?"

"It's still cool though, isn't it?" Sonia replied.

"Guess so… but how often you gonna come to this arena 'gain, girlie?"

"Oh. Hmm. Good point."

Ten minutes passed as the crowd filled in, even faster than they had the day before. Sonia was leaning over the railing, trying to search out their family and friends up in the stands, but in the end she couldn't pick them out. Eventually Logan's attention was pulled away from the audience as His Immenseness strode into the arena and took his seat on the main viewing platform. Following him was his entourage, including the judges, the Shield, as well as the same announcer from yesterday. This time the man was wearing a bright green coat that looked made from Emerald Congalala fur.

"Welcome, my friends, welcome!" his voice boomed out. "Here we are again, ready to watch today's examinees take their final test in this, the Dundorma Hunter's Exam! And as I'm sure some of you know already… today's hunts are _sure_ to be all the more exciting than yesterday's, I guarantee you that!"

Woops and hollers rose from the crowd, and the announcer's deep chuckle could be heard as the applause died away. "Well then, no sense in waiting around, eh? We have a full day ahead of us, with forty-six examinees lined up and ready to show us their stuff, so let's start the show! Let's see what the first challenge will be… Aha! Well now, ladies and gentlemen, our first hunter will be facing the great pink ape, the Congalala!"

With a deep, rumbling groan, the tall metal doors on the far side of the arena creaked open, and as soon as the gates were wide enough the pink-furred beast lumbered out, bellowing as it sniffed the air and scanned the arena.

"But I think he looks lonely, don't you think, dear audience? Yes, I thought you might agree. Let's let some of his friends join him, why don't we?" The doors behind the Congalala hadn't closed, and a small cluster of six Congas scurried out from the darkness, sniffing the air nervously before converging around the Congalala as the metal gate slowly swung closed.

"Now as for which lucky hunter will be fighting this pink troop before us, those of you who were here yesterday may remember him from the yesterday's starting team, when he and his teammates handily defeated a Yian Kut-Ku in record time! Please welcome our first hunter of the day: Jack!"

The crowd roared as one of the smaller doors to the arena opened. The hunter, Jack, entered the arena cautiously, obviously trying to keep the Congas from catching sight of him too early so he could formulate a plan. But the scheme was abruptly abandoned when a large metal plate embedded in the wall over the door he'd entered from suddenly clanged loudly, making the hunter nearly jump out of his skin. It continued to clash for another couple seconds before finally going silent, but by then it had already done its job: the Congas weren't deaf, and before the raucous sound had ceased they were all looking directly at Jack.

"Ho boy…" Logan muttered.

"No surprise attacks allowed in this test!" the announcer declared gleefully, and Jack could do little more than unsheathe his dual blades as the Congalala bellowed in rage and led its team of Congas in a charge towards him.

The following battle was messy, to say the least. The Congalala was aggressive, but the hunter was far faster and more maneuverable. However, he also seemed unskilled against groups, and the Congalala was proficient at ordering the Congas around, having them attack when flanking, giving the Congalala openings to attack, or unleashing timely farts to repulse the hunter. The result was a rather rough fight for the first five minutes, before Jack managed to cut down the Congas. By then he was rather worn down, however, so his battle against the troop leader was terse and violent, until the hunter finally managed to plunge his blades into the creature's spine. As the Congalala slumped to the ground, the crowds cheers roared through the arena; they seemed a lot louder than they had the previous day…

"Haha! A good showing from the first hunter of the day! And quite a bit more exciting than yesterday's hunts, I think," the announcer declared. "Giving hunters time to prepare for their hunts is just so boring, don't you think? Ha, I thought as much! Well now, let's give young Jack one more round of applause before we prepare for our next hunter!"

Sonia was fidgeting eagerly as they waited for the cleanup crew to finish up their work. Logan chuckled at the sight; he knew Bram was up next, and they were all excited to see how well he'd do. Soon enough, the remains of the Congas had been carted out, and almost the moment the large metal doors slammed shut, they were opening again. No thirty-minute wait between hunts this time, apparently, and no cleaning up the arena either. The bloodstains and everything else were going to stay.

Logan tensed as the announcer declared that the next monster would be a Kecha Wacha. The bright orange Pelagus loped out into the arena as soon as the doors were wide enough to fit through it, but abruptly halted under the sunlight, glancing around cautiously. Its large ears coiled back and twitched under the noise from the crowd, and its head dipped slightly as the announcer's voice boomed out, announcing Bram's entry into the arena.

As Bram stepped out onto the dirt, the small gong over the door clanged just as it had for Jack. The archer ignored it and pressed forward until he was within shooting range of the Kecha. The fanged beast had heard the clanging, of course, and tilted its head curiously at the hunter pulled out his Conga bow and drew an arrow, pulling back on the bowstring as far as it could go, the point poking out through the bright pink fur grip.

He didn't fire, however, not yet. The Kecha stared at him for a moment more before squawking threateningly and pounding its claws against the ground. The Kecha's ears lowered over its skull, yet Bram still kept his arrow pointing towards the creature. The Pelagus coiled itself up, shaping its ears into an amplifier-

Bram fired.

-and snapping its head forward. The arrow shot straight and true, and before the Kecha could let out so much as a squeal, the arrow flew into its mouth and punched into the back of its throat. The Kecha's head snapped back, and the beast let out an agonized squeal that could be heard over the crowd. It staggered backwards, clawing at the arrow and struggling to pull it out. Blood poured from out of the creature's mouth, painting the white fur on its chest red.

Bram hadn't moved at all, but had drawn another arrow. The head bobbed a bit as he followed the flailing monster, waiting patiently. Finally he fired again, the arrow piercing into the Pelagus' right leg. A pained groan gurgled out of the creature's mouth as its leg buckled beneath it, and the Kecha toppled forward. The nock of the arrow shaft struck the earth, and Logan winced as the point of the arrow burst out the back of the Kecha's neck, spraying blood into the air. The creature seized up, and its long claws scraped against the ground uselessly in a feeble attempt to push back to its feet. Its movements grew slower with each passing moment, however, and the blood gushing from its wound was weakening to a trickle.

Bram had drawn another arrow, and had it leveled on the Kecha, but a moment later the Kecha went limp, and he casually slid the arrow back into his quiver and sheathed his bow, before turning and walking back towards the prep room.

"Mercy, two arrows…?" the announcer's voice echoed, before he caught himself and cleared his throat. "Uh, and that was an exemplary showing from young Abraham! Let's give him a hand as we prepare the next fight!"

There was a spattering of applause throughout the arena as surprise and confusion filled the stands, but eventually the cheers picked up again to fill the stands with ecstatic applause. Bram had already vanished from the arena, but the echoes of the cheers continued as the arena's crew came out to remove the body and prepare for the next examinee. Logan's jaw was hanging open in shock, and Leon was just as stunned. Sonia, however, was cheering ecstatically, joining the crowd in their praise of Bram's display.

"Haha, yeah! Woo! Way to go Bram!" The huntress was giggling excitedly as the others in the examinee seating looked on, whispering between each other. "There's no way he'll fail with a showing like that!"

"Hoy… When did Bram get so good?" Logan muttered, rubbing his chin. "Never seem him pull off something like _that_ before, and I been his hunting master for two years now."

"What? He's always been a good shot."

"Ja, ja, but… not like that."

"He was incredibly focused… He didn't even need any items or coatings, just pulled out his bow and shot," Leon noted. "Any other time, and I might just chalk it up to luck-"

"It was not _luck_ ," Sonia snapped, making Leon wince.

"I, uh, I know that… He looked like he was calculating his shots, and that he meant for them to go where he did. But how come I've never seen him pull off shots like that before? I mean, we've fought Kecha Wachas together and he's never aimed that precisely."

"He's just in his element," Sonia replied, looking back out into the arena as the carcass of the Kecha was carted through the metal gates.

Logan frowned, staring at the body as it vanished into darkness. Two arrows… that was _far_ beyond anything he'd ever seen from Bram in more than one hundred hunts he'd observed in the last couple years. It could be chalked up to luck, sure, but he was with Leon on this: he'd been calculating those shots. Sonia didn't seem too surprised, though… Logan would need to pay a bit more attention now on, apparently.

Time seemed to fly by over the next couple hours. Examinees were sent one after the other, each of them eager to prove themselves. Some defeated the monsters they fought, but others weren't so lucky. One poor long sword user was sent out to fight a Rathian, and though she put in a valiant effort, the gong had to be sounded when the creature managed to pin her and began trying to tear through the woman's armor. The next hunter was sent out to battle a Tetsucabra, and might have done well had his foot not slipped into a small crater left behind by one of the Rathian's fireballs. The Tetsu had caught him before he could recover, ending the fight less than thirty seconds after it had started, and the poor hunter had needed to be carted out.

The stands around them slowly emptied as other examinees were plucked away one by one. Though Bram had gone first, almost half the remaining examinees were called upon before Logan's name finally came up.

"Welp, guess it's me," the great sword user nodded, grinning eagerly. "See you two on the other side, hey?"

"See you then," Sonia replied, and the hunter nodded as he made his way out of the stands.

Logan followed the Guild worker, Georgia, down to the lower levels until the two of them reached the entry to the prep room. However, rather than opening the door, the woman instead turned to face Logan, a serious expression on her face. "I have a question for you."

Logan blinked in surprise at the sudden statement. "Erm… alright."

"Your application indicates that you're from Theron, correct?"

"Eh, ja…"

"And according to what you said during your post-test debriefing yesterday, you are registered as a high rank hunter in the Therian Hunter's Guild?"

"Ja, that's true too. Why?"

The woman was silent for a moment. "You are taking this exam due to our country's hunting restrictions, no doubt, the Guild laws dictating that only _Gahiji-licensed_ hunters are allowed to hunt within our borders. Likely you're doing this out of a sense of pride or honor or something along those lines."

"Something wrong with that?" Logan growled.

"Not at all. I'm sure every Gahin hunter would feel just as slighted were Theron's Guild laws as stringent as ours. However, the transcript you provided… as well as those of two other examinees, Sonia and Abraham, indicates that you three are currently registered as 'apprentices' to one Tuulikki tar'Mielikki of Lintukoto Gully. Is that true as well?"

"It… ja, sure, why you asking me all this?"

"For the sake of clarification. It is highly uncommon for Therian hunters to make themselves apprentices to Gahin hunters, _especially_ high-ranked or G-ranked individuals. Again, pride and honor and all that. Most licensed Therian hunters simply wait in Dundorma until the next exam, certain that they will pass without going through the same hoops you have, apprenticing yourself to a local hunter and training for… five months, I believe? What compelled you to make that decision?"

Logan shrugged. "You said it: _pride_. And a paperwork snafu, I guess."

"Paperwork?"

"Eh, ja. Nobody in Val Habar told us that we needed a Gahin license to hunt, so we nearly get in a lotta trouble when we, uh, when we fight a Seltas without the right card. Heard about the whole 'Gahin hunters only' thing, and… well, the whole _pride_ thing kick in, hey? Made a bet and became apprentices to prove ourselves… Eh, they's a whole story to it. Why you wanna know? Don't tell me they's some _other_ stupid laws we breaking that we never heard 'bout 'til now?"

"No, no, everything appears to be in order on that end," Georgia replied. "But… _nobody_ at customs told you that a Gahin Guild card was required?"

"Nope. Not even that Treno fella we talked to said nothing 'bout-"

Logan paused as Georgia's eyes widened in surprise. "Treno? _He_ was there and he never mentioned this to you?"

"Eh… no?"

Georgia's surprise vanished, replaced with confusion for a few moments, before shifting to frustration. "I see… Paperwork snafu, is it? Very well."

"Erm… something wrong?"

Georgia shook her head. "Nothing you need to worry about. I've heard all I need to hear. Everything on your end is in order. If you pass this test, you will be an officially licensed hunter in the country of Gahiji. Good luck."

"Okay… you sure they ain't something I need to-"

"The only thing you need to do is mentally prepare yourself for whatever we send out to fight you," Georgia told him, reaching out and opening the door. "Go now, and prove whether or not you're really worthy of holding our Guild card… And as a high-ranked hunter from Theron, you certainly have a lot to prove."

"...What you mean by that?"

"You'll find out," she replied simply, motioning him into the prep room. Logan opened his mouth to argue, but a sharp look from the woman told him that the conversation was over. With a begrudging sigh, the great sword user entered the room, allowing Georgia to shut the door behind him.

The room was dark, as usual, with only a few small glowstones on the walls and sunlight shining in through the windows. The bowgunners were perched in the same position as before, primed and ready to fire. A couple other examinees were in the room and keeping to themselves, psyching themselves up for their upcoming fights. Logan sighed, walking over to take a seat near the door leading out into the arena.

The next forty minutes passed by slowly. One of the examinees was called and sent out to fight a Tetsucabra. The battle ended in a victory for the hunter, and he staggered back into the room a few minutes later, beaten and bloodied but grinning as the arena's medical staff saw to his injuries. A few minutes later another examinee was brought to the room to fill out the queue, about the time that an examinee from another room was sent out to fight. Three more hunters battled in the arena as Logan waited, until finally the Guild worker standing at the door looked poignantly at him, signaling that it was his turn.

The cheers outside picked up as the voice of the announcer bellowed in through the windows. "Alright then! Let's bring our next monster… Oh my! This _will_ be interesting! It looks as though our next examinee will be facing the same creature that slapped around the second to last team from yesterday! Please welcome back the Wing Snake Wyvern, the Najarala!"

Logan frowned, trying to remember what he'd read about Najarala. A serpent-like creature, frilled spines, green and yellow coloring. It could throw its plates and it had a powerful roar. The books labeled it as 'fast', but how fast was 'fast'? Barioth fast? Nargacuga fast? The books had also said that they created 'sound blasts' and 'sonic vibrations', that its plates were 'sound amplifiers' which 'shattered when exposed to certain frequencies', but the extent of what that meant was fairly vague. Some paralyzing venom in its bite… It was also quite long, one hundred feet at least, but it was always a little tricky to imagine lengths with just numbers… Zinogres were supposed to be about fifty feet long on average, he thought, and if a Najarala was double that…

Also, it had 'slapped around the second to last team'? Logan hadn't seen that fight, but… none of the hunters from the second to last team had been brought down to the waiting room after their hunt. Maybe their coordination had just been bad, but still, if this Najarala had managed to take down a full team of examinees, and was still in good enough condition to fight the very next day…

"Hoy, this ain't gonna be fun, is it…"

"Probably not," one of the bowgunner replied blandly. "We'll keep our trigger fingers itchy for you."

"Hope so… these judges trying to get me killed or something?"

"I imagine they want to see what you're really made of, _Therian high-ranked hunter_ ," the other bowgunner muttered.

"...Ah. So that's how it's gonna be, hey?"

"Looks like. I suggest you play defensively out there, kid."

Outside, the towering metal gates were creaking open, before a loud cawing sound reverberated in through the windows. A moment later the room went black as something big and fast raced in front of the windows, sending the bowgunners stumbling backwards and slinging curses. Almost before they'd taken a single step back, the light was back as the mass shot out of sight again, followed by a green and yellow… fan of some kind. The Najarala's tail. The bowgunners were back in place in a flash, but judging by the sounds the Najarala was far away already. How far had in managed to move since it passed by the window?

Logan thoughts were interrupted by the announcer. "This boy's an old timer here. Been slapping around hunters and huntresses alike for well over a year now!"

"Damn." That was bad. Monsters didn't live long in the arena if they weren't particularly smart or particularly powerful… or both. No matter which it was, Logan knew he was in for a nasty fight.

"Our next hunter had best show us nothing less than his best if he wants to win against this old fella, eh? Let's give a hand to… _Logan_!"

"You're up," the man near the door said, pulling it open. "Get on out there and show us what you're _really_ made of."

"Ja, ja…" Logan muttered, stepping out into the light.

It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust, but soon he could see well enough and sought out the Najarala. It didn't take him long; the snake wyvern was _big_ , almost bigger than any monster he'd ever seen! If he hadn't fought a Duramboros a few years back, it very well _would've_ been the biggest! The creature was coiled up in the far corner, waiting for him in the shadow of a rocky overhang, its head lowered menacingly, rattling the massive frilled plates that ran along its spine. It had apparently been expecting him; its eyes were locked on him already, flicking its tongue to taste the air and maybe get a bead on the great sword user's scent.

Logan frowned at the sight, however. Even if yesterday's team of examinees hadn't done much, the beast had seen some damage here in the arena. The heavy plates that covered its body were shattered in several places, and its underbelly and chest had several scars across them as well. Its beak had a large, crooked crack through the left side, giving a clear view of it fangs.

Logan was worried: one of the oldest mantras that his mother had drilled into him from the earliest point in his career was to beware creatures as damaged as this one. Any living creature that had suffered that much was dangerous enough to have survived the worst, and would be ready and willing to give the worst right back. Not to mention the creature's eyes seemed… shrewd and calculating, never a good sign.

Logan winced as the small gong embedded above the door behind him sounded, clanging obnoxiously. "Hoy, come on, it already knows I is here, hey?"

The beast hadn't moved, however. Logan stood tensely, waiting for it to make a move, uncertain what the creature was really capable of, but for several seconds the two of them merely stared each other down, the Najarala's long tongue flicking out while its tail rattled menacingly. It was gauging him just as much as he was gauging it. Logan moved first, slowly and cautiously, striding to the side. The Najarala watched, its body tensing in preparation, bobbing its head even lower to the ground.

Logan had barely taken ten steps when the serpent abruptly shot forward. Logan braced himself, but the creature didn't slither straight towards him, but raced along the wall, following the curve until it shot behind him. It turned sharply, and Logan dove to the side, feeling the lightest touch of the Najarala's beak as it grazed his armor, snapping shut over thin air as the hunter rolled back to his feet, spinning around and unsheathing his sword in one fluid motion.

 _Fast_! Even though the Najarala had literally taken the longest path possible, it had still swept from the far other end of the arena to behind Logan in two seconds. How the hell could something so large move so fast?! Logan would need to figure out its attack patterns quickly, or the Najarala would make mincemeat of him.

The Najarala let out a low growl, but once again it was stationary, stretching its long body out and actually shifting back to place itself right against the edge of the arena. Logan took an uncertain step back before catching the sounds of muffled cursing. It took him a moment to pinpoint, but he realized that the sound was coming from behind the Najarala, from the two bowgunners back in the prep room; the serpent was completely blocking the windows. Logan glanced towards the door, but the creature seemed to follow his gaze and shifted its body until it was covering both the windows and the door. It was blocking his escape and the view of the bowgunners. Logan saw its eyes dart up, looking past him in the directions of the other prep rooms. It was eyeballing the other bowgunner nests as well.

This Najarala was one of the smart ones.

"Hmph. So _that's_ how it gonna be," Logan muttered. "Let's see how smart you really is, hey?"

Logan dropped the tip of his sword to rest against the ground, moving a hand to his item pouch, and the Najarala's eyes snapped back to him. The creature's tail swept sideways, and a couple large plates dislodged from the fan. Logan leapt backwards as the plates punched into the dirt, and a high-pitched whine punched into his skull. His balance faltered, and he dropped to a knee, clutching the side of his head with one hand as his vision swam. The sound faded after a second, and through blurry eyes Logan swept his great sword towards the closest plate. Thankfully it was more brittle than he'd suspected, and shattered instantly.

He glanced towards the second plate, but it was obliterated as something large and fast smashed through it. Logan realized that the Najarala had rushed him, and before he'd realized it had completely encircled him. Bright greens and yellows blurred together as the snake wyvern raced in circles, almost too fast for Logan to follow. With a roar he took his great sword and lashed out at the creature's body, but the blade clashed off the fast-moving plates, throwing the weapon backwards he struggled to regain control.

As Logan was pulled back into proper stance, the Najarala halted. A hiss sounded behind him, and Logan spun, swinging his great sword into a defensive position. There was a twisted screech as the serpent's beak smashed into the side of the Tetsu blade, snapping violently against the red materials as it shoved the hunter backwards until his back slammed against the far side of the circle.

Logan tried to escape, but he was caught in the coil and the Narajala was perfectly placed to continue its assault, smashing its beak into the great sword and gnawing at the edges, only to pull back and repeat the process. He looked around desperately until he spotted one of the serpent's hind legs only a few feet away. Logan waited for a moment until the Najarala reared its head back again, before diving towards its leg and cleaving his great sword into the Najarala's ankle. The creature shrieked as the heavy weapon tore through its hide, its leg bucking and pushing the limb away from its assailant, and opening up a gap in the coil. Logan spun and sprinted towards the opening, leaping over the narrowest part of the serpent's tail and back into the freedom of the arena.

He could hear the wyvern hissing furiously behind him as he reached for his pouch. He dug around for a moment before grasping a cylindrical flash bomb, pulling the pin with his teeth and tossing it over his shoulder. He counted the seconds, one-two, before a burst of light erupted behind him. The crowd above him gasped, and he turned the face the Najarala, only to find it covering its face with its tail. The creature pulled its tail aside, revealing unblinded eyes as it glared darkly at him.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Logan grumbled. "Too smart for flash bombs? Seen you fair share here, huh? But you ain't the only one can learn things, hey?"

The Najarala waved its tail again, sending another volley of three plates towards Logan's feet. The hunter braced himself, reaching back into his pouch to find a spherical object, yanking it out and hurling it at the ground. The sonic bomb struck the earth at almost the exact same time as the plates, releasing a powerful sound burst; the piercing whine of the vibrating plates still hit him, but the reverb from the sonic bomb distorted the sound and made it less painful. Logan winced and grit his teeth, but was able to focus, giving him the chance to see the Najarala shoot across the ground towards him to encircle him once more.

This time he was ready for it. It was slithering towards his left, and Logan dashed to meet it, spinning clockwise to build up momentum and heave the blade towards the Najarala's head. The attack caught the serpent by surprise, and though it managed to raise its head out of the way, but with a meaty _crunch_ , the edge of the weapon sank into the creature's chest instead, shattering plates, possibly breaking a bone or two, and tearing a deep gash up across the serpent wyvern's shoulder.

The creature's bulk and speed was more than enough to knock the blade from Logan's grasp and clattering several yards away. However, the Najarala shrieked in pain, careening to the side as it twisted around to clutch at the wound, and with its speed it slid over thirty yards before crashing into one of the rock outcroppings. Logan scrambled over to grab his great sword before charging the recovering monster.

The Najarala was shaking dust off its head as it wheezed painfully, pushing itself up with right leg as it twisted its left arm gingerly. It turned its head at the sound of Logan's boots, curling its long neck around only for the edge of Logan's great sword to smash against its frill, shattering a few of the smallest plates and cutting another bloody gash behind its jaw. Logan pulled back for another swing, aiming his great sword for the narrowest part of the beast's tail, but the Najarala abruptly pulled away, putting several dozen yards between them in a couple seconds. The snake wyvern glowered at him from across the arena, holding its wounded arm close to its torso gingerly, rattling its frill in agitation.

"Ain't gonna be an easy meal for you, snake," Logan muttered, slinging his great sword back into its sheath and patting his item pouch. "Come on, throw more of those ringing plates you got. I got a couple more sonic bombs. See if you can get me the _next_ time, hey?"

The Najarala glared at him for a moment longer, then raised its tail again, and Logan reached for the next sonic bomb. Sure enough, a barrage of plates - four of them this time - sailed through the air towards him. Logan took a couple steps back, timing his throw to match the high-pitched whine of the plates as they hit the ground, distorting their whine once more and readying himself to counter. The Najarala didn't charge however, and instead dropped its head toward the earth. Its torso began to shiver, the spines of its frill clacking together and releasing a sonorous clanging that reverberated through Logan's very core. He was far enough away that the sound didn't bother him too much, but something about it… what had the book said? Sonic vibrations and…

Sound amplifiers! His eyes darted to the plates, vibrating in reaction to the sound. It was different from the subtle shivering that produced the high-pitched squeal; this shaking was _violent_. Logan leapt away as one of the plates detonated, scattering green and yellow shards like shrapnel. The rest of them burst within a second of the first, and the hunter cursed, raising his arms to protect his face as jagged shards of the shattered plates clashed against the bracers of his Ioprey armor. There were a few sharp pinches, and as he lowered his arms, he realized that a few of the sharper shards had actually wedged into the metal.

A rush of motion swept to his left, but before he could turn his head the same blur came in from the right; the Najarala had charged and encircled him while he'd been distracted! Logan's head snapped back and forth, trying to follow the creature's head, but the wyvern was moving too quickly. Flickers of its frill could be seen rising like waves on the far side of its coil, but would vanish too quickly for Logan to get a bead on it. And it just kept circling and circling! It was moving so much, that it was harder to see with all the dust the damn thing was kicking up…

Actually, it was getting _really_ hard to see with all the dirt the thing was kicking up in its spinning. All around him, his view of the stands above him was blurring through a thin haze of sand, reminding him of Loc Lac, when the sandstorms would coat the entire city in a dull brown fog. And still the Najarala kept spinning! Second after second the haze became worse, blotting out his vision around him until all he could still see was the circling spinning body. It was _trying_ to blind him! Logan reached for his hilt and his great sword down onto the Najarala's coil, but again the blade clashed off of the beast's plating. Logan stumbled back, regaining control over his weapon and shifting it defensively, but by now the sand was so thick that it really was like a sandstorm, and even the Najarala's body was little more than a green and yellow shadow.

Then it stopped. The snake wyvern ground to a halt, and the shadow of the creature's body was still. Logan turned, looking for a way out, but he couldn't see a clean gap; he'd just have to vault over the nearest point he could. He took one more glance around, searching for the Najarala's head, but couldn't see it through the sand. But if he couldn't see it, then it couldn't see him… maybe.

Two steps was all he took before a sharp hissing sounded from his left, and Logan raised his sword to block as the Najarala's head lashed out through the sand, its beak smashing into the weapon and nearly knocking Logan off his feet. He managed to keep standing, but the Najarala reared back and lashed out again with a skull bash that shoved Logan until his back smacked against the creature's body.

Again the Najarala pulled its head back, but rather than attacking again, the creature's snake-like body suddenly began to move again. Pressed against its body, Logan's shoulder was clipped by one of the long plates, throwing him to the ground. The second he hit the dirt the slithering stopped, and the Logan desperately yanked his great sword in front of him as the Najarala's beak lashed out through the sand screen, smashing into the sword and shoving him back against its body, lying on the ground and wedged between dirt and scale. This time the creature didn't let up, snapping feverishly as he tried to keep his great sword between him and its fangs. Pinned as he was all he could do was reach for his pouch, fumbling desperately for anything he could use and grabbing the first thing he got a grip on.

The second he did, however, the Najarala's beak managed to slip around the tip of his great sword, and Logan felt the creature's beak clamp down on his leg. In a flash he was yanked into the air, losing his grip on his great sword as the snake wyvern pulled him skyward, shaking him feverishly and grinding its tusks against his greaves and faulds, and Logan could feel the sharp pain of the creature's fangs tearing through the chainmail. When it paused, Logan desperately yanked whatever he'd grabbed hold of out of his pouch and smacked it against the creature's jaw uselessly, only for the Najarala to shake him again, as though trying to rip his leg right out of the socket. Logan's head was spinning now, but he tried to focus on escaping. Why hadn't they rung the hunter's gong in a situation like this yet…?

Dizzily, he looked at his hand, realizing from the discus shape of the object that he'd apparently grabbed a shock trap from his pouch. A small flicker of frustration surged through the dizziness, and he reached up to the core of the trap, twisting the activation knob before swinging it angrily towards the Najarala's face. The shock trap's core hit the Najarala right in the eye. Logan was nearly blinded with pain when a flash of voltage raced through the snake wyvern's body as well as his, but the Najarala shrieked in agony from the electricity, releasing Logan's leg. Logan was hurled through the air, over the creature's coil and crashing to the ground almost a dozen yards away.

Logan's head was swimming. His entire body hurt. But he'd felt worse.

He peeled his eyes open, raising his head to look towards the Najarala. The creature was twitching uncontrollably; the shock trap must have fallen and landed on top of it or something. Smoke was sizzling out of its left eye socket. This was his chance… or maybe it might've been if he'd had his weapon with him. It was probably still in the center of the monster's coiled body. He'd have to find a way to get it back, one way or another. With a groan of frustration he started pushing to his feet, shaking the tinnitus out of his head and allowing the amplified voice of the announcer to come into focus again.

"Oof, that was a nasty hit. The Najarala may be trapped, but I think it's about time to ring the gong and call this one a… call this…"

"C'mon, c'mon, I ain't done yet," Logan muttered under his breath, pushing to his feet. He knew the man couldn't hear him, but he heard a ripple of surprise from the audience that he was getting up, as well an expression of shock from the announcer himself. He waved his hand towards the booth, showing that he could still go on, though he wondered if they'd let him.

His muscles _ached_ with a capital A, and he could feel the wetness of blood staining his right pant leg. But he could still fight, once he got his weapon back at least. He reached into his pouch, fiddling around until he grasped a small bottle. A 'mega' potion, courtesy Daguerreo, which he popped open and downed. He immediately felt the dull numbing effects of the fluid, as well as a light pinching in his leg as his wounds were forcibly clotted shut. Tossing the bottle aside, he reached into his pouch again and pulled out another flash bomb, sliding his thumb through the pin ring in preparation as he began striding towards the Najarala again.

The shock trap wore off a couple moments later, and the Najarala's violent shaking stopped. The snake wyvern groaned in pain, brushing the left side of its face with its claw and whining at the singed condition of its eye. Its whimpering vanished quickly enough, replaced with a growl. Its head twisted around, looking for Logan with its good eye as the hunter himself yanked out the pin in the flash bomb and tossed it straight up, holding his arm over his eyes right as the Najarala's gaze landed on him.

The flash bomb burst, and the Najarala screeched, reeling back and slithering away from Logan. The hunter's eyes were on the ground where it had been however, spotting his great sword. He made a mad dash for his weapon, pulling it off the ground and charging after the Najarala. The snake wyvern's head tilted his direction trying to hear for his footsteps, but an excited roar from the crowd at the unexpected turnaround deafened it. The creature hissed angrily, swinging its tail and wildly throwing a collection of plates towards Logan, but they spiraled harmlessly over his head.

Logan slid to a halt next to the Najarala's tail, swinging his great sword down towards the thinnest part. There was a sickening _crunch_ as the heavy blade smashed through plates and scales, cutting straight to the core. Logan could feel the vibrations of bones shattering under the force of his blow. The Najarala howled in agony, thrashing wildly, and Logan leapt backwards as the creature's tail _whooshed_ in front of his face, spraying blood across his torso. The Najarala spun, slithering around the edge of the arena until it had managed to pull a few dozen yards away from the hunter, pulling its tail in close and clutching it near its torso.

The Najarala had apparently regained at least scraps of its vision by now, as its head had lowered to observe the wound and whimper over it; the tail itself wasn't shaking and rattling as it had before, and was now almost completely limp. The dismay in the serpent's expression only lasted for a few moments before the creature's head turned to look at Logan again, a blazing fury in its eyes. Logan braced himself for the worst, taking a couple wary steps backwards; he'd probably crippled the creature's tail fan, but the thing likely had more tricks up his sleeve that Logan hadn't seen yet. He'd read that the creature could paralyze you, but he hadn't seen it do that yet… could it spit? Some smaller snakes could, why not this one? Even now it was lowering its torso and head towards the ground, coiling itself up against the wall. Its entire head was starting to shiver, clacking its frills together. Was it going to charge, or would it do something entirely-

A rippling sound blast, barely visible in the midday light, rocketed out of the Najarala's mouth. Logan barely had time to feel surprise before the sonic wave smashed into him. The attack knocked him completely off his feet and rippled through the core of his body, shaking every bone; for a single moment he felt as though his head was entombed in a bubble of pure screeching sound, and his eardrums felt close to bursting. A moment later it was gone, thankfully, but the next thing he knew he was lying on the ground, staring at the raised metal strip in the center of the arena.

Everything was muffled and quiet, like his ears had been stuffed with cotton. He could hear the crowd, but it was little more than a dull rumbling, felt more through the vibrations shivering through the earth than through actual sound. His body… hurt, _much_ worse than before. He couldn't figure out how best to describe the pain. _Everything_ ached with a near-numbness that reverberated through to his core. It was as though every bone, every muscle, every fiber of his being had been picked up and violently shaken. His heartbeat was erratic and uneven, as though the soundwave had altered its rhythm for a moment and it was trying to get back in sync.

"Get up and fight, boy. Can't keep fighting if you laying in the dirt, hey?" he muttered to himself, planting a fist against the dirt. He could barely hear his own voice. He still managed to get both hands under him - his great sword was gone, who knew where - and managed to push his torso up off the ground before a shadow loomed over him. "Hoy, guess a timeout was too much to hope for…"

He heard the hissing, surprisingly, before the Najarala's beak clamped down on his left arm and lifted him into the air. The dull pain in his body was abruptly forgotten as a piercing pain punched into his arm halfway up his bicep when the serpent's fangs pierced through his armor, followed by a needle-like cold seeping across his flesh as its saliva leaked through the holes and into his wound. The Najarala twisted and snapped its head, and Logan felt the bones in his forearm snap in the same moment that his arm was dislocated. The hunter released a strangled scream as the snake wyvern swung him around like a ragdoll for a second, before losing its grip and throwing into the dirt.

Logan choked back a sob of agony as he reached his right arm towards his broken and dislocated left. Blood was already seeping out of the puncture, mixing with the layer of saliva that the Najarala had left behind. There was an ugly yellow tint to the fluid…

A tight stinging sensation began to crawl across his left arm, up from the wounds. The muscles in the limb seized up, freezing in place and convulsing painfully, and soon the feeling was spreading across his chest and down his side. His jaw, formerly open and gasping for air, abruptly snapped closed and locked shut, making each breath a strained his through his teeth. Paralysis venom! In moments every muscle except those in his feet were tightening and shivering, leaving him completely immobile even as pain racked the left side of his body. A moment later the Najarala was looming over him again, opening its mouth to tear into him again.

"-the gong! Ring the gong, dammit!"

The voice of the announcer caught his ears. However, he could also see the Najarala react to the words as well, the fire in its eyes vanishing for a moment as it craned its head to look towards the announcer's booth. It tensed, no longer focusing on Logan: every ounce of its attention was aimed straight up at the booth and the gong hanging below it.

The gong thundered through the arena, and the Najarala seized up. However, right as it was struck, the serpent abruptly shook its spine, sounding off with a sonic blast of its own. Logan nearly passed out from the force of the sound from such close proximity. The creature barely took the time to slow its shaking frill before launching itself away from Logan, just before a collection of bowgun rounds sailed through the air above him, where the Najarala had just been.

Logan swiveled his eyes trying to follow the creature. Several dozen yards away the serpent spun, struggling to raise its wounded tail but managing to launch a collection of plates across the arena, off somewhere Logan couldn't see. The bowguns fired again, and the Najarala dove away from another sleep shot volley and launched three more plates in another direction, slipping away from more bowgun fire and launching a third and final cluster from its tail. Logan tried to figure out the creature's targets, gauging the directions… the bowgunner nests? Was it aiming at the windows?

The hunter's gong sounded again, and the Najarala instinctively winced, but again the serpent fought through it and countered with a defiant blast of noise from its frills. The reverberating energy rippled through the arena, and off in the distance Logan heard a shattering sound as the plates detonated, followed by echoing shouts and curses. It had attacked the _bowgunners_!

The Najarala's eyes snapped around, looking in the directions it had launched its plates. No more sleep rounds were being fired. Logan could hear muffled shouting being picked up by the amplifier up in the announcer's booth, and the noise from the crowd was tense. Then its gaze snapped back to Logan. In a flash it was looming over him again, looking down at its paralyzed prey. It planted its right foreleg across Logan's chest and tensed its neck, preparing to snap its beak down over Logan's head…

 _Splat_. A small bowgun round punched into the left side of the Najarala's head, striking just under its jaw and behind its wounded eye. The serpent squealed in shock, raising its claws off Logan to reach up and wipe a trail of pale blue fluid off its face.

The thump of a bowgun firing sounded, and the snake wyvern spun angrily, only to catch several more rounds in the chest. The creature raised its tail to throw more plates, but a spray of blood gushed from the wound Logan had inflicted. More bowgun fire echoed from another direction as another gunner recovered to fire on the creature from behind, hitting the creature between its frills.

The Najarala hissed angrily, but it didn't seem to have the same force behind it as it had before. Its head began to bob, and it screeched in frustration as even more sleep rounds peppered its body. It gaze snapped back to Logan, and in a final desperate attempt it leaned down to clamp its beak over the hunter's head, but with a groan the Najarala succumbed to the effects of the sleep toxin, crashing to the ground only a foot from where Logan lay. A few moments later Logan heard snoring from the snake wyvern, and he sighed in relief.

Now that the Najarala was unconscious, it just gave Logan time to really _feel_ how much pain he was in. Broken and dislocated arm, bleeding leg, battered to the core… the paralysis venom in his veins wasn't helping, and who knew what other effects taking that sonic blast head-on had done to him. Hearing damage or worse… One of his hunting buddies back home had been too close to a Diablos when it had let out a screech and he was nearly deaf in one ear.

"Least they didn't get my face," he muttered to himself as the shadows of several paramedics appeared over him. "Gotta try and keep this mug handsome long as I can, hey?"

"Mercy, the old snake did a number," one of the medics muttered, leaning over him. "Broken arm, dislocated shoulder, blood on his leg, and… Is he… still conscious?"

"Thanks for noticing," Logan grumbled, glowering at the man. However, he realized that his words weren't coming out like he thought they'd been; his jaw was still locked shut by the paralysis. They probably couldn't understand a word he was saying.

"Gotta get his arm back in the socket before we move him…"

"Don't touch him. You'll never get it back in with the paralysis toxin in his veins. Get the antivenom."

Logan sighed impatiently as the medics worked to unlatch and remove his pauldrons, getting to the leather armor hidden under his exterior plating. Pulling back the collar to reveal his chest, they injected him with a cold fluid that coursed through to his heart before spreading across his body. A few seconds later the paralysis was cured, and Logan's body went limp for a moment as all his muscles finally relaxed.

"Hoy, finally. Thanks, I guess."

"Don't thank us yet," one of the medics replied, gingerly taking hold of his right bicep as another wrapped a temporary splint around his forearm. "This next part is going to hurt, especially with a broken arm. You ever had your shoulder reduced before?"

"Couple times…"

"Then this might be easier. Relax for a moment…" Logan winced as the medic stretched his arm out straight from his body, then carefully bent the arm until his fingers were brushing his ear. "Here comes the painful part. You ready?"

"Just do it, hey?" Logan griped. The medic sighed, and sharply pushed his elbow up. Logan gasped from the sharp pain as his shoulder popped back into place, followed immediately by a rush of relief. The sharp rush of endorphins pushed Logan over the edge, however, and his consciousness faded as the hunter blacked out.

* * *

"Hmm… It looks like they're getting the stretcher now. Logan doesn't look like he's moving, but… Ah! There's the signal! It looks like he's just unconscious! He's going to be just fine after all this! Broken limb or two, probably, but it looks like he'll make a full recovery!"

"Oh, thank goodness!" Sonia sighed, collapsing onto the bench behind her and slouching over. She felt Leon patting her shoulder reassuringly, but the same hand had been holding onto the back of her armor not five minutes earlier, clinging to her to keep her from falling over the side of the railing. "I thought it was gonna kill him…"

"He'll be fine," Leon replied, though the words were partially muted by the sound of thunderous applause from the rest of the stands. The lancer looked up as the crowd roared their approval, even as Logan was carried unconscious out of the arena. "If nothing else, I'm pretty sure the audience thinks he did well. I'm sure the judges will agree after a showing like that."

"Yeah, I guess so… but I've never seen him get hurt so badly during a hunt before. Usually he doesn't take too much damage, but that Najarala… It really beat him up."

"Yeah… It did," Leon muttered, looking over the railing. "Still… he lasted a lot longer than I would've thought."

"Why? He's tough."

"I could see that. After all the fights I've seen so far, though, he's way tougher than I gave him credit for. After it got hold of his leg and he did that thing with the shock trap, I thought he would've been down for the count, but he just… got back up and kept fighting. He didn't even seem that hurt. I just didn't realize Theron's hunters were made so solidly."

"That's right," Sonia grinned, puffing out her chest. "Our country makes our hunters out of _steel_. Not like you squishy little Gahin hunters."

Leon smirked, reaching down and poking the bit of exposed flesh along the huntress' waist, pulling a short, tickled squeal from her. "Seems to me there's a little bit of _marshmallow_ mixed into that steel."

"Oh, shut up!" Sonia laughed, leaning back over the railing. "I think Logan's like that because of how his mom trained him. I've never been in her tutelage personally, but my mom and dad always said she was a real rough-and-tumble sort of woman. 'Magine she passed that down to Logan."

"Must be one hell of a training regimen to equip someone with that kind of durability."

"Well… When I was small, my dad told me that he wanted me to find a hunting master that wasn't either him or mom. I asked if they thought Lynn would be willing to teach me. If the looks on their faces have any meaning at all, I'd guess it _must_ be something else."

"I guess so."

The two of them paused their conversation as the Najarala was dragged out of the arena, leading into the next fight. She and Leon didn't really say anything to each other as the next battle unfolded, or at least, nothing worthwhile. With Logan's test finished, Sonia found her attention shifted to her own approaching turn, and she could feel a growing sense of nervousness and anticipation creeping through her chest; it was hard to find the desire to make idle conversation with those around her. She'd been training for more than two years now, and this was her chance to prove herself… or else risk receiving a three-year suspension from trying again. She could always return to take the Therian exam, of course, but… she knew it wouldn't make her feel better.

Looking over at Leon, she realized that his expression had grown taut and anxious, his jaw set and tight, and though he was trying to keep his breathing slow and steady, there was a slight hitch that Sonia could just make out over the noise from the crowd. She realized that, even if was her first big chance at proving herself, Leon had already had a chance of his own… and failed. She could only imagine what he was feeling, having failed once already and attempting a second try.

"Calm down," she said quietly, bumping him with her hips. The lancer jolted slightly, as though coming out of a trance, his breathing calming down and his expression relaxing. "All your fidgeting is just making _me_ nervous… Just relax. You'll do fine."

Leon stared at her for a moment. "I've already failed once. What makes you think I'll pass _this_ time?"

Sonia tilted her head in thought and shrugged. "You've been training under Vi and Tuulikki for the last three years. They're really good huntresses, and they have confidence in you. Isn't that enough? What makes you think you _won't_?"

The lancer blinked and looked back towards the arena. "A lot of things," he admitted. "Nothing guarantees success. Don't _you_ have anything that makes you doubt yourself?"

Sonia tensed and closed her eyes as the question echoed through her mind, slowly shifting to the sound of rattling dice… or maybe hoarse, dry laughter. It was hard to tell the difference sometimes.

"A couple things. But I don't think about those things if I don't have to."

"Really?" Leon frowned. "That doesn't seem-"

Whatever the lancer was about to say was cut off, however, when Georgia appeared at the door again and called his name. Leon glanced towards her, before returning his gaze to Sonia. "Well… I'm off then. Good luck, Sonia."

The lancer flinched back in surprise when Sonia abruptly scowled at him. The huntress caught herself a second later, turning to stare out into the arena until she could return her gaze to him with a more relaxed expression. "Do your best," she said. Leon stared at her in confusion for a moment before finally nodding solemnly, marching after the Guild worker and leaving Sonia as the last of them waiting her turn.

She glanced out into the arena, where an enormous Seltas had been flown out into the arena, and a bowgunner huntress had been sent out to challenge it. The Neopteron had barely caught sight of her, and she was already blasting it to pieces. Sonia sighed and pulled away from the railing; she could already tell this hunt would be over quickly, and she looked around the remainder of the examinees. She caught sight of Hannibal sitting in the far corner of the stands and wandered in his direction. The Felyne took note of her as she sat down near him, but didn't acknowledge her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. The Felyne raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"You… nervous or anything?"

"Hmph. It makes no difference whether I am or not."

"What? Why?"

"I will do well," Hannibal replied. "That is the only thought in my mind, and the only thought I believe in. To tell myself otherwise would be pointless."

"Ah. Yeah… yeah, you're right."

The two of them sat in silence as other examinees took their tests one after the other. There were less than ten of them in the stands now and Sonia realized that she was lining up to be one of the last examinees to take part. A few hunts later, as an examinee was carried out of the arena after a hunt against a Rathian, Sonia stood up again and approached the railing in anticipation of Leon's turn. Sure enough, as the great metal doors creaked shut, the announcer's voice echoed again throughout the arena.

"And now, next up… Well, well, this will be interesting! It seems our next hunter will need to prove that he can… multitask a little bit, you could say! It seems that he'll be fighting not just one, but two large monsters at once! Let's see how well our next hunter can handle both an Iodrome and a Gendrome!"

On both sides of the arena, the broad metal doors simultaneously began to open. They didn't need to open far before the slim forms of the Iodrome and Gendrome slipped through the gaps, each followed by a pack of three of their individual 'prey'. They looked around for the briefest of moments before spotting each other across the way. The Prey began barking and howling in agitation, sensing a territorial threat in their cousins. However, their pack leaders turned and barked at them, apparently ordering them not to attack. Both sides were feeling obvious distaste at the decision, and continued baying threateningly towards the other pack, though neither side approached the other, keeping to their own.

"What the hell?" Sonia muttered. "How come they aren't attacking each other? I thought bird wyverns were super territorial?"

"The arena has tamed them not to be." Sonia blinked in surprise at the words, turning to find Hannibal next to her. The Felyne's arms were crossed as it stared down into the battleground. "I don't know the methods they use; perhaps they hatch Prey from eggs and train them from birth. Perhaps they are simply wild Dromes that are… _taught_ how they are required to act within the arena. Either way, they have somehow forced the monsters not to attack each other when they are within the arena."

" _All_ of them?"

"Just the pack leaders, I believe. Easier to train the alpha and have him give his underlings orders to obey than teach each individual Prey."

"That's… pretty impressive, honestly."

"Also rather terrifying."

"What do you mean?"

The Felyne side-eyed her and scoffed under his breath. "They've specially trained monsters to be relatively docile towards all other creatures, save for Felynes, humans, Wyverians, and other humanoids. Do the implications of that kind of skill not worry you?"

"Um… I don't know. Should it?"

"Maybe it should," Hannibal muttered, returning his attention to the arena. Sonia frowned, but followed his gaze as Leon was shunted into the arena, and the clanging of the small gong drew the attention of both packs. Both Dromes bayed orders at their minions, and all at once a small force of eight monsters rushed in to converge on the lancer.

Sonia was worried: she knew that Leon's greatest weakness when it came to hunting was dealing with monsters in numbers. Against single monsters he could hold his own fairly well, but groups could flank him with ease. Already the lancer was backing towards the nearest wall in order to keep any of the pack from circling behind him. However, it seemed as though the pack leaders were the only ones attacking him at first, and it took moment for Sonia to figure out why: they were afraid of his Kecha Wacha shield. The tower shield was primarily constructed from a Kecha's ear, which in turn was designed to look like a giant eye to scare away predators. Each time the hunter swung his shield around to face one of the ankle-biters, the Prey would freeze up and leap back in fear.

However, while the Dromes and Prey were warded off by the shield's 'eye', it just didn't seem like Leon was able to do much either. Backed into a corner, any move he tried to make to improve his situation was quickly cut off by one pack or another. He was holding out, but the Prey were bashing themselves against his shield as the Dromes attempted to crane their heads around it. The Dromes would hesitate sometimes when the 'eye' was pointed at them, giving Leon a moment to jab his lance at their faces and necks, but even so the damage seemed superficial, and would only aggravate the pack leaders. Several minutes passed with little ground gained on either side, save for Leon managing to kill one Ioprey and one Genprey.

The tides turned when an order from the Iodrome led to it and its remaining two minions to lob globs of poison at the lancer. Leon dodged away from the wall as a barrage of purple orbs splattered against it, hissing dangerously as they pooled together in the dirt underneath him. But when Leon was forced to use his shield to block a spray of poison, sizzling dangerously as it streaked down his tower shield, the purple gunk painted the shield's face, staining it a bright purple and blotting out the 'eye' that Leon had been using to ward off the packs. With the eye gone, the Prey grew bolder, and the Dromes were able to order them into proper attack patterns. Again Leon tried to keep himself against the wall, but without the aid of his shield it was far harder, especially when the Dromes themselves attacked. Leon's stance was strong, but he couldn't stand firm against a fully-grown Drone smashing against his shield. Again the fight drew to a standstill, and over the next five minutes, Leon was forced into a constant defensive retreat away from the pursuing packs. The audience above them was growing restless and impatient, frustrated at the lack of action as Leon kept moving, always defensive and never on the offense.

The Gendrome and its kin would charge in headfirst while the Iodrome and its ilk continued to spray jets of poison, soaking the ground around him with vile purple puddles. However, in doing so the poison would sometimes strike the Genprey instead, weakening the creatures and allowing Leon to cut down the paralytic ankle-biters. Constantly backing away eventually led him in a circle around the arena's edge until he reached the short ledges on the lower side of the arena. His boots struck against the first wall, and when he turned his head to look behind him, the Gendrome lunged and clamped its fangs over the top of Leon's shield, shaking its head violently to try and yank the defending wall free. Leon's weight, including that on his armor, weapon, and shield kept him steady for a moment, but the creature pulled him sideways, throwing him to the ground right against the edge of the incline.

Both Dromes converged on the fallen hunter, and for a moment Sonia feared the worst, but as the Gendrome leaned in to try and bite into the lancer, it was stopped as the Iodrome pushed in front of it, hissing threateningly at its rival. The Gendrome barked furiously, nipping its fangs at the Iodrome, and the red bird wyvern howled back, planting itself between the green-and-brown bird wyvern and the prone hunter. The remaining two Ioprey leapt up onto Leon's shield, and the lancer struggled desperately as the two creatures snapped at him, trying to sink their fangs through his armor. The hunter could do little more than try to bat their heads away with his fist.

As he struggled, he managed to grasp hold of the neck of a fallen Genprey nearby, and with a desperate pull he yanked the creature's body and drove the long, pointed fangs of the Genprey into the leg of the Ioprey atop him. The small bird wyvern howled in pain, toppling off of the lancer and rolling back to its feet, but its body suddenly seized up and fell over once more, this time due to the effects of the paralysis venom from the Genprey's fangs. The second Ioprey squawked in surprise and lunged at Leon's throat, but the lancer protected himself with his shield and lashed out again, slicing shallow lines across the Ioprey's neck, and the effect of the paralyzing venom overtook the second one just as easily. As the second Ioprey fell over, Leon scrambled back to his feet, stumbling over to collect his lance again and quickly slaying the two paralyzed minions.

The two Dromes had yet to notice the lancer's recovery, still barking at each other, though they hadn't come to blows. They continued to fight, however, each of them certain that Leon was their 'prey' to eat. Leon looked ready to charge in and attack the Iodrome from behind, but paused and instead sheathed his lance, reaching down to again grab the neck of the Genprey. Pulling his carving knife out, the lancer began hacking into the Genprey's narrow neck to saw the creature's head off as he spared frantic looks towards the fighting Dromes. It took time, but soon enough Leon had managed to hack it off, grabbing it by the base of the skull.

The Iodrome still stood between Leon and the Gendrome, completely oblivious until he sank the Genprey's fangs into the creature's haunch. It yelped in pain as the lancer tore the fangs free, turning to face its new assailant only to have the paralytic fangs raked across its face, tearing a long and painful gash over its snout and jaw. The pack leader yelped, staggering backwards and slamming into the Gendrome, and the brown and green bird wyvern howled in rage as it leapt at its red-skinned cousin, sinking its paralytic fangs into the Iodrome's spine. The Iodrome yelped as the Gendrome tore its talons across its hide, turning to spray a jet of poison into its counterpart's face. Its tail swung around and swatted Leon back to the ground, sending the Genprey head he'd been using bouncing across the dirt.

The lancer pushed back to his feet, frantically swinging his lance out, but the two Dromes were at each other's throats now, forgetting the lancer as they vied to rip the other one apart. The battle between the two pack leaders was surprisingly short, however. While the Iodrome was able to poison the Gendrome, the Gendrome's paralysis was far deadlier in the short term. Between the doses of venom that Leon had managed to inflict, followed by the deadly bites from the Gendrome itself, the Iodrome was soon overwhelmed and toppled to the ground, shaking violently. The Gendrome deftly ripped the Iodrome's throat out and howled victoriously as its rival went limp.

The death of the Iodrome and the raucous cheering from the crowd only seemed to remind the Gendrome of where it was, however. There was a moment of realization on what it had done, looking down at the Iodrome's carcass, but whatever contemplation the Gendrome may have done vanished a moment later as it squawked at the lancer and charged towards him.

Sonia thought that Leon would've been able to clean up the Gendrome with ease now that it was only a one-on-one battle… but though the lancer put up a strong defense, he wasn't able to damage to the Gendrome fast enough, and he was facing a very fast creature out in the open. The Gendrome caught him off guard with a flying leap, coming down onto Leon from above and slamming him into the dirt, planting one of its feet onto his shield and pinning him down. The lancer struggled to shove the bird wyvern off of him, punching the point of his lance into the creature's chest, but the Gendrome snapped its fangs around the edges of the tower shield, until it managed to sink its fangs into one of the lancer's legs. The single bite managed to paralyze him, and soon Leon was twitching too violently to properly defend himself.

With that, the gong was sounded, the Gendrome was peppered with sleep rounds, and medics came out to heal Leon's paralysis. There was a smattering of applause through the arena, though there was an obvious lethargic feeling of in the crowd as a ripple of moderate praise echoed down from the upper seating.

"Hmph. A disappointing finish," Hannibal muttered.

"It wasn't… that bad."

"You're a pitiful liar, human. I could claim the same, had he completed his hunt in half the time he did. It took him ten minutes to kill two Prey, and the Iodrome cleaned up two more on his behalf."

"Well, yeah, but… That shield thing was really smart, and he was doing really well there near the end, but then he just… fell apart at the end."

"Hmm. I will grant you that. It was smart work using his shield to frighten the Prey, good work using the Genprey's toxins to gain an advantage, and allowing the Dromes to battle each other… But for one who held a defense for so long against so many, he fell apart rather quickly when he'd dropped them down to one. Perhaps he grew overconfident and careless at the end. A dangerous mistake. The judges will not like it."

"No, that's… I don't think that sounds like him."

"Well, obviously _something_ happened. One does not outwit and outlast eight monsters only to fall to a single wounded and poisoned opponent without reason. Other hunters would have cleaned up easily."

"Yeah, I guess, but-"

"Attention! Would Sonia please accompany me to the prep room?"

Sonia looked up towards the door to find Georgia scanning the remaining examinees, catching sight of her and waving her over. Nodding nervously, Sonia stood up.

"Guess I'm gonna miss your turn again… I really wanted to see your final exam since I missed your hunt yesterday. So… do your best."

"I plan to," the Felyne replied simply. Sonia nodded slowly, and turned to follow Georgia out of the stands.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter of a final test! Part one of it, at least.**

 **Been awhile, hasn't it? I realize it's been a long time since the last chapter, but this chapter had… issues to deal with while I was writing it. That being said, I did write the entire third test all at once, so the next chapter is primed and ready for release! Not only that, but I've decided that it's been long enough that I won't wait two weeks for the follow up chapter, but will release chapter 24 next weekend, so look forward to that!**

 **Even better, not only is chapter 24 ready to go, but I've also got chapter 25 ready for edits, as well as two DLC chapters for you guys to read, and finally chapter 3 of Charon! The DLC chapters and Charon will be released before chapter 25, but I should have enough content to keep you readers happy for at least a month or two.**

 **In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the battles, since I spent a long time on them, especially Logan's, and Sonia's in the next chapter. Gotta say though, Bram's fight was a real challenge. I don't think I've ever written a hunt quite that long before. I hope it didn't drag on too long, but I just couldn't bring myself to remove any of the close calls and narrow misses. It really was a close call, don't you think?**

 **As for how things are going in RL, I've already preordered a Nintendo Switch, as well as the Collector's edition of Breath of the Wild. I considered going after the Master edition, but I didn't really want to drop another 40 bucks for a Master Sword statuette. The rest of the stuff in collector's edition was pretty sweet though.**

 **See you in the next chapter!**


	24. The Third Test, Part 2

The Third Test, Part 2

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

Sonia followed the Guild woman towards the prep rooms down on the lower levels. However, as they neared their destination, the sound of arguing could be heard from the path up ahead. Stern words were being met with frantic and high-pitched shouting.

"I haven't had enough time to break them in!"

"I know, I know, but we don't have much of a choice, do we? Just get the spider ready to send out into the arena."

"I keep telling you, she's _not_ ready! She'll be a sitting duck out there!"

"It's either that or sending out one of the monsters that have already fought-"

"They're not healed yet!"

Georgia sighed as the two of them rounded the next corner, coming into sight of the argument. One of them was another well-dressed Guild worker, but the other was wearing heavy laborer's clothing made of thick leather, to the point where Sonia thought it looked almost akin to hunting armor. His dark brown hair was unkempt and tattered, and looked slightly singed at the fringes. His grey eyes were tight, and there was a touch of… instability to them that Sonia didn't like.

"This is why I said we needed more low-level monsters!"

"We got you your monsters-"

"Half-dead and beaten senseless by the hunters! Gypceros without crowns that can't blind their opponents, Rathians with their wings so shredded that they can hardly fly, Tetsucabra without tusks to pull boulders from the earth, and Kechas with their claws broken so they cannot hang from vines. What am I supposed to do with these monsters before they have time for their wounds to heal?"

"They don't need to be at one hundred percent, Marlon, just good enough to put up a fight. If they're not bleeding, they can be used."

"But that's so unfair!"

"This is a test, not a deathmatch. It doesn't need to be fair."

"What's all this bickering about?" Georgie asked as she and Sonia approached. "We're trying to run an exam here."

The armored man, Marlon, turned to scowl at her. "We don't have enough monsters to _finish_ this exam."

"We _DO_ have enough!" the other man snapped. "We have _more_ than enough!"

"Oh, yes, we have the _numbers_ , certainly, but half of them are wounded and recovering, and the others aren't broken in yet!"

"Broken in…?" Sonia asked.

"Why didn't you tell the Guild?" the Guild woman asked dryly, ignoring Sonia. "This is highly unprofessional-"

"I _did_ tell the Guild! I told _Klaus_ , I told _Kellogg_ , I would've told His Immenseness himself if he wasn't so busy! We might've had enough if we'd just… shut down the arena for a day or two before the exam, or hell, even during the first day when the examinees were outside the wall, but apparently _profits_ are more important than this exam to the Guild's arena executives. We had to keep the arena running all the damn time, so we burn through our captive monsters too quickly. Not to mention the judges let more than seventy hunters pass the first exam, and forty-six today! _Forty-six_! I haven't had the time to prepare all the monsters meant for the examinees! I've already thrown out that Rathian again three of them, but she won't wake up from the last round of sleep shots for another hour yet! I only have a few more prepared monsters on hand, and the rest are injured or too wild!"

"Too wild?" Sonia cut in. "What do you mean? Why would you need to… _break in_ monsters for the arena? They're _supposed_ to be wild, aren't they?"

Marlon turned, giving Sonia a flat look. "Monsters that are thrown into the arena don't _instantly_ know how to fight in it, girl. The dirt and crowds and smells of the city are anathema to everything they know and feel. Every monster needed broken in, or it… fights get a bit messy."

"But… they're monsters. Isn't fighting what they do naturally?"

"Hmph. How little you know… Terrain is just as much a weapon for a monster as their claws or fangs. Do you think you'd do well out in the arena if we forced you to use a _great sword_ without time to train in how to use it? But… I suppose you'll find out about all that yourself."

"You're going to use the wild ones?" the Guild man asked, and Marlon frowned.

"...Fine. It's either that or the wounded ones that are broken in. You go and tell the judges that, but don't blame _me_ for the results. If that doesn't work, I can start using the broken ones, even if they're wounded, though the examinees will probably kill them without much effort…"

The Guild man frowned. "The crowd won't like that."

"This is a _test_ , not a _spectacle_ , the crowd doesn't _have_ to like it," Marlon replied snidely. "This is all we can do, unless you want me to send out something nastier. Maybe that Diablos we picked up, or the Azure. We could give them a real show and throw out that new thing, the Tigerstripe. The one that took a G-rank team to capture? I'll bet the crowd would like _that_. Or, hell, maybe the twins; they're both fighting fit-"

"No! No. Fine. Go with the wild ones. I'll let the judges know."

The Guild man growled darkly under his breath, turning to stride away through the halls and up a nearby flight of stairs. Marlon in turn stalked off, disappearing through a pair of large iron doors which unleashed a cacophony of howls and squawks from the other side before the door slammed shut behind him. Georgia's lips were creased into a tight grimace as the two men walked away, and she gave Sonia a quick calculating look before turning to continue leading her down the hall.

"What was that about?" Sonia asked.

"It means you're going to have an… interesting battle ahead of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't give you any advance information, Miss Sonia," the woman replied, coming to a halt in front of a wide wooden door. "Here is your stop. Best prepare yourself for your hunt."

Sonia nodded reluctantly and entered the room. She could hear the roar of the crowds through the narrow windows, and the sounds of whatever the current examinee was battling out there. A thunderous bellow made Sonia wince, recognizing the roar of a Basarios. Sonia took a seat near a mixed pile of weapons in the far corner of the room, listening tensely to the battle unfolding outside. By the sound of it, it didn't seem like the examinee was doing very well against the Basarios, a feeling she could empathize with. Each rumbling charge and tumultuous crash shook the earth under her, and Sonia could only imagine the devastation the Basarios was causing, though the hunter seemed to be lasting a while…

The hunting gong sounded after several minutes, and the bowgunners fired. A few moments later the Basarios' footsteps slowed to a halt, and a loud crash indicated the creature falling to the ground. There was a few shouts of worry from the audience, however, and by the sounds of it the Basarios had collapsed on top of the examinee. There was a scramble outside and eventually they got the examinee free, but even though the announcer assured the crowd that she'd be fine, there was a tone of uncertainty to his voice that Sonia - and likely the rest of the audience - picked up on.

Four more hunts passed by, and the two hunters in the room with Sonia were sent out to challenge their own test monsters, replaced by only one as the last of the examinees were pulled from the stands; Hannibal must have been located in the other room, Sonia supposed. Soon enough it was Sonia's turn, and she made her way over to the door, readying herself for… whatever the Guild was going to send out for her to fight.

"Alright then, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for our next hunt! I'm sure it'll be hard to beat the show young Clancy gave us, trouncing that Gypceros so handily, but if our next hunter manages to defeat her challenge, it'll be quite a show indeed! After all, if a Gypceros hunt had you on the edge of your seat, then surely a monster that kills Gypceros and wears their skins like a hunter wears armor will be good for a show as well. That's right, our next monster is hardly any sort of schmuck in comparison: the dreaded Shadow Spider, the Nerscylla!"

"Oh. Okay," Sonia muttered in surprise.

"You fought one of those before?" one of the bowgunners asked.

"Um, no, actually."

"Ah. Well… you're in for a challenge."

Maybe not as much of a challenge as he believed, Sonia thought to herself. While Sonia had only skimmed through the ecology books Bram had bought, she probably knew more about Nerscylla than most of the other monsters in the country, thanks to Tuulikki. The glaive wielder's obsession with insectoids had led to countless lectures about them, from smaller creatures like Konchu to larger monsters like Seltas… as well as Nerscylla. Even when Sonia had started to tune out what Tuulikki was saying, she'd still repeated herself enough that Sonia had managed to retain quite a bit of information… though, how much of it would actually be useful was questionable. Knowing that Nerscylla liquefied their prey's innards before drinking the remains was interesting, sure, but it didn't really help Sonia much.

But what information _could_ she use? Its main methods of attack were its stinger, its claws, and a pair of fangs that Tuulikki claimed could extend over five full yards out of its mouth, though Sonia could barely imagine that. Its stinger could inject prey with sleep toxins, its fangs were tipped with poison, and it could produce sticky webbing to entangle prey. It was agile and had the ability to cling to walls.

It seemed quite deadly, but much of the remaining data that Tuulikki had drilled into her seemed to be advantageous to Sonia in this situation. It was primarily an ambush predator that laid traps with its webs, and it would lose any stealth options just like Sonia would. Its climbing ability was neutered in a wide-open arena, and without any trees or overhanging vines like there had been in the slayground, it would only be able to crawl along the ground. It was supposed to have some web-swinging ability (which reminded Sonia of something she'd seen in a couple of the comic books her father collected), but that probably couldn't be used in the arena, not with the electrified iron webbing hanging over the battleground.

Still, all that information was just that: information. Books and advice were helpful, but Sonia had no practical experience in battling one, or even a visual reference to draw on. One of the teams yesterday had fought one, but Sonia hadn't been able to watch. She'd be going into this mostly blind.

She heard the Nerscylla entering the arena, a light skittering sound with no grunts or screeches or anything. The footsteps were quick, scurrying off to the far side of the arena. The bowgunners at the windows whispered quietly to each other, but before Sonia could ask anything, she heard the announcer calling her name, and the Guild worker near the door pulled it open. With a deep breath, Sonia stepped through, and the door slammed shut behind her.

Sonia blinked as she stepped out onto the sand, readjusting to the sunlight. It was already approaching evening, but still bright enough to require a moment to adjust. She tensed, however, as the small metal gong behind her began clanging, and she quickly scanned the arena to find where the Nerscylla was waiting.

It took her a second to spot the creature, nestled up underneath a large rocky overhang, deep within the shadows of the stone. It wasn't as big as she feared it would be - thank goodness - but it was still much bigger than she'd hoped. Four long, orange and white legs held a massive insectoid body aloft, with two long claws stretching out from under a small head with many eyes. Its spine was lined with several massive spines that were such a bright purple they practically seemed to be glowing. At first Sonia thought the creature's body seemed a bit wrinkly, but she realized that its torso and upper legs were covered in a heavy bluish-grey hide, even hanging over its head like a hood: hide carved of some unfortunate Gypceros, though whether it had come from a creature that the Nerscylla had preyed upon out in the wilds, or if the arena's crew had simply tossed the remains of a Gypceros into its cage, she couldn't be certain. It might even be the remains of the Gyp she'd helped slay the day before. It all felt rather morbid… though she knew the feeling was hypocritical, considering she was wearing doing much the same with her Tetsucabra armor.

The Nerscylla itself hadn't noticed her, despite the clanging. It wasn't even looking in her direction. Rather, the creature seemed… jittery. Its multiple eyes were spinning at the sights around it, and its legs were tittering around, though the giant spider was merely skittering left and right in confusion. Sonia braced herself as the creature's eyes landed on her, but they quickly moved on to look around aimlessly. As the announcer took up his role as commentator, the spider's head would bob nervously with every punctuated word that echoed out from the amplifiers. Sonia if this how it normally acted; she couldn't help but feel like it was acting particularly twitchy.

Sonia prepared to charge, but before she could, the Nerscylla seemed to snap. The creature spun around, latching itself to the wall it and began climbing the rock face up and out of the pit.

"Wh- hey!" Sonia shouted, but the creature was already approaching the stretch of metallic mesh that had been stretched several dozen yards above the arena floor.

However, there was also a wide ring of metal just below the mesh, and the moment the Temnoceran's leg touched the sleek metallic ring, there was brilliant flash of blue as a jolt of electricity zapped the creature's claw. The Nerscylla let out of shriek of agony as it lost its grip and fell, plummeting to the floor of the arena and landing directly on its largest spinal spike with a loud _crack_. A large chunk fractured off, clattering across the arena floor and coming to a halt a few feet from Sonia. The creature twitched a moment or two before wiggling its legs frantically and rolling back to its feet, and with a squeal of terror it squeezed against a small nook in the rock wall, curling itself up hopelessly to try and hide itself.

The frustrated noises from the audience pulled Sonia back to the present. She hadn't even moved from where she'd been standing, and though her shield was still held defensively in front of her chest, her sword had long since dropped down to hang parallel to her legs.

The Nerscylla just looked so… pitiful. Was this what Marlon had meant when he'd said that some of the monsters weren't 'broken in'? It seemed… _frightened_ of the crowd and the announcer's amplified voice, had tried to run away only to be thrown back into the ring, and now the Nerscylla looked absolutely terrified as it tried to hide in the shadows. Sonia looked up towards the central booth, where she could see the Guild judges sitting alongside His Immenseness and waved an arm.

"What am I supposed to do?" she asked, knowing they couldn't hear. Taking down a monster in this state looked like it would be easy, but even if it was just a monster, Sonia couldn't help but feel… guilty. Taking down a monster that put up a fight was one thing, but with the Nerscylla cowering like it was, she felt like she wouldn't really prove her worth to the judges.

It was another twenty seconds before there was a response from the announcer. "Ah, well, it looks like we'll need to bring in a new monster for our examinee here. I'd like to apologize, dear audience: this particular Nerscylla was only delivered to the arena a couple days ago, and has yet to… _acclimate_ to its new home." A small wave of disappointment echoed through the crowd; apparently some of the regulars here knew what that meant. "Don't worry, we'll find something exciting for Sonia to fight. Young lady, if you could return to the waiting room, we'll have another monster ready for you momentarily…"

"Oh… um. Alright, then," Sonia muttered. She hadn't even traveled that far from the prep room in the first place…

From the firing windows, she could see bowguns twitching as they took aim, and Sonia heard a pop as one of the guns fired. A pale-blue object shot through the air, cracking against the broken spines lining the Nerscylla's back. The creature jolted in shock as the pale blue fluid trickled down the purple protrusions, and Sonia could hear shouting coming from the prep room. She could guess the reason too: Bram's books had said that the Nerscylla's spines were little more than hardened poison, so there was little chance the sleep rounds would have any effect by hitting it there.

However, as a second shot rang out, this one splattering against the loose-hanging hide draped over the Nerscylla's legs - Gypceros skin, and still not likely to get into the creature's blood - the Temnoceran leapt in the air in terror, releasing a terrified, hissing shriek. Its eyes spun about wildly before landing on Sonia, and something inside it seemed to snap. The beast raised both of its claws in the air, stretching its legs out and raising itself to its full height before unleashing what could only be a screech of challenge. A long line of pale white string shot out of its mouth and across the arena, splattering against the ground a couple yards in front of Sonia's feet. The spider hopped a few feet into the air, grabbing hold of the stretching silk, and the taut webbing yanked it across the arena like a rocket. Sonia yelped, leaping to the side as the Nerscylla raced past her and crashed headfirst into the wall, teetering dizzily as it staggered backwards. Sonia spun, reaching for the hilt of her sword as the announcer's voice boomed gleefully across the arena.

"Ha! Well, well, it looks like we've got a fight on our hands after all! Let's see how young Sonia does!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Sonia snapped. Apparently they weren't, because the bowgunners had stopped firing and had withdrawn back into a standby stance, leaving Sonia to deal with the Nerscylla as it turned and hissed at her. "Well… fine! Fine then!"

The Nerscylla lurched towards her, its body twitching back and forth in strange, uneven movements. Sonia tried to gauge its speed, but it rushed up to her using short bursts of motion that closed the distance far faster than she'd expected, and the spider's claws unfolded to slash down at her. Sonia slipped the side, dodging the left claw and raising her shield to deflecting the claw right before sliding under the beast's abdomen.

She swung her sword out as the creature's legs as she passed, but the heavy Seltas blade only clashed off the solid exoskeleton. She adjusted her aim to try cutting into the joints, but the Nerscylla began to move above her, and she scrabbled to keep herself behind its large body out of its vision. For the next few moments the two of them danced around each other, the Nerscylla trying to get a bead on her while Sonia did her best to stay out of sight. The spider's erratic movements made it a challenge to time properly, but she didn't want to swing blindly and leave herself open to attack. Finally the creature stopped for a moment, and Sonia thrust her blade straight up and pierced into the less-protected underbelly of the beast. Sonia hadn't put as much _oomph_ into the swing as she might've, fearing her blade would be deflected, but even so gush of green blood was a welcome sight, proving she wouldn't have to be totally precise with her strikes to wound the Nerscylla.

The spider itself squealed in pain, leaping backwards and leaving Sonia out in the open again. As she spun around to face it, the creature lifted its torso into the air, swinging its abdomen forward and launching a trio of white blobs towards her. She dove out of the way, allowing the closest of the blobs to splat against the ground next to her. It was webbing, all wadded up, but was it supposed to do something? Did it _explode_? Release poison gasses like Gigginox sac bombs? With some monsters, it was hard to tell.

Sonia darted to the side, trying to circle the Nerscylla, but the creature turned with her, leaping backwards a few yards before launching itself at the huntress, spreading its legs wide to cover as much area as it could. Sonia froze for a moment, trying to gauge how to dodge, and at the last moment she leapt forward and below it, sliding just under the creature's bulk before it crashed to the ground.

Sonia rolled back to her feet, dashing sideways as she began to circle around the creature, looking for an opening, but her left foot suddenly snagged against something. Sonia yelped in shock as she face-planted straight into the dirt, her sword nearly flying from her hand as she hit the ground. She groaned as she pushed herself up, turning around to see what had tripped her. She cursed, realizing she'd gotten caught in one of the webbing traps that the Nerscylla had thrown out at the start of the fight. She spun, pulling at her leg to free herself, but something wet and sticky smacked against her back. She twisted around and caught sight of another string of web, but this one was still stretching out from the Nerscylla itself. Sonia swung her sword back to cut the line, but the Nerscylla yanked its abdomen backwards and the huntress was torn free of the web trap and pulled through the air.

The huntress had the wind knocked out of her as she hit the ground, realizing that she'd been dropped directly underneath the Nerscylla, and that she was now looking straight up into its numerous eyes. The spider spun, and the next moment she was looking up at the creature's stinger as it extended, and a congealed bluish-white substance began to ooze out from the end of its abdomen, sliding down to the point and dripping into the dirt next to her head.

Sonia yelped, twisting her body sideways as the needle came down, hardly able to move at all thanks to the webbing pinning her to the ground. The stinger punched into the dirt behind her, and the Nerscylla's massive abdomen slammed into her shoulder, feeling as though it would crush her beneath its bulk. The Nerscylla raised up again and adjusted its stinger, and Sonia twisted the other direction, dodging out of the way of a second thrust, and again the creature's body battered her into the dirt. This time there was a wet tearing sound as the blow ripped her free of the webbing, and she scrambled to her feet, getting out from under the creature.

As the spider reared up, Sonia dashed toward the closest of its legs, leaping and spring-boarding off the appendage to vault up onto the spider's back. The creature jolted slightly as she landed, spinning around to try and find her, and she was forced to wrap an arm around one of its crystalline spines to keep from being thrown off. When the beast stopped again, she spun her blade into a reverse grip and sharply plunged it down, but it only punched through the layer of Gypceros hide that covered the spider's body, barely piercing the Nerscylla's actual body. Again the creature tried to shake her off, but Sonia held firm.

As the Nerscylla slid to a halt again, Sonia spun her sword back into proper grip and slashed at the Gypceros hide, slicing apart the grey skin in sharp lines between the purple spines. With each movement the Nerscylla made, the tears in the hide grew wider, until it seemed as though the entire grey covering was held together at the seams. Sonia turned, driving her sword down one last time before sliding off the left side of the creature, tearing her blade through grey hide as she dropped until she bounced off the section stretching between the Nerscylla's legs. With one final yank, her blade cut through to the end, and the huntress fell to the ground, landing on her backside almost directly under the Nerscylla.

The spider finally caught sight of her, but as it spun to face her, there was a collection of tearing sounds as the Gypceros hide fell apart. Sliced-up swaths of hide slid off the creature's body, revealing the pale white shell beneath it. The removal of the hide revealed dozens of wounds criss-crossing its body, the wounds it had received from the hunters that had brought it in. Atop its torso, the beaked hood that hung over its head slid forward as well, dropping over the Nerscylla's eyes and blinding it. The spider squealed in shock, raising its claws to its face as it tried to pull the Gypceros hide off of it, but the folds had gotten caught in its spiked jaws and tangled up.

The creature staggered back in fear, and Sonia ran after it, sliding under its legs and slicing her blade into the joints. The heavy exoskeleton deflected several of the swings, but occasionally she would get a good swing that draw blood. Each time, the Nerscylla would let out a pained shriek and blindly leap away from the huntress, forcing her to give chase. The creature's retreat continued across the entire arena and up the steep incline until it slammed against the towering metal doors and slumped to the ground.

With the Nerscylla's head low to the earth, Sonia charged its face, intent on shoving her blade into one of its eyes. However, the Gypceros hide covering the spider's face began to contort and stretch from within, as though something was struggling to escape. As Sonia neared, the hide abruptly tore apart as a long, serrated, orange-and-purple saw ripped through the right side of the hide, followed by another saw bursting out the other side. Both of them were at least five yards long, so that Sonia found herself facing ten yards of razor-sharp saw blades dripping with poison.

"Oh."

The fangs began to pull back, and Sonia immediately dropped, falling onto her back and raising her shield over her chest and head. The fangs snapped together directly over her head, and Sonia winced as she felt a poison spray patter against her shield and across her lower torso and legs. Peeking over the edge of her shield, she could see the two halves of the jaw clamped together above her and swung her sword at them, but the blade clashed uselessly off the surprisingly sturdy appendage.

The jaws began to retract back into the Nerscylla's body, and Sonia rolled back to her feet. When the creature's jaws snapped back into place, the last tatters of the Gypceros coating fell to the ground around it. Spare scraps clung sporadically between its spines and legs, but over half of it had been cut loose, leaving most of its upper torso exposed. The creature gingerly picked at the shredded hide with its claws, but found nothing that it could cover itself with anymore.

Thunder roared through the arena as the announcer's voice and the applause of the crowd approved of Sonia's work. The noise startled the Nerscylla, snapping its gaze upwards, and Sonia charged in while it was distracted. The spider looked back at her just in time for her sword to slash across its face, slicing two of its eyes in half. The spider shrieked, leaping back and smacking right up against the door again as it tried to scramble away in pain, but its feet slid uselessly across the metal gate away as Sonia tried to cut into it a few more times.

Finally the Nerscylla began to skitter sideways rather than trying to climb the door, darting around the edge of the arena until it hit the rock face, latching hold of sturdier footing and scaling the stone. Sonia slid to a halt, cursing as the creature's climb carried it far beyond her reach. It nearly tried to climb out of the arena again, but caught itself upon spotting the electrified metallic ring. Instead, it perched itself atop a wide outcropping jutting out from the rock wall, curling up in the shadows and brushing its claws across its wounded face.

"Ugh, come on! Not again!" Sonia shouted up at it. She could hear the announcer and the audience's disappointment as clearly as her own, and she reached into her pouch in search of something she could use to bring the monster down, but to no avail; she had a few flash and sonic bombs available, but they would be useless here. The Nerscylla was safe atop its perch, and seemed to have good footing, so the chances of her making it fall were slim. She could try and scale the rock face after it, sure, but even if she blinded it, it was so high up that it would likely regain its vision before she could, and with the speeds the Nerscylla could move vertically, she'd be left in a very vulnerable position. "Come on, just… just jump down and fight me already!"

The Nerscylla paid her no mind, instead doing what it could to treat itself by producing a small spin of webbing and raising it up to 'bandage' its wounds. Sonia continued to mutter curses to herself as the creature worked, but it standing around was getting her nowhere, and she decided to plan the pitfall trap she had with her. Soon enough, a wide ring of dirt churned up the consistency of loose quicksand lay in front of her, ready to ensnare a monster within.

After several long minutes of work - much to the frustration of almost everyone in the arena - the Nerscylla seemed to be pleased with its efforts: it had created an eyepatch to coat its lost eyes, and small blots of white silk covered the small cuts and gashes that Sonia had managed to inflict on the creature. Satisfied, it craned its head over the side of the rock to return its gaze to Sonia. It stared at her for a long moment before finally skittering over the edge. It kept itself out of her reach, however, and with a shake of its abdomen the creature began lobbing blobs of webbing down at her.

Sonia dodged left and right as head-sized clumps splattered into the dirt around her, cursing under her breath as she realized she'd have to be more aware of them than she'd been at the start of the test. But there was little she could do right now to deal with the Nerscylla, and the creature was only pushing her further away, leaving a sticky minefield between them. However, she began to get out of the creature's range, and the Nerscylla was forced to the ground again to follow after her. Sonia tried to lure it closer, keeping the trap between them as she pulled back, but the spider stayed wary, unwilling to get too close to her and instead lobbing webbing at her from a distance.

Sonia was growing frustrated at the Nerscylla's caution, before an idea came to her. As one of the spider's web blobs splattered to the ground next to her, the huntress slid her foot close to - but not touching - the webbing, and she made an exaggerated show of being stuck and trying to pull herself loose. The Nerscylla perked up, hissing victoriously as it finally charged towards her, skittering across the arena… and into the trap. The creature didn't hit the trap dead on, but its left legs and half of its torso suddenly sank into the earth, tilting it sideways. The spider shrieked in shock as it collapsed into the dirt trying to pull itself out, but the hidden net had entangled it in place. Sonia charged forward, darting between the scattered web traps around her and circling towards the creature's rear and slashing her sword across its abdomen, and her heavy Seltas blade sunk satisfyingly into the creature's hide.

The creature's body suddenly began to tilt as the creature's legs raised its torso, and a wet dripping sound made Sonia spin, finding the creature's needle extending out of its abdomen, and she leapt backwards as the Nerscylla swung its stinger in a wild attempt to stab her. Sonia was able to pull away easily, but she was caught off guard when a gush of the bluish fluid sprayed out like a mist, splattering across her chest and lower jaw. Sonia gagged as a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over her as the fluid seeped into her exposed skin; her mind grew foggy, and her eyes tried to squeeze shut of their own volition. She felt so tired, and wanted nothing more than to simply fall asleep where she stood. The Nerscylla had twisted its head around to find her, and upon seeing that it had gotten her, began working to free itself from the trap.

Sonia staggered backwards, forcing herself to try and stay awake. She could hear the announcer's muted voice contemplating with the crowd whether it was time to ring the gong or not. She feared that the tranquilizer would overtake her… but then the feeling began to dim. Her hazy thoughts began to clear, and the drowsiness faded away as the pounding of her heart sent adrenaline coursing through her veins. She still felt as though she wanted a long nap, but she could still fight!

Sonia reached into her pouch and grabbed a flash bomb; the toxin's effects still lingered, but it apparently wasn't enough to put her to sleep and she could even the odds a little bit in her favor. Three times the eyes meant three times the impact once it was blinded, right? Well, maybe two times, now that she'd cut up a couple of the spider's eyes already. She pulled the pin and hurled the bomb across the ground towards the giant spider. The creature was still trying to get out of the trap, but the clattering caught its attention, and every remaining eye spun down to stare at the metal canister, while Sonia raised her shield instead.

The small pulse of light from beyond her Seltas plate was followed swiftly by a horrified squeal of shock, and Sonia dropped her shield to rush forward as the spider raised its claws to cover its eyes. She slid between the creature's legs to hack into the Nerscylla's torso, and the spider tried to get away, but with its legs still stuck it couldn't move, allowing Sonia to cleave a dozen crooked gashes in the Nerscylla's side.

Sonia's assault continued until something hooked under her shield arm. She gasped in pain as several sharp spines punctured her bicep, and her arm was yanked sideways as she was lifted off the ground. A moment later she found herself staring straight into the Nerscylla's eyes, and she realized the creature had managed to catch her arm with one of its claws. With a furious shriek, the Nescylla twisted around, its claws tearing the flesh on her arms and scraping across her gauntlets, severing the straps holding her shield to her arm and cutting the plate free before hurling her across the arena. Sonia crashed to the ground a dozen yards away, jolting to a stop as she landed smack on top of one of the webbing traps. She gasped in pain, grasping her bleeding and now-shieldless arm as she scrambled to twist herself out of the webbing.

The tittering of quick footsteps sounded nearby, and Sonia looked up to see that the Nerscylla had finally freed itself from the trap and was now racing towards her. It stopped several yards away, however, and rather than trying to stab her as it had the first time, she could see the creature's jaws unhinging, and each side began to extend outwards. Sonia began to panic; pinned and without her shield there was no way to block an attack like this one, and even _with_ it-

A deep roar thundered through the arena as the hunter's gong was struck, and the Nerscylla seized up in terror, its long and poison-dripping jaws twitching in the air. A series of cracks echoed from all sides as the bowgunners in their perches fired on the Nerscylla, peppering its uncovered hide with sleep shots.

Even as the creature staggered, however, Sonia could see its eyes twirling around to her, and the twitching jaws steadied. The huntress cursed, pulling at the webbing until a wet tearing sound signalled her freedom, and she scrambled back to her feet. Bowgun fire rained down on the massive spider, but the creature seemed determined to finish her, leaning forward to envelop her in its fangs. Sonia saw a quiver run along the creature's jaws, and she leapt backwards, pulling her body as far away as she could. She could see the deadly sharp shears closing in towards her skull, and pulled her head backwards-

The jaws snapped shut right in front of her eyes, making her squeeze her eyes shut and fall backwards. She could feel a spray of poison mist dotting her eyelids and jaw as she hit her backside, rolling over and back to her feet. She reached up to wipe off her face, rubbing the poison splatter off her nose and mouth as she peeked an eye open to look at the Nerscylla. The creature stood stock still, its jaws fully extended and dripping with poison, but she'd managed to avoid it. More bowgun fire echoed through the arena as she spat off the taste of poison from her lips, reaching for an antidote from her pouch.

"Wait a minute…"

She'd wiped poison off her nose and mouth unhindered, could smell and taste the foul venom on her jaw. Where was her mask? No, she was still wearing it; the shadows of her facemask were still blocking the edges of her vision, so how…? She reached up to her face, patting the edge of her mask. It was still there, the horns jutting out from the forehead, the hard plating over her eyebrows, the curved protrusion for her nose… Then it was gone. Her fingers traced the edge of the mask, but all of a sudden there was nothing, her fingers trailing a sharp sheared edge right across her cheekbones. She blinked and looked down at the ground, and right under the tip of the Nerscylla's jaw was the lower half of her mask, severed almost perfectly by the creature's razor sharp fangs. She looked down at the hand she'd used to wipe off the poison, and mixed with the vile purple poison were streaks of red.

Pain exploded across her face, and she shrieked in agony, dropping to her knees and clutching her face. Her eyes snapped shut instinctively, trying to blot out the pain as her torn flesh and the bite of the poison clawed at her senses. The coppery taste of blood mixed with a bitter taste at the edge of her lips as she tried to staunch the bleeding, but even touching the wound sent another lance of torment across her face.

In the back of her mind she could hear a loud thud ahead of her, and Sonia could only hope it was the spider collapsing and falling into a deep sleep. The sound of footsteps could be heard behind her, and she forced an eye open through the burning pain, spotting a pair of arena medics approaching her.

"Close your mouth and eyes!" one of them told her sharply as a pair of hands yanked her facemask off and leaned her head back.

Sonia obeyed, clamping her lips and eyes closed a moment before what felt like a couple gallons of water cascaded over her face, leaving her coughing as some of it washed up her nose. A bottle was pressed against her lips, and she warily drank, finding it to be an antidote. As soon as it was gone she tried to open her eyes, only for some sort of wet washcloth or something to slap across her face over her wound, causing the gash to burn painfully. More antidote soaked in gauze, she guessed idly. She could feel them fiddling with her pauldron and gauntlet on the left side, trying to wrap up her wounded bicep. Gasping for breath, she tried to grab one of their shirts to pull herself to her feet, only for a pair of hands to push down on her shoulders.

"Put her under," one of the medics said.

"I'm fine!" Sonia snapped, though the pain under her eyes was growing again. "I can walk on my own! Just lead me to the infirmary, I don't need-"

 _Poke_.

* * *

"-don't need a shot!" Sonia finished, sitting up.

She blinked in confusion. She was somewhere else. A fairly large room with a couple dozen beds and chairs and a few well-stocked medicine cabinets. Not the hospital again, thankfully; she could still hear the rumble of a crowd through the walls. Several of the beds were occupied by other examinees she remembered seeing before, some of whom were being treated by doctors and nurses, while others were sleeping or speaking with people they knew. Her armor was gone, she realized, and all she had on now was her under-armor.

"Apparently you did." Sonia winced at the sharp tone, the same one that had scolded her every time she'd gotten in trouble for eighteen full years, turning to find her mother giving her a frustrated look from a seat near the bed. "A monster rips your face up, and you don't need a shot?"

"My face?" Sonia gasped, reaching up. She could already see the bandages looping around her nose and under her eyes, and her fingers traced along a thick line of gauze wrapping around her head, wrapping completely around her skull. She instinctively tried to peel it away, but her mother slapped the back of her hand, knocking it away.

"Leave it alone! Honestly, you're as bad as your father."

Sonia frowned and scowled at Ellie. "Y'know, Dad used to tell stories about how bad _you_ used to be about that kind of thing too. Something about hunting a Rathian with several broken ribs?"

Her mother blanched at the words and grumbled under her breath. "Your father was still worse."

"Ha, I get it from both sides. Can I at least get a mirror?"

"Yes, dear, hold on." Ellie stood and dug through a small bedside desk for a moment before pulling a handheld mirror out for her. Sonia took it gingerly, hesitating for a moment before holding it up to examine herself.

"Oh," she sighed in relief. "That's not as bad as I thought it'd be."

It looked as though whatever damage she'd taken was confined to a single stretch of line across her cheekbones. Though the gauze under her eyes blotted out a bit of her lower vision, and several bandages wrapped around her skull, it seemed like most of it was there to keep things in place.

"No, it's not," Ellie sighed. "The doctors were afraid that getting poison injected into you so close to your eyes would blind you, but it looks like everything's fine on that end… They said that your immune system is pretty tough, and that you were able to fight off the poison and sleep venom very well for a girl your size."

"Yeah, the doctors at the hospital said the same thing about the Hellrot Fever," Sonia muttered, patting the gauze around her face gingerly. The wound seemed to stretch across her whole face, under both her eyes and across her nose.

"You _can_ still see fine, right?"

Sonia paused, looking away from the mirror and looking around the room, before holding her hand up and moved it close and away from her face a couple times. "I think so. I can see just fine, far as I can tell."

"That's a relief. Keep in touch with a doctor for a while to be sure."

"Yes, Mom."

"You're going to have a nasty scar by the way," Ellie noted. "I got a look at your injury when the doctors brought you in, and the poison didn't do you any favors. Also, that spider thing took a bit of your nose with it."

"It _what_?!" Sonia gasped, reaching up to pat her nose, but a lance of pain shot through her face, and she yelped, falling back into her pillow, groaning in pain.

"Well, that was dumb," her mother chided, reaching forward to take the mirror from her and place it on the bedside table. "Don't touch your face and let yourself heal! Honestly it was hard enough sitting by with the doctors treating you, I don't need you to make things worse by… by…"

The stern expression on Ellie's face suddenly faded, replaced by one of worry and weariness. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Sonia's shoulders and pulling her into a relieved hug. "When that spider was closing in on you, I was afraid it would… And when you fell over when it snapped those fangs shut… I know as well as anyone how dangerous hunting can be, but having to watch it happen and not being able to do anything…"

"Sorry…"

Ellie sighed, pulling away from her daughter and sitting back into her chair. "You don't need to apologize. I could tell you were trying your best, and sometimes these things are unavoidable. I'm just glad you're alright. I guess this is just the kind of things that worry your father and I about you being a hunter. I know it'd be hypocritical to ask you to stop, but… just try to keep yourself safe, Sonia."

"I will. If anything, I doubt there'll really be a time I'm hunting by myself again like this. I'll have Bram and the others with me to watch my back if things go sour, after all. I'm not… I'm not much of a solo hunter, I think. I prefer hunting with friends and allies."

"I suppose _that's_ encouraging if nothing else," Ellie smiled. "I have enough stress already without you trying to do everything by yourself. Hunters that worked alone always bothered me anyway."

"Yeah, Logan always said you shouldn't work alone unless you didn't have a choice."

"Huh. Glad to hear he's teaching you _something_ worthwhile. Still, after all this, I'm hoping Van doesn't get it into his head to become a hunter too. I don't need a third hunter in the family, thank you very much."

"Nah, he's too much of a bookworm, I think. Oh, yeah, where is he anyway? Where's everyone else? I would've thought- AH! The exam! What's going-"

"They're finishing up right now," Ellie replied. "Van's up with Kerry and the others, watching the closing ceremonies. The uninjured hunters are all out on the arena floor as they announce the hunters that passed. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to come down and give us the news once it's over."

"Aw… I missed Hannibal's hunt again."

"That Felyne you told us about? The others were watching, I'm sure they can tell you about it if you don't see him after the ceremony."

"Hmm, yeah… Do you think I passed?"

"Are you doubting yourself?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's just… I'm not sure if… I mean, that Nerscylla, and the way it acted…"

"You did very well, Sonia," her mother told her calmly. "If nothing else, _I_ was very impressed with how you performed out there. I'm very proud of you, and I'm sure your father would feel the same if he was here."

"...You think so?"

"I _know_ so," Ellie nodded, and Sonia smiled bashfully. "In my opinion, if they don't pass you, they're crazy… and coming from one of the Lost, that's saying something, hmm?"

"Oh… heh, yeah, I guess so."

Eleanor smiled at her daughter, but paused a moment later, looking down the wall towards a bed a few rows down. "Are you still asleep over there, or are you just eavesdropping?"

A few beds down, there was a groan and a shuffling from under one of the bed sheets. "Hoy… woke up 'bout halfway through. Sounded personal, though, and I didn't wanna intrude, hey?"

"Well, the sappy stuff's over, so you can come join us 'hunting master'."

"Ja, ja…" From out of the covers, Logan emerged in only his under-armor, scratching his eyes. He looked a little drugged at the moment, and his left forearm was wrapped in a cast, but he didn't seem too bad off as he plopped down in the chair next to Ellie. "So the girlie's test was something else, huh? Sorry I missed it." He leaned forward, looking over Sonia's face. "Hoo boy, that's a shiner. Heh, well, they say the girlies is attracted to scars, so if you is swinging that way this ain't too bad."

"Always focusing on what's really important, I see," Ellie sighed.

"Well, doubt a wound like that gonna ever fade, so the girlie might as well make the best of it, hey?" the great sword user smirked.

"Yeah, this isn't going away," Sonia sighed, brushing her fingers against the gauze again, but she gave Logan a devious smirk. "Girlies is attracted to scars, huh? Maybe the next time we hit the bars, I'll be stealing all the pretty ladies out from under you, Logan."

"Oho! That sounds like a challenge, girlie! The master gonna show the student how it's _done_ though, hey?"

"Please stop…" Ellie groaned. "I don't need to hear my daughter having this kind of conversation with someone ten years older than her. I appreciate you teaching her how to hunt, Logan, but I'd appreciate it if you could keep the lessons _only_ to hunting? I rather she not start emulating your other skillsets."

Logan leaned back is his chair and laughed to himself, but the expression faltered slightly, replaced with a nervous expression. "You was talking 'bout being impressed earlier, hey… You think-"

"I am _certain_ Lynn would've been impressed by how well you hunted out there," Eleanor replied confidently. "I mean… she would've given you a hundred-item list of things you could've done better, sure, but that's just the way she is. You know that better than I do."

"Hoy, ain't that the truth," Logan sighed, but he had a sheepish grin on his face while he was saying the words.

"Mama's boy," Sonia grinned.

"Aw, shut up, girlie," the great sword user huffed.

The three of them continued to talk for a few minutes, before the arena shivered with the sound of applause. Soon the sound faded and the noise out in the hall grew louder, and Sonia could hear the arena beginning to empty, the countless footsteps sending a rumbling through the structure like distant thunder. The doors opened, and several civilians and unarmored hunters made their way into the room, weaving their way over towards examinees they knew or had trained as apprentices.

Soon enough familiar faces entered as well, first Van, Bram, and Kerrigan, followed closely by the Gahin hunters and their kin. Sonia looked straight at Bram's face as he approached her bed, and his expression told her everything.

"We passed?" she gasped, and he smiled broadly.

"We did, all four of us."

Sonia squealed with delight, leaping off the bed and flying over to hug the archer. A round of congratulations echoed from those that had entered towards Sonia and Logan. Vi gushed about how well the two of them had done during their tests, and both Kerrigan and Kumin agreed with Ellie's earlier assessment of their abilities. Van soon found himself sitting on Sonia's lap once the huntress had settled back on the bed. Leon had a set of bandages wrapped around his leg, but he didn't seem bothered by the wound, and seemed lost in his own thoughts with a barely-contained look of joy on his face. Tuulikki remained in the back for a while, looking nervous and self-conscious, before finally seemed to gather her courage and step forward to look between the three Therian hunters.

"Well done," she said simply. "I was… I was very wrong about you three. You really are worthy of being Gahin hunters."

"So you're gonna teach me how to use the glaive?" Sonia asked eagerly.

"And you'll start collecting Kinsect essences for me?" Bram asked.

"Those were the conditions of our wager, so yes to both. Sonia, I will train you in the art of using the insect glaive, so long as you are in Gahiji and are willing to learn. Bram, I will collect whatever essences I can for your… _use_ , though you may need to provide bottles or something for me to store them in."

"I bought several dozen when I arrived in Dundorma, actually."

"Ah. I cannot say your confidence was unwarranted, now can I? Well, I'm not entirely sure how much essence Ketrak will be able to produce, or how… amenable to the process he will be, but I promise to do what I can."

"That's fine."

The huntress nodded, and looked nervously at Logan. "As for you… for winning, I owe you a favor of some kind as well, though you have not specified anything in particular yet…"

"Still ain't thought of anything, girlie," the great sword user shrugged. "When I think of something… I let you know, hey?"

"Very well. Just… please do not ask for too much…"

"I gonna think about it…"

"Enough talk! You can discuss that later!" Kumin cut in, wrapping an arm over Leon's shoulders. "For now, it's time to celebrate you four passing and getting your licenses!"

"Exactly!" Vi agreed, appearing at Leon's other side and wrapping her arm around his neck as well. "We need a well-deserved party! Where should we go?"

"Only the best today, I think. Not… fancy, five star, three-month-reservation best, I mean, but the best place we can find where we can have a loud and rambunctious celebration!"

"Agreed! Come on, Sonia, let's-"

"She's not going anywhere until the doctors _say_ she can leave." Vi and Kumin froze and turned towards Kerrigan, who had crossed her arms sternly. "I put up with that nonsense enough with my husband and my _friends_ during my time as a hunter, I'm not going to put up with it from Bram or any of his friends."

"Um. Okay…" Vi replied nervously. "So… _after_ they're released, _then_ we go party."

"Very good."

* * *

" _-the round moon rolled behind the hill  
_ _as the sun raised up her head.  
_ _She hardly believed her fiery eyes;  
_ _though it was day, to her surprise  
_ _they all went back to bed_!"

From his perch atop a small table, Logan gave a bow as the collection of people, including examinees, their families, and friends, cheered for his song. Sitting in a booth near the wall, Leon couldn't help but clap along as well while Sonia and Vi cheered next to him.

Following Sonia and Logan's release from the arena's medical ward, the group of them had ventured out to find an acceptable place to celebrate the success of the four examinees. They'd still been deciding when they passed by an open-to-air bar where a small cluster of other examinees had stopped to celebrate as well. Some of them recognized the four who had participated in the test, and roped them all into joining them for a celebratory party right then and there. So here they all were, among over a dozen of the other passing examinees, laughing and celebrating their victories in the arena.

"Hee, I didn't know Logan knew so many songs," Vi grinned as she watched the hunter start into another lyrical tune.

"He does… but most of them are drinking songs," Sonia replied. "If you hear it sung in a bar or tavern, chances are Logan knows the tune. If it's loud and noisy and meant to be shouted, he probably knows the lyrics."

"Geez… he must be completely hammered by now," Leon said, but Sonia shook her head.

"Nah, he's still sober… or if anything he's just a little buzzed. Trust me, when he gets drunk, you'll _know_." The huntress glanced up as Logan finished the next verse, as Logan pointed at her and started waving her over. "Oh! I know this one! It's better with two people! I'm off! Get me another drink while I'm gone!"

"Got it!" Vi shouted as Sonia darted towards the cheering and shouting crowd. With a sigh, the huntress raised her own glass as well, realizing the mug was well and empty, and she pushed to her feet to stretch. "Want me to getcha another drink while I'm up, Leon?"

"If you could. I think this'll be the last one for the night for me. If I'm gonna drink, I think I'll save it for the Hungry Seltas."

"Ha, good call. I think Tuli's done too, and Sonia and Bram are probably planning on tapping out and heading back with their families pretty soon too. Mom and Dad are looking a little tired too. Looks like Logan's going to be here a while, though, so I'll probably stick around to help him get home if he goes too far."

"You want me to stick around? He looks heavy."

"Nah, I'll be fine. I'm only thinking of drinking about six more mugs before calling it off myself, and I'm a strong girl," Vi replied, flexing an arm and patting her bicep.

Leon chuckled as he leaned back in his chair, and Vi smiled down at him, a rapturous expression on her face. She bounced in place a couple times before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight and affectionate hug. Leon wasn't surprised; she'd given him several dozen of them ever since they'd met after the exam, to the point where he wondered if she was even more ecstatic about him passing than he was.

"I'm so, _so_ proud of you," she whispered into his ear. "We're both finally hunters together, like we said we'd be."

"Sorry for taking so long," Leon replied, patting the huntress' back.

"I knew you'd get here eventually."

"I've still got a ways to go yet. You're already a high rank hunter, after all."

"You'll catch up fast enough. And then you'll keep going and going until you become the Shield, like you always wanted to."

"The Shield, huh… It… I think it'll be a very long time before I reach that level of skill."

Vi pulled away from him, but retained a confident and encouraging smile. "Don't worry about that. You'll get there one day. I _know_ you will. And I'll be right beside you until you do. I can wait." The huntress leaned forward, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before finally stepping back with a sheepish smile. "Now! Drinks, I think! I'll be right back!"

Leon grinned slightly as the Vi spun around, darting towards the bar. His eyes scanned the room, looking towards the people he knew. Sonia had joined Logan in leading the other examinees in a new song that she apparently knew the words to as her mother and brother clapped along. Bram was watching the show, but was leaning over to talk to his mother and, surprisingly, Tuli about something or other. Victor and Kumin were keeping to themselves at the same table, whispering quietly to each other as they sipped gingerly at their drinks and watched Sonia and Logan singing.

Leon's gaze eventually drifted towards a large billboard off in the corner of the room. A long list of names in order by number were printed in large letters across it, dictating the list of hunters that had passed the exam and how highly they had scored amongst the others that had earned their licenses. The listing seemed unnecessary to Leon, but he knew the arena made their money through gambling, and presenting lists like this gave the more risk-hungry gamblers something to bet longer and possibly more profitable odds on.

Only twenty-eight names were on the list, compared to over a hundred examinees that had participated in the first exam. From this distance, Leon couldn't actually make out the names, but he'd read through the list often enough that where he and the others had ranked was etched into his memory. Logan had scored highest at eighth, his showing against the Najarala giving him an exemplary ranking. Bram was right behind him at ninth, which surprised most people, but the group had assumed that though his battle against the Kecha had been short and efficient, it also hadn't given the judges much leeway in judging his full capabilities. Sonia was further behind at twenty, a good showing during an awkward bout against the wild Nerscylla. And as for Leon…

Twenty-eighth place. The lingering smile from his hug with Vi faded as he stared at the board, and he let out a slow, strained sigh.

" _Last place_. All that work and you got last place."

Leon felt his blood run cold, and he glanced across the table. Opposite him, where Vi had sat only moments ago, a small boy no older than ten years old in a ragged, torn, and dirty cloak had occupied the spot. It looked as though nothing he wore had been washed or even removed in years, spattered in mud and dust and wet with water. There might even have been some speckles of blood as well, but the filth was so complete it was impossible to be sure. His chin was just barely higher that the edge of the table, revealing black skin with a waxy and malnourished complexion, a husk that could barely be called human anymore. His eyes were hazel, but were gaunt and lifeless, the irises hollow and empty, a black void that Leon felt as though would suck him in. Lifeless though they were, they were boring into Leon's own eyes, ensnaring him in their coldness and unflinching, unblinking.

"Three extra years and that's the best you could do. Barely grazing by. Three years and you've accomplished so little." The boy's croaking voice was as hollow as his eyes, if not more so. The reverberations of his words were like tendrils curling through the air, wrapping Leon up in their message and constricting him, weighing him down. Chills rolled through his body with every syllable the boy spoke. "It doesn't matter. Nothing you do matters."

"Shut up," Leon gasped. He could barely hear his own words escape his lips.

"It's pointless," the boy droned. "All you do is pointless, meaningless. You want to be a defender, like the Shield. How do you plan to keep others safe when you can barely keep yourself safe? When you can barely pass the starting line?"

"Shut up!" Leon growled. His voice was coming back stronger, though he was trying to keep it low to avoid attracting attention.

"The others have only been here for five months and they're already better than you. Why would they need a defender that can barely pass the exam? Logan doesn't have a shield yet he can take hits that would kill you. Bram can kill a monster in two hits; why would he ever need a shield to protect him? Tuli and Sonia are fast enough to dodge almost anything. And Violetta… she can vanish without a trace. Why should she ever need the help of a noisy mess like you?"

"I said to shut up!"

"They don't need you. They'll never need you. You'll lag behind and slow them down and they'll leave you behind. All this time you've put in is meaningless. All the work you've done is useless. It doesn't matter. None of it matters…"

"I _passed_!" Leon hissed, glaring at the boy and clenching his fists tightly. The boy didn't flinch, didn't blink, didn't react at all. The emptiness in his eyes seemed all the blacker, the void that much deeper. " _I. Passed._ Say what you want to me about numbers and how close I was to failing, but I _passed_. I am an official hunter now. No matter what you say, the Guild says I have value. They say I am a hunter!

"It doesn't matter," the boy said simply. "One day you will disappear. You will fade, forgotten. You will _disappear_."

Leon didn't, _couldn't_ reply, lowering his gaze and scowling at his fists, clenched together on the table in front of him. They were pale, and as he relaxed their grip, he felt blood surge back into the appendages. Four curved lines dashed across the palms, some nearly red and threatening to break and release thin trickles of blood, but the skin held. Leon closed his eyes, breathing slowly, forcing his heart rate to slow and trying to chase away the feeling of inky tendrils crawling over his body. He listened to the music, the raucous cheering and shouting.

"I'm baaack!" Leon's eyes peeled open at the sound of Vi's vibrant voice, and two large mugs of frothing brown beer were plopped onto the table. He glanced across the table, but the child was gone, and he let out a short sigh as Violetta once more claimed her seat. As she looked at Leon's face, however, she paused, studying his expression with a look of concern. "You okay? You look pretty tired…"

"No, it's… I'm fine," Leon replied, shaking his head and blinking a few times. "It's nothing, I think I just… The alcohol just hit me all at one, and it's been a… a long day, y'know? Lots of excitement and I'm just coming down from all of that."

"Oh, yeah… I guess today's been a big day for you, hasn't it? You gonna call it a night early?"

"Yeah, maybe that's…" Leon paused, staring down at the mug of beer in contemplation. For a moment his gaze hardened, before relaxing again as he reached forward and grabbed the handle of the mug, raising it to his lips and downing almost all of it in a single go. He gasped as he came up for air as Vi stared across the table at him in surprise. "You know what? The night is still young. And we just passed the exam! So we should be living it up, right?"

Vi stared at Leon for a moment before grinning excitedly. "Yeah! Right!"

"So, let's have all the fun we possibly can tonight!"

"That's the spirit!" Vi laughed, raising her own glass and drinking it down in half the time Leon had taken to drink his. She motioned towards the table where Sonia and Logan were singing. "Come on, I think they've bored the crowd enough with their Therian drinking songs. Let's show them how to please a crowd with some local favorites."

"Considering my singing voice, I don't believe that 'pleasing a crowd' is going to happen."

"Well, I think most of them are too drunk to care, really. Just get them going and they'll sing along too loud to actually hear how good you're singing it. Now come on!" she said excitedly, grabbing Leon by the hand and pulling him towards the crowd. "Let's have some fun!"

"Yes, let's."

* * *

" _Do you see the slightest evidence anywhere in the universe that creation came to an end with the birth of man? Do you see the slightest evidence anywhere out there that man was the climax toward which creation had been straining from the beginning? ...Very far from it. The universe went on as before, the planet went on as before. Man's appearance caused no more stir than the appearance of jellyfish-"_

Levin snapped the book he held shut with a sigh, tossing the novel to the side and allowing it to slide over the edge of the bed and clatter to the floor. He'd read the damn thing a dozen times in the last five months… If he'd known this 'expedition' would keep him away for as long as it had, he would've brought more books to read in his downtime. Hell, his father-in-law was the premier publisher and book printer in Theron, so it wasn't as though he was lacking in access to new novels to enjoy.

With a grunt, he pushed himself upright, swinging his legs over the side of the bed he had been laying on and glancing across the room, where Harker sat hunched over a small wooden desk, poring over his notes and research with rapt attention. Hundreds of sheets of paper had been filled to the brim with notes and scattered about the desk, filled with translations and data and diagrams mapping out a thousand different ideas and theories. Levin had been so bored in recent months that he'd even taken time to read all of Harker's research notes. At least, all the older notes. Even now Harker's good hand was skittering about, writing down more notes onto a fresh sheet of paper, coating the white stationery with black ink.

Honestly, in the last quarter century he'd read enough of Harker's notes and theories on the Meridians that he could probably be announced as a veritable expert in the subject himself. Some of the information Harker dug up did spark some interest in him, an old feeling of curiosity that Levin thought had been buried in the bygone days of the past. He'd even helped organize the papers into something coherent when the Guild demanded reports and research journals; Harker's attempts were disastrous messes of incoherence.

Levin groaned as he pushed to his feet, stretching out the kinks in his back and shoulders and taking a moment to look around the room they were in. It was a surprisingly spacious room, all things considered, with smooth stone walls, a bed on each side of the room, and a chest of drawers at the foot of them. A large desk sat in one corner of the room, which Harker had all but occupied for his own use. There was even a small fireplace embedded into the wall between the two beds, which had been burning constantly and reliably for as long as he and Harker had been here. Any other time, and Levin wouldn't have considered it any different that a fairly expensive room at an inn. The only thing missing was the obvious lack of his armor and weapon, as well as the rest of his equipment.

One of the vertebrae in his lower back let out a particularly loud _pop_ , and Levin groaned in pain and relief, shivering a little as he rubbed his spine. With a sigh, he walked over towards the desk.

"Anything new?" he asked, looking over Harker's shoulder. The researcher blinked in surprise, his eyes taking a moment to refocus as he pulled himself from his thoughts and back to the present.

"Hmm? Oh. Oh, yes! Some rather fascinating information has come to light, thanks to the walls I studied yesterday! Quite something indeed…"

"Like what?" Harker turned in his seat, swiveling the chair and holding up a large notebook for Levin to look at, upon which a diagram had been drawn. "A family tree?"

"Exactly! One day's effort revealed how important lineage was to the Meridians. Or… perhaps 'genetics' is the correct word."

"What do you mean?"

"It… hmm. I'll explain once I'm more certain of my theory. I dare not make assumptions without further knowledge."

"This coming from the man who's more than willing to test experiments that can flatten small villages without hesitation or proper testing?"

"...Yes."

Levin frowned. "That's horrifying."

"Indeed."

"So… what's so fascinating about this family tree anyway?"

"Ah, yes. The walls I studied yesterday were filled to the brim with centuries of family trees and lines of lineage throughout the Meridians. Or, I suppose, some of the more notable families at least. While there are thousands of names, I doubt they took the time to chisel the names of the poor or lower class onto their nigh-indestructible walls."

"So these are the names of their kings or something?"

"Or something, indeed. Nobles, perhaps, or influential individuals of some means."

Levin nodded, scanning the names, flicking his attention between each branch and bough of the tree. He'd let his gaze linger on a name that had been crossed off, or follow a path from top to bottom, but the methods of travel across the diagram seems a little more… complex than he had expected. His eye paused on the name of a… man? Woman? Harker had translated the name as 'Valac', but aside their point in the tree…

"How many times did this guy marry?" he muttered, poking at the name. He followed the lines from Valac's… spouses, and lines began to branch out and connect to others. "Wait, this Procel girl… guy? They're all over the place… And Purah is in three different branch lines? The hell is going on?"

"Ah, you found Valac, I see," Harker noted, turning the book about and glancing at the page. "It took me a while to understand as well. It did not dawn on me the meaning until I… expanded my horizons to not take into account only my own system of cultural beliefs."

"What's that mean?"

"Valac married once. Only once. He or she had only one spouse, as you can see by this circle I've wrapped around their name and that of their spouse, Gomory. The others… are concubines, I believe."

"Oh… Wait, what? But some of them are in multiple branches! Why-"

"That's part of it. I say 'concubines', but I feel that's not the best descriptor. Look here, at the markings next to each name," Harker noted. Aside each person was a collection of small symbols, three in total. Levin narrowed his eye on one of the symbols.

"Mind? And that one's… Power?"

"Well spotted! For someone who doesn't really care for this research, you're picking up the language rather well."

"I've been doing this with you for more than two decades. I ought to have picked up _some_ things by now. So what do these symbols indicate?"

"I believe them to be traits that were prized by the Meridians and sought out to be cultured. Physical strength and mental acuity among other things. This last symbol here means 'Talent', I believe, though its true meaning eludes me at the moment. Now, as for the issue with the concubines, look here: Purah has the symbol for Mind next to their name, and Valac has both Power and Talent. Their child here, Eligor, has Mind and Talent… but not Power. However, he in turn had concubines of his own, most of whom had Power as their dominant trait. And if you go back and follow Purah's other 'companions', they too were individuals who did not possess Mind as a trait. Also, the rest of Valac's concubines also had Mind as their dominant traits as well."

Levin's eye widened in realization, and he scanned the diagram looking between the pairings and resulting children. "They were conducting _selective breeding_?!"

"As far as I can tell, yes. Genetics, as I said."

"Sweet mercy…"

"My sentiments exactly. As I said before, however, 'concubine' probably wasn't the best word for these individuals that were sent around to propagate improved offspring. From my findings, it seems that they did not live lives merely to produce offspring, but were nobles and warriors and scientists in their own right. I doubt their names would have been engraved into the walls otherwise. I believe that the Meridians were more… structured with their relationships, and those with promise of providing a more perfect offspring were valued above others. Propagation of excellent genes were valued by all, and a concubine could jump easily between men to produce a more perfect child for her own ends as easily as the men could between women."

"Still, it seems so…"

"A different culture for sure. I have no doubt they would just be as perplexed at our preference towards monogamy. But though their selective breeding, as you called it, might seem strange and obscure… it seems they did know what they were doing. Apparently they were _very good_ at it. Look here."

Levin followed Harker's motion to the lower names on the page, several generations down the line. He quickly realized that the names started having more than one or two symbols next to them, and entire rows consisted of individuals with three symbols. Some of the symbols even had special markings or colorations compared to the rest, symbolizing… genius-level ability maybe? Something else? Levin frowned as he scanned one of the names however, one which had not three, but four symbols.

"What's this?" he asked, pointing to the page. "It's… Sun? Star? Where did this come from, and what does it mean?"

"Heavenly Body, as far as I can tell," Harker shrugged. "Sun works as a descriptor as well as any other, however. As for its meaning… I genuinely have no clue whatsoever. I've been scouring the records for some hint, but nothing concrete has arisen. What surprises me is that the Sun trait seemingly appears out of nowhere around this generation. None before possess the Sun trait, but it grows more common in later generations."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Perhaps it was some otherwise unknown or undesired trait before this generation, and once it became desirable, the Meridians began adding it to their records. And apparently it was _very_ valuable."

"I can see that." Those with the Sun trait had numerous concubines and dozens of children. They wanted the Sun trait badly. Levin continued to scour the tree until he paused once more at another unfamiliar symbol. This one was different, however: rather than being written after the individual's name, they were written before the name, and every name with the symbol was crossed off the tree. "What's this? Talon?"

"Aha! Now that one is _incredibly_ interesting!" Harker said excitedly. "I have no idea what the Talon trait implies either, but its purpose is very much staggering in comparison to the rest. Look here…" He motioned to one name that was higher than the other Talon-traited individuals. "This one was the first, Lahash. I thought he'd been disowned or something to that degree, but instead he was… relocated."

Harker spun in his chair, reaching over the table and grabbing another page. This one was a completely separate tree, smaller than the first but just as detailed. "Look! Here at the top!"

Levin scanned the name. "North-bright-star?"

"Yes. That's how it's written, but I believe that it translates to 'Vega'."

"Like the star?"

"Exactly. But this isn't just Vega. This is Lahash!" Harker held the two documents side by side. "Same traits, same date of birth, same Talon, but a different name! They were separated from their first family tree and made into the patriarch or matriarch of this new one! And you can see that others are the same! Vega's spouse, Altair, was once Forcas, and moved from another tree, as was their son- or daughter-in-law, and the dates all match. Those with the Talon trait were removed from their former trees and married into this one!"

"Huh." That's all Levin could think to say. "So… why were they moved? Why did the Talon trait separate them?"

"I fear I can only wonder why…"

Levin scratched his chin thoughtfully, but frowned at the rough feeling. He hadn't shaved in a while… he might end up getting home with a full beard at this rate. "Maybe it was a political thing."

"Hmm? How so?"

"I don't know… but look at him before he became Vega. Power, Mind, Talent, and the Talon, whatever they mean, and if those additions to the symbols mean what I think they mean, he was a genius at all of them. If these were valued traits, the guy was almost the full package, save for missing the Sun trait. Maybe he conquered something and became a king, changing his name to suit his loftier position. Vega, first of his name, or something like that, and that's why he's at the top of this new tree. The first of a dynasty or something like that."

"I see… that is quite possible… I hadn't considered that. But there's another issue that could complicate your theory."

"What's that?"

"Those that had the Talon trait _never_ had the Sun, and those with the Talon never _bred_ with those bearing the Sun."

Levin looked down at the first tree, scanning the names. Sure enough, those that had been removed from one list and moved over to Vega's, not a single one had a sun next to them, nor were they paired with someone that did.

"Whatever the Sun is, it was a trait that was highly prized by the Meridians," Harker said seriously. "Those that have the Sun are noted to have _dozens_ of children with numerous wives and concubines. The Meridians were eager to foster it at all costs, and yet whoever Vega was and what he or she accomplished, it seems as though someone, either Vega or a greater power, did _not_ want the Sun trait associated with those bearing the Talon trait."

"...But why?"

"I have no idea," Harker sighed, shaking his head. "If I knew what the Sun and Talon meant, I might be able to guess, but I don't have enough information at this point in time to reach an accurate conclusion. I have _some_ theories based on the data I do possess, but-"

Harker's words were cut off by a sharp grinding sound. Immediately both men's gazes shot towards the door to their room, a thick and heavy wrought-iron gate barring the exit completely. A small window slot hung at eye level, only able to be opened from the outside, and at the base of the door was another slot about a foot wide.

A prison door, despite the relative comfort of the room Levin and Harker were in.

The slot at the base of the door slid open, the squeal of metal grinding against metal making Levin wince in pain. A moment later a small tray with two plates of hot, steaming food was slid into the room, a meal that was surprisingly delicious-looking despite their circumstances.

"Dinner is served, Masters," a nasally voice said from the other side of the door. "I suggest you eat up. Our chefs are putting their all into keeping our guests well-fed and happy." Levin growled in frustration, but before he could retort the voice continued. "Oh, yes… and you've received new letters from your loved ones."

Levin cursed, darting towards the tray. Sure enough, a few letters had been slid under the plates of food. Already he could see Ellie's handwriting and Sonia's similar scrawl. Under the other was a thicker letter with Kerrigan's precise penmanship. All three letters had also clearly been opened already, with no effort being made to even try to hide the fact.

"Son of a bitch…" Levin growled, snatching up the letters and pulling them out of the envelopes.

"Come now, Master Geisel, you should be in a good mood!" the voice purred wickedly. "I do so hate to ruin the surprise for you, but your daughter has passed the Gahin Hunter's Exam. Your son as well, Master Renfield. You both must be so proud. I'm sure you'd both prefer to congratulate them in person though… That could easily be arranged, if you wish it."

"You leave them alone!" Levin bellowed, smashing his fist against the door.

"How cold! Do you not miss your wives, your children? Surely you would appreciate the company. The nights would be so much more comfortable here with your significant others than they must be with only each other as company these last six months. But a single word, Masters, and we could have them here in a matter of days. They would be so easy to spirit away from that empty mansion they're staying in now-"

"And lead them into captivity as you have us?" Harker replied darkly. "We both refuse, as we have a thousand times before. A gilded cage remains a cage, no matter the finery that decorates it."

"A shame. The offer remains open, however, should you change your mind. Loneliness is a terrible feeling, isn't it, Masters?" A moment passed, and a pile of papers and envelopes slid through the slot behind the food. "In that case you'll just have to try harder yet to keep your families believing that you're still safe and unharmed. Write your letters of congratulations and tell your wives whatever you need to keep them from prying. You will remain in our care until the Ceremony, and we just can't have the Therian or Gahin government trying to swoop in and rescue you now can we? So you just keep working to keep your wives and children unsuspecting, if not _happy_ with your absence."

Levin bit off another curse before sullenly reaching down to pick up the tray and papers, stalking back to the table and dropping it all unceremoniously.

"Very wise of you, Master Geisel," the voice said, pleased. "Now don't you worry too much. You'll be released just as soon as the Ceremony is complete-"

"You said that five months ago!" Levin snapped.

"And I admit, it has taken us longer to prepare than we hoped. But we will be ready within a couple weeks, at last, and until then, you'll just have to keep from drawing too much attention in our direction. We leave your families alone out of kindness, and we could bring them here as guests if you desire it… but they can just as easily be brought here as hostages instead. Your daughter is staying in Gahiji for another month or two in order to learn how to use a new weapon after all, and it's _so_ easy for a hunter to disappear on those roads that weave through the Everwood. Keep that in mind, dear Master.

"Oh, yes… and Master Renfield, please cease trying to hide those secret messages in your letters. Some of them are very well hidden… but we are better at uncovering them. It's rather annoying asking you to rewrite every letter, and Mother is getting agitated with your efforts. So do keep things simple for us, won't you? Or else we'll extend an invitation to your families, with or without your approval."

The creaking sound echoed through the room again as the slot began to slide shut, but Levin shouted out first. "Wait! What about Leif? Is he-"

"Safe. For now. And he will remain so as long as you remain compliant, Master Geisel. Now eat your dinner while it's hot."

With that, the slot finally snapped shut, and soft footsteps could be heard fading into the distance. Levin scowled at the iron door, wishing he could do more, but sullenly sighed, stalking back towards the table and slouching down over the meal he was given. In any other circumstances, he would've thought it delicious, but right now it just pissed him off.

"We need to escape."

"I am aware," Harker sighed across the table. "Unfortunately, it seems our captors really are as good at their jobs as they say. I've yet to ascertain a suitable method of escape."

"Nothing? Even with all the freedom they've given you?"

"No." Harker grimaced, pausing between bites to swat at a pile of the papers covering the desk. "I appreciate their 'kindness' in allowing me to translate the walls of this structure under their guard, but they blindfold me as they escort me around. I have an… estimation of this structure's layout, but only between here and the walls they take me to see. I haven't seen Leif anywhere, nor been allowed to see any windows or doors leading outside. Even if we could leave this room, we have no equipment to use; your weapon and armor were confiscated, as were my tools. All the materials we have to escape with lie in this room, which consists of… paper, pens, two beds and dressers, a table and chairs, a few books, and our clothes. We're not exactly sitting on a weapons cache here. Even if we did have the supplies to break out, we don't know where the exit is-"

"Not to mention we need to get Leif on the way."

"Precisely." The researcher groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Mercy… We may have been treated like slave labor in Malefica, but that gave us some ground to work out a plan of action. Here they treat us like spun glass, and as far as I can tell we're the only prisoners, so all eyes are on us."

"Can't you think of anything? You're the genius here."

"I've been trying, but we don't have any materials. Had I only some wire and metal, that might be something… If we could only get a message out… Can you do nothing with your Dark Metal limbs?"

"Nothing that I couldn't do with regular arms," Levin replied glumly, glancing at the black appendage and tapping a finger against the table. "I need to touch someone's bare skin to hurt them, and most of our guards wear armor. They keep me handcuffed whenever I leave the room anyway."

"Damnation…" Harker groaned, leaning back in his chair. After a few moments, the blonde-haired researcher pushed to his feet, rubbing his eyes. "I can't think anymore. I'm going to bed."

"So early?" Levin asked flatly.

"This cell has no windows, and is creating mayhem for my sleep cycle."

"Alright, alright. Sleep well."

Harker flopped down onto his bed, not even bothering to remove his clothes before passing out into staggered snoring. Levin sighed wearily, staring at the fire. How long had it been since he'd felt the sun? They let him out every now and then to get fresh air, but there was no room to stretch with the bindings they kept him in.

With little else to do, Levin stood and shuffled over to his own bed, picking up the book from where it had fell and laying back down on the mattress. All he had was books and Harker's research… that'd have to be enough for now. With a sigh, he flipped to a random page and began reading again, hoping that the words would pull him out of his situation for an hour or two.

" _There's nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as yours does, they will live at odds with the world. Given a story to enact in which they are the lords of the world, they will ACT like lords of the world. And, given a story to enact in which the world is a foe to be conquered, they will conquer it like a foe, and one day, inevitably, their foe will lie bleeding to death at their feet, as the world is now…"_

* * *

Quoted text comes from the book, _Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit_ by Daniel Quinn

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about passing an exam!**

 **Hope you enjoyed Sonia's fight. Obviously, I wanted to make it exciting and dangerous, but we're looking at certain… other attributes about the arena, which Marlon made note of a bit when he showed up. We'll be exploring more about that later in the story.**

 **Also, Leon has a friend! Well, 'friend' probably isn't the right word, more like acquaintance or something.**

 **And Levin and Harker are back! Sort of. They're certainly in a bit of a pickle. I think you can see why they haven't been able to return from their 'research expedition', I think.**

 **I've actually gotten a bit of a look at the upcoming MH movie they're planning on making… by which I mean I've seen about 4 seconds of footage, of what looks like a Rathalos and a Gore Magala duking it out in a modern-day shopping mall. If nothing else it certainly looks pretty… though I very much doubt I'll actually see the movie at all, since I have no faith in the director and the plotline seems weak. If anything I'll wait and look up the 'Monster hunter movie fight scenes' on Youtube once it's on DVD or something, because I'm not planning on spending any money on it.**

 **Finally, I mentioned a while ago that I wanted to commission artists to make drawings of my characters, and I've finally done it just to try it out. I had an artist draw Heine and Rena for me (since they remain a couple of my favorite characters, despite being side-characters). I'm not even going to bother with links thanks to FFnet's issues with them, but I've posted it up on my Tumblr account. Look it up; mine is the same username, dashboardgecko. Though if you wait long enough, just search for their names, since it'll have shuffled a few pages back after a couple days…**


	25. Life in Orage Dell

Life in Orage Dell

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

"Wake up, dear. It's time to greet the day."

Kimberly Trine groaned in agitation as a firm hand shook her shoulder for a moment, squeezing her eyes a little more tightly shut and gripping the contours of her pillow. An amused laugh caught her ears a moment before she felt a kiss on her cheek.

"Come on, now. I thought you were planning on going on a hunt today."

"Just planning on looking for one," Kim muttered. It took a moment for her to realize that she might not have been audible with her face buried into her pillow, and a few moments more for her to work up the mental acuity to actually turn her head. "Need Barioth materials to fortify my lance. Getting dinged up. Running out of spare materials."

"Ah… well, you won't find those here, unless the Guild discovers a subspecies that favors the rainforest in the next few days. Does that mean you're planning on heading up to the Tundra for a week or two?"

"Mmhmm… Sorry."

"Don't apologize. I knew what I was getting into when I started a relationship with a hunter. I've suffered through a half-empty bed before while you were out on your little forays. I'll be sure to keep the bed warm for you once you get back from the frozen north."

"Hmm… warm bed…" Kim sighed into the pillow, and her consciousness began to fade again. But the covers were suddenly yanked completely off of her and Kim groaned as cool air replaced the comfortable warmth that once was, as she peeled an eye open to scowl at the perpetrator of this most cruel of torments.

Before her, holding the edges of the blankets she so desired was a beautiful woman. She was a pretty little thing with long brown hair, confident hazel eyes, and a round face with a pair of small, circular glasses sitting on the brim of her nose. Kim had yet to even peel herself from the sanctity of the bed, but the woman had already donned the standard Guild uniform for Orage, a bright red coat with the Guild symbol emblazoned on the chest. Troika Arden, the woman Kim had been in a relationship with for eleven years now.

"Honestly, you're such a slug getting out of bed," the woman sighed, bunching up the covers at the end of the bed as Kim groggily sat up. "One of these days I'm not going to bother waking you up, and then we'll see if you can sneak from here to your apartment without getting spotted by someone when the crowds are out."

"I could always just stay here all day," Kim groaned, scratching the back of her head and yawning. Troika pursed her lips as she walked over to a nearby table and began sliding folders and paperwork into a shoulder-hung satchel.

"Right, and when I get back from work, I'll just shout 'Honey, I'm home!' Let everyone know you're here."

"You can't," Kim replied sharply, and Troike sighed.

"Honestly, Kim, I'm certain we don't need to keep our relationship a secret anymore… especially after eleven years as lovers."

"You _know_ why it's a secret," Kim muttered, earning a despondent sigh from Troika. "It would cause a scandal if people knew…"

"I guess… that's possible."

"After all, I used to be your _boss_. People would think you slept your way up the Guild's corporate ladder, and I don't want you to have that kind of reputation…"

Troika stared at Kim blankly for a moment before laughing lightheartedly, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek and smirking in amusement. "I think people would be more scandalized to find out you'd been dating a girl that was _fifteen years younger_ than you more than anything else. One who started working for you when she was _seventeen_?"

"Oh… right," Kim replied sheepishly. "I guess that would cause a ruckus, wouldn't it? But… to be fair, our relationship was strictly professional until you were twenty-two."

"Much to my _endless_ frustration," Troika replied with a sly smirk. "You were a tough egg to crack, my dear Kimberly. But my perseverance paid off."

"Thanks to Nat encouraging me… and about a bottle and a half of wine," Kim muttered.

"I won't complain," the Guild worker laughed. "I admit, it wasn't the most _romantic_ start to a relationship, you showing up staggering drunk at my door and then pushing me against a wall and shoving your tongue down my-"

"I don't really need a recap," Kim sputtered, flushing red.

"You sure?" Troika teased. "I thought you'd appreciate it, since you _apparently_ don't remember that night at all."

"Troika, love, please…"

"Oh, fine. But, all that aside, it wouldn't be the biggest age gap in the Guild. Old Pinako and her husband are a good thirty years apart after all."

"Yes… but they're _Wyverian_. I think Pinako had her two-hundredth birthday a few years back… That's not as big of a gap compared to their lifespans."

"Mmhmm. And will our relationship really be that big of a deal when I'm in my sixties and you're pushing eighty?"

"Assuming I live that long, considering my profession?"

"Don't be pessimistic," Troika chided. "You've survived a lot in your life, Kim. I expect fate to be kind to you and allow you to live long enough to enjoy a long and happy marriage with me… once we push through this painfully long engagement you've forced on me. Only two years left."

Kim nodded. "Two more years, and then we can get married. I promised. By then not many people will associate your professional career with me, so-"

"Blah, professionalism, blah, integrity, blah, public opinion, blah," Troika huffed, plopping down onto the mattress next to her. "You take this way too seriously, Kim. Honestly, anyone in the Guild whose opinion actually matters wouldn't care if they found out I was sleeping with you. A few of them would probably high-five me when they did. I think the only people that would really raise a fuss are your old enemies in the Guild or my own enemies."

"You have enemies?"

"Well… Rivals would be a better way to put it. People who envy my position and are trying to usurp me. Except Donna. I think she'd try to gut me if I met her in a dark alley."

"Really…" Kim sighed, leaning over and resting her head against Troika's shoulder. "You should hire me as a bodyguard…"

"Because _that's_ the pragmatic idea for a woman trying to keep our relationship a secret," Troika sighed. "I'm all for it though."

"Hmm… Never mind."

"All's the pity. Well, if you change your mind, let me know. I could walk around the Guild hall with you hanging off my arm like a trophy wife… which I plan to do anyway once we finally do get married." With that Troika pushed Kim's head off her shoulder and stood. "Well, I need to get to work. I'll see you tonight?"

"See you then," Kim nodded, and Troika smiled before turning to head out the door.

Kim yawned again, contemplating flopping back down onto the mattress, but forced herself up a few moments later; she really did have a few things to do today, and if she hung around here too long, she'd risk being caught leaving. She gathered her clothes from the floor and slid them on before approaching the front door and cautiously glancing out into the courtyard. She and Troika lived in opposing apartment complexes on the eastern side of the city, and it was only a short walk from here back to her own place through the back alleys and side paths, but Kim still needed to be careful not to be caught. The complex was quiet now, however, and the huntress slipped out the door, locking it behind her before walking briskly towards her own apartment.

It wasn't that far, and soon Kim found herself in her own home, and thankfully without having run into anyone on the way. She supposed it was still early; the sun hadn't quite peeked over the horizon yet, and she'd taken the lesser-traveled roads, but it was still a relief to have not been spotted. She quickly took a bath and put on some clean clothes before heading out.

Leaving the safety of her own home, Kim took a moment to stretch on her porch, glancing around to make sure a few passersby she knew noticed her. She had to keep up appearances, and it was best to have people thinking she been in her own apartment all night. Troika could say what she wanted, but Kim personally knew the dark underbelly of Guild politics, and finding out they had been in a relationship while Kim had been her boss would summon those who would try and oust her from her position faster than sharqs converging on a bloody Kelbi steak. Troika said she was just being cynical, but still…

Kim sighed, pressing off through the brisk morning air and heading southwest towards the ocean. The roads were still thin with passersby, but that would change within the hour. She recalled the days in her youth when the early hours of the day were quiet in the streets of Orage, but that had long since changed.

Orage Dell had grown in the twenty-five years since the death of the Alatreon, upwards, if not outwards. With the destruction of Loc Lac, all the other hunting cities in Theron had seen a greater influx of hunters as they sought out new stomping grounds to call their own. Orage had also taken in a fair number of Lost that had awakened on an island off the coast a few months before that, so things had gotten packed. The tall city walls, the pride of the city, weren't exactly easy to move or replicate, and the land outside the walls was very dangerous - the walls were there for a reason - so the town had grown denser and taller instead of wider. The tallest buildings in the city used to be only three or four stories tall at the most, but now eight or nine story apartment complexes and businesses weren't too uncommon. Any new constructions had to be built with the expectation that other shops and housing would one day have to be built on top of them. As such, the crowds of people seemed to start swamping the roads as soon as the sun peeked over the eastern forest, and wouldn't start to dwindle until it started sinking under the ocean to the west.

The most impressive structure that had been created in the last couple decades, however, was the western wall of the city. The waterfront had once been completely open to the ocean, allowing the horseshoe shape of the city's outer wall to keep a calming view of the sea. However, recent years had seen an excess of especially dangerous monsters appearing off the coast: Plesioth, Ivory Lagiacrus, Purple Ludroth, at least one Ceadeus scare… With such dangerous monsters threatening to appear from the relatively undefended waters of the ocean, a new barricade had been built at the edge of the city proper to tide the threats from without.

So the new wall of Orage had been built. Twenty yards tall and six yards thick, made from the hardest stone available within a hundred miles of the city and fortified with a Lost substance called 'concrete'. Dozens of cannons and ballistae lined the balustrades, aimed out to sea and ready to blast any threat to the city out of the water. The only thing that was missing was a dragonator, and Kim had heard from Troika that the Guild was trying to figure out a way to install one that would actually be feasible; there was a lot of wall, but dragonators weren't the most mobile weapons, so unless any attacking monster all but tried to chew on one, a dragonator would be pretty useless.

Kim continued walking until she hit the southern wall of the city, following it west until she came across a large collection of stone and brick housing. This was an interesting side of town to visit, where apartments and housing catering to hunters had become prominent in recent years. The structures were strong and durable, made to survive the rambunctious natures of their inhabitants, as well as uniquely designed to meet the needs of those within.

Space constraints had forced hunter housing to change in the city; no longer could any but the wealthiest hunters afford spacious homes with their own armories and equipment rooms. These days, hunter housing usually consisted of compact apartment complexes with a single large armory and storehouse that served all of the hunters that lived within; the hunters would keep their civilian goods and other sundries in their rooms, while their weapons and armor were kept in a locked storeroom that only leased tenants could enter. Other structures had been built which were little more than several-story buildings containing nothing but storage rooms that hunters could rent out and turn into small armories of their own; all you needed to do was provide your own lock and key. Kim had seen hunters storing all sorts of things within: weapons, stacks of hide and talons, massive Diablos horns, crates full of bowgun ammunition, and at least one hunter that had several hundred jars of honey and potions rising up to the ceiling.

Kim had her own storage room as well, out in a building closer to her apartment, within which she kept the carves she'd gathered over her years as a huntress. Most of it went unused these days; she'd gotten settled in her ways with a sturdy set of Agnaktor armor, and swapped between her favored lances: the Barioth "Shiera Vitalica", her Zinogre "Oppressor's Genesis", and her Gobul "Gobulaluku Aquir", swapped depending on the monsters she was intent on facing. She had to admit that having a separate storeroom away from her house was much better than trying to try and store three lances and tower shields somewhere in her closet, and weaseling her way through the front door in full armor while carting around a tower shield and lance was a pain no matter where you lived.

On the topic of hunter, today she had to find a good Barioth hunt to go on, maybe look for some old comrades that might consider traveling with her, and buy the items she'd need to make the journey. Before even that, however, she had a friend to visit.

On the eastern edge of the hunters' area of town, things abruptly shifted to a mix between light commercial and residential structures. Things were still tightly packed, apartments and businesses rising into the sky at every road and intersection, but this side of town just had a different feel to it. Some of the older Lost she knew liked to refer to it as 'the suburbs', whatever that meant.

Kim turned north, following the main thoroughfare until she came upon a large wooden structure with a tall peaked roof. There were quite a number of people loitering around the entryway, many of them hunters, while others were young men and women that were either hunting apprentices or would-be hopefuls. The doors to the building were closed, and those outside were waiting patiently for them to open, but Kim walked right past them. Those that saw her simply nodded, stepping out of the way and allowing her to stride past, pushing through the doors and latching them shut behind her.

Within the building was a large classroom, rising up in tiers up to the back of the room. A dozen rows of seating stretched from one wall to the other, providing plenty of places to sit for at least fifty people, if not more if folks got cozy. Stretching across the wall near her was a wide, sliding chalkboard, which could be lifted up to reveal a second chalkboard of equal length underneath it. Across the room from where she'd entered, Kim could see another door leading out into a small yard, and could make out several wooden dummies and targets scattered around the area, all of them battered and sliced up.

"Aunt Kim!" a delighted young voice squealed, and the huntress turned just in time to catch a small bundle of energy that slammed into her chest. Kim laughed, spinning the small girl around once before setting her down on the ground.

"Good morning, Marie," Kim smiled, ruffling the girl's hair. The child was short for her age, only six years old, but filled with all the enthusiasm and glee that her age afforded. Her large brown eyes gleamed eagerly up from under her shoulder-length black hair, held back into a couple pigtails. The little green dress she wore was already brushed with a layer of dust somehow, and a couple broken crayons could be seen sticking out of her breast pocket.

"Do you gotta 'nuther story to tell me?"

"Not today, Marie," Kim replied, and the girl's expression sank. "Buuuut… I _am_ planning on going north here in a day or two to hunt down a few Barioths to fix my lance. I'll probably need to take down four or five of them so I have a surplus of materials, but _that_ means that I'll have some exciting new stories once I get back, alright?"

"Yay!"

"I thought you'd like that… Now, where's your mom at?"

"She's getting the books. _Mamma_!" The girl turned and darted away through a side door into the back room. There was some excited conversation, and a moment later Marie reappeared, straining herself as she pushed a large cart stacked with a collection of books. Following behind her in a wheelchair was her mother and Kim's best friend, Natalie Paninya.

Nat had aged fairly well in the last twenty-five years, all things considered. Her black hair had barely lost any color, save for a couple small streaks at her temples, kept short in a pixie cut. Her black eyes were alight with humor that Kim wished she still had, though there was a weariness in them, and a few lines crawled down her face towards the corners of her mouth. Her upper body was kept well in shape… but that was to be expected, given that both her legs were gone only a few inches below her hips.

"Kim! It's good to see you," the woman smiled, wheeling over to her and reaching up to pull Kim into a hug. "How are you doing? How's Troika?"

"We're both doing fine," Kim replied. "Troika's lined up for a promotion."

"Oh, wonderful! Tell her I said congratulations. You should bring her by the next time you come to visit. Are you here to help me give a lesson today?"

"Ah, not today, I don't think. I just came by to say hello. I need to look for a Barioth hunt."

"Fun, fun. Regular or Sand?"

"Regular… though I could afford to gather some Sand as well. Maybe next time. I don't want to spend too long away from Orage."

"Getting too comfortable with the feeling of spooning someone to spend too many lonely nights out in the wilds?" Nat smirked, and Kim rolled her eyes. She didn't actually know what 'spooning' was - probably some Lost term - but she could guess. Nat's attention turned to the rolling cart, pulling off a collection of books and placing them in her lap. "Mind helping me set up?"

"Sure thing," Kim nodded, taking a stack and marching up to the upper rows to lay out the books. "What's today's lesson?"

"Rathian territory-marking and breeding habits."

"Ah, for the mating season coming up."

"Exactly. They've been gathering along the coast and I figured a week of lessons about them and Rathalos was due."

Nat had managed to find herself a rather unique place in the city in the last quarter-century. She'd managed to get a job at one of the Guild's manufacturing warehouses as an atilliator, constructing common bowguns and ammunition. A few years after that, however, she quit working for the Guild entirely and got a job at one of the bookstores and printing offices that Ellie's father had built in Orage, but it wasn't until a few years after that she found her current work.

What had started out as a minor favor helping a hunter friend of hers in town train his apprentices had slowly evolved into something more. The Guild had been using the new printing presses to print copies of their ecological and botanical journals and research, and though few copies of the research were sold at first, Nat had been one of the few with the time and interest to really read through them. Mix that with the advice she'd managed to receive from their hunting master and stories she'd picked up from hunters in town, and Nat had collected quite a bevy of hunting tips. The information had proven useful when Nat had been giving hunting advice to the apprentices, with information that even their master hadn't known.

" _Meat tainted with mushrooms doesn't always work, you know. At best they only work when they're too hungry to care, but most monsters can smell the mushrooms before they bite the meat, and won't touch it. Try coating it with honey first."_

" _Out of deodorants? Smear a paintball or paintberry across your face. It's got a pretty potent scent to it, but it won't nauseate you like whatever scent you're trying to repel. Or just use air philters. Those things have a thousand and one uses."_

" _If one of your teammates has a broken leg, try rubbing some parashroom extract inside the splint. Don't get it into the bloodstream, obviously, but the paralyzing agent will tighten the muscles and help them walk."_

" _Speaking of meats, some monsters prefer fish to red meat, like Qurupecos. Try using a sushifish as bait; they've got a lot of fat and nutrients in them and most fish-loving monsters won't say no to one. Don't use mushrooms if you can avoid it though; try shoving a sleepyfish inside the sushifish instead. You could probably use something like an arowana to give them a real surprise, but you'll need a bigger fish. Maybe a Glutton Tuna if you can catch one."_

" _A friend of mine once used a sap plant and a smoke bomb to make a sticky smoke. If you're in a tight spot and need to run, try that."_

" _Bait for herbivores and rock-eaters like Uragaan? Huh… Maybe try bumblepumpkins or heftcorns for the herbivores. It might be tricky though; herbivores have stronger senses of smell and taste than carnivores and omnivores, so they'll sense a trap quickly. Uragaans actually prefer the taste of Malachite above anything else, so if you find a vein of it, you might try adding a coating of paralysis venom to it. Don't worry about the smell; Uragaans have terrible noses."_

In the end, the advice she had given had made the apprentices an exceptional group. They didn't pass the hunter's exam with flying colors or anything, but they'd given a fine performance that hadn't left any doubt. That by itself hadn't garnered any undue attention, but the following few years of their rookie careers _had_. The team had proven to be a rather reliable in harsh situations, and were praised as being highly inventive and adaptable, and when asked how they had been so successful, they'd given a lot of credit to what Nat had taught them.

Since then there were many hunters and apprentices that had sought her out, willing to pay good zenny to learn some of the tips and tricks that had apparently led her first students to success. Eventually she'd just made it an official thing, giving hunting lessons during the morning before returning to the bookstore in the afternoons.

"How are your students doing?" Kim asked, taking another stack and walking up the stairs to work on the next level.

"They're learning. Slowly. The older ones actually have a harder time than the younger ones. Most of them tune out half of what I tell them; they only care about battle tactics and combat theory, not ecological studies… even if _that's_ where all this information is coming from. To be honest I'm surprised I have the crowd I do. So many hunters walk out my doors thinking that physical prowess and combat tactics are all it takes to be a successful hunter."

"That's how it is with some people: a sharp blade and quick feet and they think they can take on the world…" Kim agreed. "But the ones that stick around seem to be learning. Every time I visit there seems to be another seat or two filled up."

"So it seems," Nat sighed. "Used to be I'd only need to pass books out across the first row… now I need your help to get to the upper rows."

"Maybe you should consider hiring an assistant."

"I don't have _that_ many students to afford an aide," Nat scoffed, tossing books across the front row. "Usually I just leave the books by the door and tell people to take one when they come in. I only lay them out when you come around to help me overcome my most mortal of enemies: stairs."

"You could get the midget to help," Kim grinned, looking towards the front desk where Marie had occupied herself with drawings on a piece of paper. The girl had perked up at the words, looking utterly offended at the idea.

"There's a thought. Make her earn her dessert after dinner."

" _No_!"

The two older women laughed as the girl huffed in dismay, before returning to her drawing. As Kim walked down the stairs, she frowned, looking around. She usually came around once a week to talk to Nat and Marie, but now and then there was at least one other person around as well. "Where's… _he_ at?"

"Tanzia," Nat replied with a sigh. "Honestly, Kim, after all these years you could at least afford to call him by name."

"...Fine. What's _Micah_ doing all the way over in Tanzia?"

"There's a medical conference over that way," Nat replied, pulling a book from her lap and placing one each onto the tables as she rolled past them. "A local doctor is giving a presentation about his research into treating electrical burns, and Micah insisted on attending."

"Burn wounds again…" Kim muttered, and Nat nodded simply. Kim lowered her voice. "And he hasn't-"

"His memories haven't returned," Nat said sternly. "You've asked me that every week for the last twenty-five years. Honestly, Kim, if he gets his memories back, I will _tell_ you. Obviously something of who he used to be still lingers within the confines of his mind, but it's only haze… and I believe it'll remain that way. After all these years, I'm fairly sure he's doesn't _want_ to remember who he used to be. He's a different person now."

"And yet you're still not married to him."

"No… I'm not. Would you rather I was?"

Kim frowned, glancing towards Marie, who was happily drawing pictures with a collection of colored pencils. The girl was happy, she knew that. Her mother and father loved her dearly, and both of them provided her with everything she needed, and yet…

"People talk."

"Like I give a damn."

" _Mommy_!"

"Oh, whoops! Don't repeat that word, Marie, sweetie! At least, not around Daddy." The girl giggled and quickly returned to her drawing, as Nat rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "People can say what they want, Kim, I really don't care. I'm not associated with the Guild, so I don't need to worry about appearances. Marie is Micah's daughter, everyone knows that. I share a house and sometimes a bed with him, everyone knows that. But I'm not married to him, and I don't _plan_ to marry him, everyone knows that too."

"Because of who he used to be. That's something very few people _do_ know."

Nat nodded slowly. "Not… who he used to be. Just… what he was a part of."

"There's not much difference," Kim grumbled. Nat stared down at the floor for a long moment before looking up again.

"I love him," Nat said sternly. "Don't ever believe that I don't, Kim. I wouldn't have had a child with him if I didn't. But there are nights when I… have dreams. Of bad times. When I wake up those nights and he's the first person I see, I just… And if Marie wakes up, I…" Nat's eyes were tense and distant for a moment, before she shook her head. "I want to marry him, Kim. But I… just _can't_."

Kim nodded slowly, picking up another stack of books and moving lay them out. She'd always been told that time healed all wounds… but neither she nor Nat were healing very quickly from theirs, even after twenty-five years.

"You know that new restaurant that opened downtown?" Kim asked suddenly, getting a curious look from Nat. "What's it called, some dead language… 'Trop Voyant'?"

"Hmm… Oh, yeah, that fancy place at the top of that tower in the shopping district. My neighbor told me about it, said it's really pricey and it's reserved like two months in advance. What about it?"

"I was just… thinking maybe you and, uh, and Micah could go when he gets back from Tanzia. Have a night to yourselves. I can take care of Marie for you."

Nat stared at Kim for a moment before nodding slowly and returning her attention to her notes. "That would be nice. But like I said, two months."

"I could probably get you in. I, uh, know the owner. Did him a favor a few years back that I've never called in. He can probably get you a spot if I ask."

"Huh. Yeah, I'd appreciate that." Nat looked back up and smirked at Kim. "Maybe we could just get a babysitter for Marie instead, and you could invite Troika. Make it a double date."

"...Maybe next time."

"I'll remember that. Now, I should probably get class started here soon… Sure you don't want to stick around and help with the lesson? You know your way around Rathians pretty well."

"I'll pass."

"Shame. Well, stop by once before you run off to the Tundra and you, me, and Marie can have a girl's night while Micah's still out of town."

"Now _that's_ something I'll agree to."

"No alcohol though."

"I know, I know… I promised, after all. See you around."

"Don't be a stranger."

Kim sighed as she stepped out the door, finding herself in front of the cluster of hunters and apprentices out front. With a shrug, she pointed a thumb over her shoulder. "School's in session. Head on in."

As the crowd pressed into the building, Kim wove her way through the mob and turned back east, following the main thoroughfare back into the hunter's district. Things were starting to pick up, and Kim could see that some groups of hunters were suited up and preparing to venture out on a quest, or hauling chests behind them as they marched to the docks. Kim passed them all by, heading back towards the southern wall of the city and turning into a shadowy alley, entering a section of town that was commonly referred to as the Maze District.

Here there were some of the smaller, more battered, and occasionally less savory shops, forming an exotic bazaar within the thick underbelly of the city. The roads were all narrow, barely two yards apart at the most, and upper balconies stretching out from the buildings blotted out the sky above. Sliding doors and storefronts leading into the tightly-packed shops were small and hard to notice, most of them only a few yards across at most and only found if you were paying close attention to the hanging banners nailed to the walls nearby. Barside grills and diners had bolted-down stools sticking a few inches out into the road, letting passerby sit down instantly to order from the chef behind the counter, and filling the alley with blasts of steam and a thousand different smells. And that was just the first floor: the need for multiple stories was just as necessary here as it was elsewhere in the city, and the sound of footsteps echoed down from the walkways above on the half-dozen upper stories, filling the street with noise. Couriers wove through the foot traffic, leading Gargwas laden with crates of food, merchandise, and other materials as they made their deliveries to the shops.

Men half-hidden in the shadows and shady, dimly-lit shops were selling barely-legal goods and services, available to those that knew what they were looking for and who to ask. Several buskers and vendors peddling their wares saw Kim coming and shut up as she passed, sliding even further into the dark alleys giving her nervous expressions until she vanished around the next corner, before their shouts and promises to passerby continued again. Back when she was still working for the Investigatory Squad, these men might have the right to fear her when she showed up… but not now. She no longer had any official authority to do anything to them. Besides, she usually had bigger fish to fry in those days. They were just the ones with the information she needed, and she was willing to rough them up to get it. These days she didn't come to this part of town for anything official: she came here to drink.

...Actually, she didn't even come here to drink anymore either, not since Troika and Nat had convinced her to stop.

Kim passed through a short dark tunnel between two buildings and found herself in a ring of old rugged structures. There were several hunters bickering over prices with a merchant off to the right, the sound of hammering steel could be heard somewhere ahead, and a merchant with a long pipe was sitting atop a Gargwa-drawn cart, hawking off a rainbow of ores to a pair of young hunters. Kim made her way to the left, walking up onto the front stoop large brick structure. Two old, gnarled hunters stood near the door, eyeballing anyone that walked near as they drank from bottles of some heavy liquor, but they each nodded respectfully to Kim as she stepped up. The door to the building was large and metal, and it took a couple shoves to open it; it always stuck a little bit. With a nod to the two bouncers, Kim made her way inside, slamming the door behind her.

The inside was dark, but noisy, full of talking and laughing and even some arguing. A lilt of music could be heard over the tumult, and the first thing that Kim made out in the shadows was a small, lit stage where a young man was playing a fiddle and singing some ridiculous song to the amusement of the men and women in front of him, some of whom knew the words well enough to sing along. As her eyes adjusted, she began to make out the rest of the room: circular tables with small candles lit at the centers filled the room, occupied by worn and battered men and women, a good number of them hunters. There were two stories, the first floor filled up with tables and chairs, while cylindrical timber pillars held a balcony area aloft in a wide U-shape around the walls of the building, where several patrons leaned over the railing to watch the fiddler or shout down at someone on the floor below.

Off in the back was where Kim's attention was drawn, where a bar stretched across half the back wall, with hundreds of liquors and drinks available for perusal. Off to the right of the bar was a wide and cluttered corkboard, covered with papers detailing hundreds of hunt requests. Several hunters loitered about in front of it, talking between each other and motioning to and comparing various requests. Kim's eyes searched out the Guild representative that was _supposed_ to be on duty to accept requests… but she found him slouched up against the bar with his hat over his eyes, likely hungover and sleeping it off. Very unprofessional… but common enough that Kim only rolled her eyes as she made her way over to the bar, weaving between the tables to approach the bar and meeting eyes with the woman behind the counter.

"Ho there, sweetheart. How you doing this morning?"

Kim smiled wanly at the barkeep, Lynn Sturmtrum. The woman was positively massive, at least two heads taller than her and easily the largest human she'd ever met in her whole life. She wasn't unshapely or fat, just… big, a bit over seven feet tall. The woman had impressive strength, even for her size, and the knowledge that she had once been a huntress came as no surprise to anyone that knew her. Her hair was ridiculously long these days, stretching all the way down to her knees and braided elaborately, and remained a chestnut color with only a few streaks of grey creeping through her locks. Her grey eyes were sharp and devious, and those that didn't instinctively know not to cross her learned it very quickly.

It was shocking that she looked as good as she did at her age; the woman was nearly _seventy_ years old and looked half that! She would often say that she had Wyverian blood in her, and Kim was inclined to believe her. Human or not, Lynn seemed like she could live for another seventy years at least.

Lynn's bar, the Roughhouse, was rather infamous within the walls of Orage these days, both as a place where all of the most rambunctious and disorderly hunters found themselves after hours to drink, and a place where said hunters were somehow kept in line. She also had a keg cellar under the building, where she hosted a fistfighting ring of some kind, though she made certain to clarify that 'she only hosted, and she didn't participate'. Kim didn't know too much about that herself, but as long as they weren't doing anything illegal down there, she was perfectly content to put it out of her mind.

"I'm fine, Lynn," the huntress sighed, approaching the corkboard to scan the hunts available.

"Want a drink?" the barkeep asked. "Is on the house."

"Really? What's the occasion?"

The woman gave a broad and proud grin. "Got a letter from my boy today. He and his apprentices passed the hunter's exam in Gahiji!"

"Really? That's good to hear. They've been out that way for a while now, haven't they?"

"Five months now."

"They coming home soon?"

"Eh, not immediately. They's some stuff they wanna do 'fore they head back home. But that's the way it is for young hunters, hey? Back when I was they age, they was times when I wouldn't visit home for _years_ , I was traveling so much. Long as my boy sending me letters letting me know he's okay, I is just glad he's having fun." The barkeep leaned over the counter, looking between the corkboard and Kim. "So, what you looking for, girlie?"

"Barioth. My lance is wearing down."

"Ah, you is in luck then. They's some new quests comin' in from up north asking for hunters to clean up some Barioths."

"Oh?"

"Ja, ja. Lotta Stygians bred in the eastern Tundra this year, so the Barioths and other beasties been moving towards the west coast, hey? Villages up there been asking for cleanup to get control over they numbers. Guild's thinking 'bout calling open season on it all, they's so many of them."

"Hmm, that's convenient… If that's the case it shouldn't be too hard to gather the materials I need quickly. What about travel?"

"Eh, you ain't so lucky there, girlie. The call's coming from the western coast, but they ain't any airship routes up that way yet. Thinking you fastest way up there's gonna be flying to Tanzia then catching a boat the rest o' the way, hey?"

"Damn it… That's at least a two-week journey at best…"

"Well, if you interested, I heard they was a Barioth up for fighting in the arena, hey?" Kim felt her expression darken at the suggestion, and the innkeep quickly waved her hand in a dismissing gesture. "Eh, ja, figured you wouldn't like that idea, girlie. Didn't mean nothing by it."

"Yeah… Guess I don't have much of a choice then," Kim groaned, grabbing a hunt request from the board and tearing it off. "I think I'll take you up on that drink. Make it something strong."

"You got it, girlie. Cola or coffee?" Kim sighed as the barkeep smirked. "You was the one made me promise not to give you liquor, hey?"

"I know, I know… but your coffee tastes like dirt, and the cola is just so… prickly in my mouth."

"Kimberly Trine?"

Kim turned at the prim voice behind her, finding a Guild officer staring intently at her with his hands folded behind his back. His back was ramrod straight, but there seemed to be an air of nervousness in his expression. That made sense, as the man stood out like a sore thumb here in the Roughhouse.

"Yeah?"

"Guildmaster Liontári wishes to speak with you," he told her, sparing a distasteful look down at the hungover Guild worker snoring on the floor.

"She does?" Kim asked, raising an eyebrow. A few of the other patrons in the bar turned at the words in surprise; getting a direct request to speak with the Guildmaster wasn't exactly common. However, Kim scoffed, turning her attention back to the hunt request in her hand. "No thanks. Tell her I'll get back with her when I return from the Tundra."

"What?" the man sputtered. "But she-"

"I really don't care," Kim replied, waving her hand dismissively. "If she wants to talk to me, she can come here and see me herself."

"But… but Miss Trine…"

"Hoy. Give the boy a break, hey?" Lynn groaned from the other side of the bar, sliding a glass of bubbling liquid across the bar towards her. "He just the messenger, ja? Just go see what the girlie gotta say."

Kim growled some colorful curses under her breath in consternation, snatching the glass off the bar. " _Fine_. Hold onto this hunt request for me though, would you? I'll want to accept it when I come back."

"Ja, ja…"

Kim slid the paper across the bar and quickly made to drink the soda she'd been given before she left, but she only got about halfway through before stopping. "Ech. Tickles my tongue and throat…"

"Heh, big bad Trine, scourge of the underworld and corrupt, is weak to carbonation, hey?"

"Oh, shut up."

Kim sulked after the Guild man as she followed him out of the bar and north towards the Guild Hall. She didn't like going to the main office anymore, not when she could avoid it, but receiving a direct summons from the Guildmaster wasn't something she could easily ignore, no matter how much she wished she could. Not that Liontári had much desire to see her in the building either unless she absolutely had to… If nothing else, Kim could amuse herself by watching the whelp they'd sent to find her struggle to navigate his way through the narrow paths of the Maze District while avoiding the more aggressive salesmen. Her fun came to a halt as they entered more open roads, where the man could lead her with more confidence towards the tower in the distance.

The Orage Guild Hall had changed just as the city itself had over the years. As the population had boomed, the Guild had needed an increasing amount of space to deal with all the new hunters they had living within the walls. Much like the rest of the city, the building had grown taller than it had once been, but the existing building had been old, and there was only so high it could rise before the structure needed to start reaching outwards instead. Nearby buildings and shops had been bought out and absorbed into the structure, old warehouses and storefronts swallowed up in the expansion and repurposed for the Guild's use as offices and libraries, with new hallways and roofs built over the open areas between and new floors built on top. The only things that hadn't been touched were the restaurants and bars, but those had just been officialized as Guild-sponsored food courts now nestled in between the new offices. What had once been a single, rather easy-to-navigate building, had now evolved into a wide, convoluted labyrinth that took up several acres of land and rose up into the air in mismatched, oblong shapes that made little sense at first glance and not much better once you were used to it.

Kim followed the man through the twisting halls and crooked pathways, but she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going. She had taken this same route a thousand times back when she was still working for the Investigatory Squad; She didn't need the escort, but she knew this was how the Guild did things. In the meantime she glanced around, reading the names at desks and office doors, figuring out who was still around, who had been promoted, and who had been transferred. Her eyes lingered on the desk of the woman Troika had mentioned, Donna, but the woman herself wasn't at her desk. Shame.

Eventually, the two of them reached a long winding staircase in the center of the complex, where the original building stood. Up they went, climbing up nine flights until at last, they reached the top floor, and the two of them approached a pair of ornate wooden doors. The Guild man nodded to the pair of guards flanking the entryway and announced her, before the one on the right reached forwards and opened the door for them, allowing the pair to pass through.

Inside was a room as equally ornate as the doors they'd passed through, with trim, finely-crafted furniture made from materials that would make the wealthiest individuals blush. A cascade of small knick-knacks, baubles, and commemorative items littered the nearby shelves and lamp tables. Framed photographs lined the right wall, and on the right a large map of the western coast stretched across a greater portion of the wall. The entire rear wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows, providing an expansive view of the entire city, and right in front of it stood an intricately-wrought wooden desk.

Behind the desk sat Orage Dell's Guildmaster, Nedra Liontári. She was a relatively short woman with bright blonde hair, hanging curled and wavy down over her shoulders. Her blue eyes were hazy and listless as she stared blankly out the window, humming a small tune to herself in idle vacancy. Kim couldn't help but notice that a couple of the buttons on the collar of her crimson Guildmaster's uniform were fastened in the wrong holes. The desk she sat as was messy and unkempt, and the stack of papers and folders in her inbox towered over the scant two or three documents that were placed unceremoniously in her outbox. She held one parcel of notes in one hand, but the pen in the other hand was held loosely, looking like it would slip from her grip any moment.

The Guild worker that had led Kim here cleared his throat, but the Guildmaster didn't seem to notice. He cleared it again, this time louder, but again the woman maintained an empty gaze looking out over the city. He sighed in frustration. "Guildmaster Liontári? Ma'am!"

At the shout, Nedra blinked and ceased her humming, looking confused for a moment as though coming out of a dream. She turned, looking towards the two others in her office, and a small, apologetic smile curled up at the ends of her lips.

"Oh! Borune. I didn't see you there. Is it time for lunch?"

"Ah… no, Guildmaster. I brought Miss Trine."

"Oh. So you did. Hello, Kimmy." The Guildmaster was silent for a moment, tilting her head in thought. "Was there something you needed?"

"You _asked_ us to bring her here," Borune groaned in exasperation. "Said it was 'very important'."

"Oh, I did? I did! That's right… But why? Hmm…" Nedra paused, looking down at the scattered folders and papers across her desk with a hopeless expression, shifting through the documents aimlessly. "I… I'm sure I'll figure it out. Um… Borune, I'll talk to Kimmy. You can go do… something else. Or did you want to stay?"

"No, I have work to do," the man sighed, turning to walk away, but not before giving Kim a weary look. "Good luck…"

Kim nodded as the man left the room, before returning her gaze to the Guildmaster as the woman callously tossed the paper and pen she was carrying onto her desk before leaning far, far back in her chair until the headrest bumped against the window behind her.

"So… why the social call, Kimmy?" Nedra asked airily. "Is something the matter? Or… wait, did I invite you here? I can't remember…"

Kim scowled at the Guildmaster, however, crossing her arms and lowering her voice to a growl. "Wipe that vapid look off your face or I'll slap it off of you. And I'll make sure to _enjoy_ it."

In an instant, the oblivious look on Nedra's face vanished, replaced by a shrewd and calculating gaze. "Oh, my dear _Kimmy_ , you never let me have any fun, do you?"

"Stop calling me that, or I'll slap you anyway. It's painful enough watching you lead the Guild while acting like a braindead layabout. If I have to talk to the 'Guildmaster', I'd rather it not be that idiot you pretend to be."

Nedra smirked, leaning forward over her desk. "What can I say? I prefer to stay in character. It makes people underestimate me. Dissenters and usurpers are so much easier to uproot when their plans are made for outwitting someone with the intelligence and attention span of a goldenfish."

Here was the true Guildmaster of Orage Dell, the real face behind the empty-headed fool that some people thought she was, a brilliant and ruthless mind. It was all an act, a charade for both her own amusement and for pulling those that would try and abuse their power out of the woodwork. People would let slip things that they'd never say otherwise when they thought she couldn't hold a thought in her head for more than ten minutes. Even her office was part of the scam: the pile of papers and folders stacked in her inbox were probably already done, but left in the wrong box intentionally.

Kim didn't blame the public for falling for her act; she'd rarely revealed her true nature outside this building, not since she'd been promoted to Guildmaster. However, the members of the Guild should know better. She'd risen through the ranks far too quickly to be the simple fool people thought she was, not to mention that she'd gotten a _direct recommendation_ for the position by the previous Guildmaster, Polgara, and anyone half as old as Kim remembered how unquestioned her leadership had been. Kim had no pity for the Guild workers and hunters who couldn't see past Nedra's facade, and figured they deserved whatever they got by trying to outwit her.

"I see you're just as popular as ever," Kim muttered, not waiting for permission to take a seat as she plopped down onto the chair in front of the desk. "That Borune boy acted like talking to you is a chore."

"Oh yes!" Nedra cackled. "The common theory is that I'm a puppet, dancing on the strings of some devious shadow master who's writing all my policies and speeches. Care to guess who they think the puppet master is?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know… Eriond?"

"Not quite… He's a contender, but everyone knows he's too _in love_ with me to ever try to make me his little plaything."

"Really. I've heard rumors that you've _let_ him make you his little plaything in the office some nights."

"So Mara _did_ catch us that evening… Well, he has his value outside of the office, figuratively speaking. Keeps him loyal to me, if nothing else, though he knows me well enough to know what would happen if he ever tried to outmaneuver me. But back to business: guess again."

Kim sighed in frustration. "Aldur."

"There you go! Just because he's quiet and efficient, people think he's some devious schemer. Really he's just an introvert. Smart enough to see what kind of girl I really am, but that just makes him useful. The reports are pretty entertaining though: Chaldan's been trying to make friends with Aldur the last couple months, looking for a chance to 'cut my strings' and pull the rug out from under Aldur. So many people in this building seem to think I'm a runt Popo just waiting to be culled from the herd, and they're just the person to do the culling. He's been vying for my position since day one, and I've been waiting patiently to see what kind of scheme he pulls to try and take my seat."

"Chaldan? Pssh. Please. That fool's an opportunist," Kim scoffed. "He's waiting for you to make a big mistake before he jumps in, so he can strike while the public opinion of you is low… well, _lower_. The people have a pretty neutral opinion of you right now."

"Of course they do. They haven't been given a reason to dislike me. Not yet. They think I'm an airheaded bimbo, but my reforms are solid and I've yet to make any mistakes that would make them consider ousting me." The woman leaned forward over her desk, smirking at Kim. "But that's the thing: I don't make mistakes, do I Kimberly?"

Kim scowled at the woman, but kept her silence. As much as she hated to admit it, Nedra was scarily efficient at her work, and had yet to slip up since taking over the role of Guildmaster, save for those situations that were unavoidable. Public image aside, there were few that would be capable of matching her in intelligence or shrewdness, and she really did make for an excellent Guildmaster. That didn't mean Kim had to like her, though.

"You're going to slip up eventually."

"Maybe one day, but I don't just sit back and wait for problems to appear, Kimmy. I gather information, I collect secrets and evidence, I cut off threats before they truly become a _threat_. There is very little in this city that I am not aware of. I know about Chaldan and his desire to usurp me. I know that the heir to one of the prominent merchant lords in the city is not actually _his_ son, but the result of his wife's indiscretion with one of her servants. I know that one of the managers of the Guild's potion distilleries is trying to weaken the formula and sell the excess materials for his own profit. I know that some smugglers are planning to sneak some Nargacuga hides out of the city tomorrow by hiding them under a pile of Kelbi hides." The woman's eyes narrowed. "I know that you sneak out of the apartment of a certain I.S. member five nights out of the week."

Kim felt the blood drain from her face for a moment, before returning and beginning to boil. "If you fire her just because-"

"Don't insult me, Kimmy. Troika is an excellent worker, and has more than earned her position, even outside your tutelage. She even has the potential to replace me as the Guildmaster one day, if she keeps her momentum. I'm not about to fire such a valuable asset to the Guild just to screw with you… or just because _you're_ screwing _her_. I don't give a damn who either of you sleep with, I'm just making sure that _you_ know that there is nothing in this city that I don't know, or that I can't find out."

Kim grit her teeth to avoid snapping at the Guildmaster, but managed to keep her calm, taking a deep breath before nodding. "Alright, fine. Now what did you call me here for?"

"A hunt," Nedra smirked. "Isn't that what the Guild normally pays you for?" Kim opened her mouth to retort, only to be cut off as the woman continued speaking. "Or at least, a hunt is the cover story."

That made Kim pause. "Cover story for what?"

Nedra's smirked faded away, and the Guildmaster's expression turned serious as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk and entwining her fingers together. "For the kind of mission the Guild doesn't like sending you on anymore."

Kim's eyes narrowed, and she felt the corners of her mouth pull back as her voice dropped to a guttural growl. " _Poachers_."

"Possibly, but not necessarily," Nedra replied carefully. "The situation is not that simple."

"What do you mean? Poachers are poachers. There's no-" Kim's words froze in her throat. Nedra was staring at her levelly, dead serious. Kim crossed her arms, thinking for a moment before returning the Guildmaster's gaze. "Why did you call for me, Nedra? The Guild hasn't sent me out to hunt down poachers in almost a decade."

"For good reason," Nedra replied flatly. "The Guild does not approve of poachers, but we'd prefer them to be arrested and face trial for their crimes. That _tends_ to be somewhat challenging when they need to spend months recovering in a hospital beforehand… and utterly impossible _posthumously_. Personally, I wouldn't have called you in had I any better options, Kimmy."

Kim remained quiet for a long moment. "I won't make any excuses for what I've done. But why change that now? What's _really_ going on? If you didn't want me on this job, why bring me in?"

"In different circumstances, you never would've heard about this mission, much less been a part of it. You'd still be loitering around a bar deciding which hunt to go on next, or back at your house… or back at the house of that pretty little _scandal_ you share a bed with."

"Do _not_ call her a-"

" _That being said_ , since the circumstances can't be avoided, consider this a trial run to see if you're ready for this type of work again. Our psych specialists believe that you've mellowed out over the last decade-"

"What the hell are 'psych specialists'?"

"The Lost 'psychiatrists' we pay to gauge the mental stability of our workforce. It's an experiment the Guild's been conducting to determine their value. They're mostly for the higher-ups, like me or the other section heads, to make sure we don't give power to someone mentally unstable or overly ambitious, but I've had a couple of them studying _you_ , my dear Kimmy."

"You _what_?! Why?!"

"Because I just _care about you so much_." The Guildmaster sighed wearily at Kim's dark scowl. "My reasons are my own, Kimberly. In short, I've kept an eye on you the last few years to determine your mental stability, and - good news! - the psyche team seems to thinks maybe, just maybe, you may take to this kind of work again with a level head and a less… fatal results. Maybe that pretty little… _friend_ of yours is actually helping you become a saner member of society. Whatever she's doing when you're alone together, tell her to keep it up. Or do it harder, whatever."

Kim growled under her breath, but quickly shook her head and tried to calm herself down. "So. The poachers."

"Not poachers… not yet at least," Nedra replied, pulling a folder from across her desk and sliding it towards Kim. "However, we believe we have a _lead_ on a group of poachers that are growing more and more organized. Your job is to follow the lead and see what you can find."

Kim swiped the folder, flipping it open and skimming the first couple pages. "Cobi Village?"

"Do you know it?"

"It rings a bell, but…" Kim continued to read through the papers. "What? _Explosives_?"

"It's a side business. The locals apparently can make some very powerful bombs with the materials that grow in the area. But they don't produce any bombs at all unless their fishing boats aren't getting any good hauls, at which point they make bombs and sell them as a supplement to their fishing losses. And like I said, they're _powerful_ , second only to anti-dragon bombs. The Guild is not the only organization that are frustrated at Cobi's reticence to produce them en masse. That being said, we've been picking up reports across the country about poachers using explosives to kill their prey."

"That's not uncommon," Kim replied. "Poachers are in it for the profit, so they'll usually take the less dangerous and more efficient approach to kill their prey. However, I assume these reports have some relation to Cobi Village?"

"They do. The Guild's _active_ poaching enforcers are as well-versed in typical poacher behavior as you are, Kimmy. By their reports, the explosives being used to kill these monsters are exceptionally powerful, more so than the garden-variety bombs hunters can purchase. We followed a few leads to be certain of ourselves, and all our information pointed us in one direction: Cobi."

"You think the villagers are selling bombs to poachers under the table?"

"They wouldn't. Or, they have no reason to. They know the value their bombs hold, and have always sold them at an exceptional price publicly. Their fishing hauls have been profitable the last couple years as well, so there's no real need for them to do so. Our Guild rep in the area hasn't seen anyone making bombs, either. We have a few suspicions though. One of the villagers may have joined up with a group of poachers, or cut a deal with some shady individuals. Maybe someone in town just got greedy; the bombs that are sold by Cobi usually profit the village as a whole, not a single individual. Maybe someone in Cobi is trying to turn a personal profit off his or her village's famed bombs. Or, perhaps, one or more of the villagers are producing these bombs under duress. The Guild informant hasn't seen anything suggesting such a thing: no unfamiliar faces sticking around longer than expected, or rough-and-tumble characters passing through on a regular basis, but we can't be certain."

"I think I see where this is going," Kim nodded. "You want me to go and find this bomb dealer, capture him and his accomplices, and try to wheedle information out of him about the people he sells to."

"Basically."

"But there's more to it than that, isn't there? You said you didn't want me on this job, but I was the best choice. This kind of job doesn't sound like anything another poaching enforcer couldn't do. Why do you need _me_?"

Nedra's expression remained level, keeping her expression unreadable. "Because of the poaching incidents themselves. You of all people know that poaching leaves a trail, one way or another, something we can follow back to a source. But these incidents around the country are giving us almost nothing. It's careful, cautious, meticulous. We've been tailing these poachers for almost a year, and our only lead so far is those Cobi bombs. That means careful thought, and professional preparation and operation. It means we're dealing with more than a bunch of former hunters looking to make some easy money. It means there's a good chance we're dealing with a criminal organization of some kind, or at least the makings of one."

Kim's blood grew cold, and her eyes narrowed. "Like Malefica."

"Possibly," Nedra shrugged vaguely. "Again, we don't have enough information, but if the possibility exists, we can't ignore it. As such, though I am hesitant to involve you, you are the most experienced individual Orage has in matters like this. The question is, can you actually capture one of these bomb makers and get them to us alive and coherent enough to interrogate?"

"I'll get them back," Kim replied, crossing her arms.

"In chains or in coffins?"

"I'll bring them back alive!"

"I suppose we'll see," Nedra replied coolly, before narrowing her eyes once more. A dark and merciless glare bored into Kim from across the desk. "But let me be clear, Kimberly: you _need_ to take this mission seriously, and practice as much caution as you can muster. As I said before, it may be likely that one or more ne'er-do-wells are threatening villagers in order to acquire these bombs. If you run in roughshod like you've done in the past, you may have the pleasure of beating up and killing the poachers involved, but you'll also likely cause innocent lives to be lost, and I will _not_ tolerate that. _Am I understood_?"

Kim winced back at the sheer force of threat in the Guildmaster's words. Civilian or not, Nedra was a woman who could instill fear in even the most grizzled hunters. Her wrath was cold and piercing to those she directed it at, and even if the majority of the populace would never guess it, the woman could bring men and women to ruin with shocking efficiency, and there was rarely anything the target of her ire could do about it, even if they knew she was the cause.

"You don't need to tell me that," Kim muttered darkly under her breath, returning her gaze to the pages in the folder, and away from Nedra's threatening stare. "So what happens now? How do I begin? What are my resources on this?"

"Minimal at the outset," Nedra admitted, relaxing her expression and leaning back into her chair. "Like I said, we need this to be secret until we have more information. However, we will allow you to choose three team members to assist you, a standard four-man squad. We'll even allow you to pick the three people who join you. Any ideas, Kimmy?"

Kim leaned back in her chair, furrowing her brow in thought for a minute or two. "I think I might know a few people for the job…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a jaded huntress!**

 **And here we begin the first side-story of SOP, which, as you can see, focuses on Kim and some stuff she has to deal with back in Theron. There are… about 7 chapters to this, which all culminates in a finale which leads into the big reveal for the story. But not yet. Next chapter should be posted in a couple weeks, focusing on our main characters back in Gahiji!**

 **I really need to finish Horizon and Nier though… Double Cross is out in Japan now, and a lot of the livestreamers I like are showing off gameplay, and it's getting me wanting to get back into Generations again… Gotta stay strong and actually finish my games though!**

 **Playing: MHGen, Skyrim Special Edition, Pokemon SUMO  
Watching: Critical Role**


	26. Rohkin

Rohkin

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

 _Scrape, scrape, scrape_.

The sound of grinding echoed through the courtyard of Holzfaller Manor. The house was mostly empty right now, with only a few scarce lights lit, and for the most part the only people within the structure were a few housekeeping Felynes that scurried about doing their regular work in maintaining the building.

However, there was one person around that wasn't a hired hand. Logan sat on the entry stairs of the building, down on the lowest steps. Stretched out in front of him was his Zinogre great sword, a 'Despot's Blackstorm' style blade, the smith who'd constructed it had called it, though Logan honestly didn't care that much for such a fancy title. The tip of the blade pierced the ground in front of him, and at the moment Logan was carefully and methodically running a whetstone across the blades, sharpening the blade back to its former glory. It hadn't taken that much damage during the last five months, when Logan had kept it in storage, but nonetheless Logan wanted to make sure that it was in perfect condition, or at least as close as he could get it himself. It was a little awkward to accomplish with his left forearm still in a cast, but he could manage.

A low rumbling made him look up at the sky. The weather had taken a turn after the exam had ended, and dark clouds had been rolling over the city the last couple days, making the atmosphere muggy and thick. There hadn't been any real downpours yet, but smattering rains had been hitting the town every few hours.

The sound of footsteps on gravel caught his attention, and he looked up the walk to find Tuulikki approaching. The huntress was wearing her usual non-hunting attire, sturdy and comfortable form-fitting clothing made from multiple layers which revealed very little skin, save for her head, hands, and feet which were covered in sandals. He knew that her choice in clothing was all for the sake of Ketrak, so he would be able to crawl all over her without getting tangled up in loose clothing, so Logan was surprised to find the Kinsect being carried in the huntress' arms rather than clinging to her back, head, or arms.

"You are back from the hospital already?" she asked as she stopped next to him.

"Mmm… Ja," he nodded, returning his attention to his sword. "Doc said I should have the cast off in a couple weeks… Gonna be useless our first week on the road."

"Ah."

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment before Logan sighed and picked up the slack. "Thought you was out with Sonia and Bram over in the smithy district."

"Oh. I was. We were able to find a smithy that could construct a glaive from the Kut-Ku materials she possesses, and it should be ready within the week. She will have her new weapon before Stellazzio leaves the city." The huntress paused for a moment, a look of clear distaste crossing her face. "However, once Sonia's glaive was purchased, the group of them wished to visit the Troverian caravan and attend a… a _charge blade_ demonstration."

"Ah."

"I had no desire to join them, so I departed to return to the manor."

Logan nodded, drawing his attention down to Ketrak and narrowing his eyes. "What wrong with you bug?"

The huntress groaned in exasperation, rubbing the brim of her nose. "While we were buying Sonia's glaive, a nearby hunting horn shop let a rookie test one of their display horns… one made from Velocidrome materials, which sounded exactly like the cries of a Drome. The sound panicked several pack animals, and a pair of Popos knocked over a cart selling nectars. Every free Kinsect within one hundred yards - including this greedy tub of lard - swarmed the cart to feed on the mess." Tuulikki scowled, holding Ketrak up. The Kinsect wiggled its legs a little and opened its wings, but the buzz was a low pitch and he barely even hovered. "He ate so much that he is too bloated to fly now. I will need to adjust his diet for a week or so just to get him back down to a respectable weight…"

"Huh." Logan said no more, and Tuulikki frowned uncomfortably.

"Are Vi and Leon around?"

"Nope. Saw a note on my door when I got back from the hospital. Leon and Vi's papa went down to the lake to go fishing, and Vi went with her mamma to some restaurant they like. Think they ain't gonna be back for a while, hey?"

"Oh. I see." More silence, save for the practiced grinding of the whetstone. "Do you want to… go get something to eat? Since we are, you know, the only ones here…"

The grinding stopped, and Logan tapped the small yellow stone against the flat of the blade, tilting his head in thought. He had to admit he was hungry, but at the same time… He glanced over at Tuulikki, but the huntress seemed to be adamantly keeping her focus on Ketrak, brushing her fingers across the creature's shell and pulling a contented clicking from the beast's mandibles.

Logan thought for a few moments more, mulling the simple request over, before standing up and pocketing his whetstone. "Eh, fine, girlie. Better than just sitting around, I guess."

"Oh," Tuulikki muttered, surprised that he'd agreed. "Oh, good. I will… Give me a moment. I will leave Ketrak in my room. There is no sense bringing him along in his condition."

"Ja, need to hang up my sword anyway," Logan replied. "We leave when you get back."

Two minutes later they walked out of the manor's courtyard, taking to the streets and heading northwards. Getting out into public hadn't changed much, however, and what little they talked to each other was stilted and uncomfortable, just as they'd been with each other for the last month or so. As the two of them walked down to the city's lower tier, Logan looked down at Tuulikki. The huntress was idly prattling on about something involving Kinsects, which seemed to be her go-to discussion topic when she didn't have anything else to talk about. He stared at her, studying her. He knew she was trying to improve their relationship with things like this, trying to make amends for how she'd treated them when they'd first met by being kind and polite. He knew she wasn't putting up a front either, that she was genuinely earnest; she was nothing if not honest.

That only made things harder, since he still couldn't bring himself to like her. He still hadn't forgiven her for the things she'd said… not yet.

But it was getting harder not to. A cold, merciless corner of his heart refused to allow her any leniency, and had things remained unchanged from after Sonia had gotten sick, maybe he'd still have that callous part of himself. But he couldn't pull that off anymore. After the other four had made their mad dash to Dundorma, leaving the two of them alone, things had changed…

* * *

 **A few weeks earlier…**

* * *

" _Here. I brought you dinner."_

 _It took Logan a moment to register the words, looking up to find Tuulikki standing next to him. She was carrying a small plate of food, some kind of meat and vegetables. Logan didn't really think about it much further, idly taking the plate and placing it in his lap, poking at the meal with a small fork but not digging in._

 _He hadn't been doing well at all the last few days since Sonia had been diagnosed with Hellrot Fever. He didn't eat much. Sleep came in fits. His waking hours were spent with a cold, heavy weight in his chest as dread and worry chilled his blood. The last two villages they'd passed through had only made the feelings worse, when he'd received the letters from Bram only to open them and find that none of his worries had been assuaged or brought to closure, allowing the hollow apprehension in his heart to grow as he waited for news, good or bad._

 _The others in the caravan could see how poorly he was taking Sonia's sickness; he wasn't exactly making an effort to hide it. But they'd been generous to him. Even if he was one of the only two hunters_ officially _guarding Stellazzio, they didn't ask much of him. Tuulikki was picking up a lot of slack, and the migrant hunters that were only joining them on the road to Dundorma were volunteering their services as well. He still did some work… but he was slow and absent-minded about it._

 _His lax attitude towards everyday work hadn't affected his hunting though. Mining ores and gathering herbs just gave him time to_ think, _which was a struggle to deal with. However, when the caravan was threatened, he threw himself at monsters with a fervor. The rush of battle, the threat of pain and death, coordinating with Tuulikki and the other migrant hunters took up all his thoughts, allowing him to push aside his apprehension for at least a few minutes. Velocidromes, Seltas, Gypceros, anything worked, even an Azure Rathalos that had caught them by surprise once. That had kept him distracted for a good fifteen minutes before it had run off._

" _Eat. You haven't had anything at all today, have you?"_

 _Logan merely grunted in reply, absentmindedly stabbing a small chunk of meat with his fork and raising it to his mouth. He didn't even taste it, going through the motions of chewing and swallowing, repeating the process a few times… Soon enough, however, his melancholy set in once more, and he found himself doing little more than poking at the food and sliding it around the plate._

" _Logan. Eat."_

 _The hunter blinked, looking to the side. Tuulikki was sitting next to him, watching him closely. Had she been there the whole time?_

" _You eat," he replied lamely, pointing at her plate. At least half of her food was gone already though, a big difference compared to measly portion Logan had eaten._

 _Tuulikki didn't reply at first, but a few moments later her fork dropped onto her plate, and she set the food aside. Then she snatched Logan's plate and fork from out of his grip, setting them aside as well, before standing in front of him. Logan blinked as Tuulikki's hand wrapped around his, and the glaive wielder abruptly pulled him to his feet._

" _Enough of this. Come with me."_

" _What…? Hoy, Bug Girl, I ain't-"_

 _Tuulikki didn't listen, yanking him roughly towards the edge of the wagons and out into the trees. Logan made several half-hearted attempts to argue, but he just couldn't put any strength into his protests. They must have traveled about a couple hundred feet into the forest before Tuulikki came to a halt near a fallen tree. Looking back, Logan could just barely make out the dim glow of the campfire and torches back at the caravan. Close enough to find their way back, but far enough to do… something._

" _Logan." The forest was dark. Though the moon was waning, very little light was filtering through the canopy above them. The huntress was staring up at him, an unfamiliar expression on her face. "Cry."_

 _Logan stared at her. "...What? What is you talking about-"_

" _Cry," she said again. "Cry if you need to. If that will not make you feel better, then be angry. Rage. Scream. Break things. Vent your feelings until you feel better, no matter the method that requires, even if you have to aim your anger at me - mercy knows I've done enough to deserve it. Do what you must. None of the others will hear you all the way out here."_

 _Logan sighed, taking a step back and leaning against a tree. "You don't… don't know what you talking 'bout, girlie. There ain't nothing wrong with-" He didn't bother to finish the sentence; the look on Tuulikki's face silenced him. "Hmph. Don't matter how I feeling right now, crying and screaming ain't gonna change nothing. Not like… not like Sonia's dead… dead yet or nothing. Just gotta push on through this, 'til-"_

 _With a huff, Tuulikki stepped forward, grabbing his collar and shoving him down to sit on a twisted old root. Logan prepared to snap at her, but was caught off guard when she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into a hug._

" _Don't try to pretend you're not sad," Tuulikki whispered. "Don't try to pretend you're not afraid or hurting. Don't bury your emotions and pretend like they shouldn't matter, or that you shouldn't be allowed to show them. You don't need to lie to yourself and to others."_

" _Oy, Bug Girl," Logan muttered, trying to push her away. "Knock it off, I ain't-"_

" _Someone you care about is sick. It's alright to worry about her. It's alright to be afraid of her dying."_

" _Hunters die all the time," Logan replied flatly. He'd stopped trying to repel her, and his arms were limp at his sides. "Is a risk of our jobs, hey? If you is always afraid of you allies dying-"_

" _I know that people in our occupation die all the time!" Tuulikki snapped. "I know that it's just as likely to return home in a coffin as it is to come home successful! I know that… I've had… people I love die while challenging monsters. I've watched coffins lowered into the earth that couldn't be opened due to the condition of the bodies! I've seen coffins that… that didn't have anything in them at all. I've prayed at tombstones that didn't sit above anything but dirt._

" _But that doesn't mean it shouldn't hurt when they do, or be afraid that they might. Death is an inevitability, and even a high probability in our line of work, but that shouldn't lessen its impact. It shouldn't mean that we shrug off our pain and cheapen the life of someone we love just because a hunter's death is 'bound to happen' or because 'it was the risk they took'. It's not weakness to show your emotions, Logan. If you're afraid, then let yourself be afraid. If you're hurting, then don't try to suppress it. If you care about someone… don't try and hide it."_

 _Logan was quiet for a moment longer before reaching his shaking hands around Tuulikki's back and hugging her tightly. What vestiges of emotional stoicism he'd tried to hold onto failed, and in seconds his face was buried into her shoulder and he sobbed away his grief and terrors. Tuulikki didn't say anything more after that, merely standing next to him and keeping him company until all the emotions he'd bottled up were let out…_

* * *

Logan grimaced, shaking his head. He had to admit, he had been somewhat awkward around Tuulikki since that night (and by 'somewhat' he meant 'incredibly'). When he was around the others, he was fine. He was able to act with all the flippant humor he usually had. But when he was alone with her… it was a bit harder to pull off. He could never find it in himself to say more than a few words to her in response to her questions.

He was stuck. A part of him was grateful for what she'd done, what she'd said to him back on the road, what comfort and kindness she'd provided, despite their tenuous relationship… but even so there was still a bit of him that just _couldn't_ like her. And he knew _exactly_ why.

"Is there anywhere you would like to eat?" Tuulikki asked, her eyes darting across the shop signs in search of options.

"Don't care." The huntress grimaced in frustration at the simple dismissal, but didn't say anything. They continued to walk aimlessly, heading east until they reached a main thoroughfare and turned north. All the while, Tuli would point out places, and Logan would give half-hearted dismissals.

As they continued, Logan noted a poignant change in the atmosphere around them the further north they traveled. The buildings grew more roughshod, the civilians grew rougher, and things just felt a little less well-kept. They were entering 'Lowtown', he realized, the poorer section of the city. It wasn't as bad as he might've expected, honestly; if anything, it reminded him of the southern district back in Loc Lac, or the 'economy' houses he used to rent during his stints in Tanzia and Orage. It was a little rougher around the edges compared to the rest of Dundorma, but aside from that, it seemed fine to Logan.

Logan paused and blinked as something small and wet smacked against his cheek, and he looked up. Raindrops were falling from the sky, pattering around them on the cobblestone. A gust of cool wind came at them from the east, carrying a rushing noise along with it, and as the two hunters looked towards the wall of the city they could see a cascade of water pushing over the city towards them.

"Aw, hell," Logan groaned, grabbing Tuulikki's shoulder and yanking her towards the nearest building. "Time's up, Short Stuff, we eating here."

"Fine by me!" the huntress replied, pressing forward and diving under the awning. A few seconds later there a dull roar and a blast of humidity as the downpour crashed into the street behind them, soaking the road in an instant, and there were a couple shrieks and yelps from those that hadn't managed to get under something in time.

"Oh, wonderful." Logan turned at Tuulikki's sigh, and found her staring at the shop's name: Jethro's Grog House. "Well, this is a _lovely_ choice."

"You wanna fight the rain instead, Short Stuff?" he replied, motioning over his shoulder.

"Ugh… fine. Let us see what this place has to offer," she muttered, pushing through the door as Logan followed in after her.

The inside was better than Logan expected. A long, dark entryway led into a brighter dining room. Old, weathered tables surrounded the room, lit by a well-maintained glowstone chandelier above. Everything else seemed rather aged and worn, however, including the staff: the man behind the bar was old, bald, and wrinkled, shuffling around and mixing drinks with his back hunched, his spectacles clinging to his head by a thin chain hanging around his neck. He seemed pretty experienced, though, sliding filled mugs and glasses down the bar with a level of skill that showed he'd been doing this for a long time. A serving girl, who was likely a relative due to a slight resemblance, looked at the two as they entered and just tilted her head towards the corner of the room, where an empty two-seat table was shoved against the wall; on one side was a small family, and on the other was a group of four large men that were stuffing themselves silly with stacks and stacks of food.

"See, this ain't that bad, eh girlie?" Logan said as they found their seats. "Can't always judge places by they name, hey?"

"I will maintain my skepticism, thank you," Tuulikki replied as she sat down, glancing over Logan's shoulder as one of the men at the next table started coughing up a storm; food down the wrong pipe by the sound of it. Her eyes flicked over to one of the nearby tables, where they were eating some kind of meat. She seemed to relax a little upon recognizing that it wasn't a Neopteron of some kind.

The two of them kept silent for the next few minutes until the waitress came to take their orders. Tuulikki tried to initiate conversations every now and then, but Logan gave little more than one-word replies. Their food came quickly enough, and Logan set out to eating what was on his plate. Tuulikki poked at her own meal as well, taking a few small bites, but didn't seem to be eating that eagerly.

"You gonna eat or what?" Logan muttered. "They something wrong with you meal?"

"No, my dinner is fine…" the huntress muttered. "It is just… What am I doing wrong?"

"Wrong with what? You dinner?"

"No, with _you_!" Tuulikki snapped. "Damn it, Logan, I am trying to be nice to you! I am trying to… make up for how cruel I was to you during your training. I am trying to make amends for telling you that you couldn't pass the exam, that you were lesser because you were Therian. I was wrong about everything, I know that. I have apologized for how I treated you, I am trying to be kind to you! Even if I cannot become your friend, I would like to know that I am at least on decent terms with you. After… after our talk in the Everwood, I just… What am I doing _wrong_?"

Logan stared quietly at the food on his plate for a long moment before tossing his fork down and sighing. "You wanna know why I been acting like this, girlie?" Tuulikki looked up and nodded fervently. "Is because when we first started training under you, you insulted my mother."

Tuulikki's expression was confused for a moment. "I… I didn't! I wouldn't have… Did I?"

Logan felt a flare of anger burn through him for a moment and his voice lowered to a growl. "First time I ever talked 'bout my mother, I said she was the one who trained me. First thing you said was that she must'a been a real bad hunter if I was the result of her training. Like it was _her_ fault that I was as bad as _you thought I was_. Maybe you don't think much of things like that… but I ain't gonna take it, girlie."

Tuulikki's face was frozen for a long moment, and Logan could see her eyes glaze over as she searched her memory, before her eyes widened in shock and horror and she released a loud moan of self-loathing. Her food was abruptly shoved towards the edge of the table, and the huntress threw her hands forward, practically slamming her face into the wood of the table as she placed herself in a half-prostrated position, as best as she could manage while still sitting in the booth.

" _I apologize_!" she cried, her voice broken and pained, and Logan winced slightly; though her voice was muffled slightly by having her face pressed against the wooden, but it still echoed loud enough that a fair number of the other patrons in the bar heard the outburst, glancing over in concern. "I remember now… Oh, mercy, how could I be so cruel… I am so, _so_ sorry, Logan!"

"Gah! Jeez, stop that, girlie!" Logan hissed, glancing around uncomfortably. Several others were giving them odd looks. "Damn it, Tuulikki, knock it off!"

"I can't…" the huntress moaned. "After saying such terrible things, I have to make amends…"

"Well you ain't gonna do it prostrating youself in the middle of a diner!" Logan growled, grabbing her shoulders and pushing her upright again. "You wanna make up for this, start by _not trying to embarrass me_ , hey?"

Tuulikki did what she was told, slouching back into her seat, but her eyes remained downcast and miserable. A few nearby patrons gave them some concerned looks, but eventually social courtesy took control and they returned their attention to their own meals. Logan sighed as the waitress came by again, looking between the two uncomfortably as she asked if they needed anything. Logan sighed and pushed his plate towards her, half-eaten; he wasn't feeling that hungry anymore.

"Something to drink, girlie. Don't care what."

"Ah, yessir… and… for the lady?"

Tuulikki didn't reply, staring blankly into her hands. Eventually Logan spoke up again. "One for her too." He'd drink it if she didn't. He could use it. The waitress nodded quickly and darted off, eager to get away from the tense atmosphere.

"I'm sorry…" Tuulikki's words came out as a whisper, barely catching Logan's attention at first. "I'm so, so sorry…"

Logan didn't reply, leaning back into his seat and scowling out the window. Tuulikki continued to apologize, over and over like it was a mantra, even when the waitress came back with their drinks. Logan scowled as the young lady darted away to escape, before rapping his knuckle against the grain of the wood table, and motioning to the glass.

"Drink, girlie." Tuulikki nodded dimly, taking hold of her glass and slipping gingerly at the drink. The two of them were seeped in silence once more.

"I'm sorry…"

"Ja, got that the first hundred times or so, girlie."

"No… what I said was inexcusable. For someone like myself, who so reveres the love and teachings of my own mother, to so blithely write off someone else's connection to theirs for such banal and spiteful reasons… It is unforgivable." The huntress' head drooped further, until it thumped against the table again. "It is little wonder you hate me so much."

Logan groaned under his breath. "Ugh… hoy. Dammit, girlie, I don't _hate_ you."

"Liar…"

"Ain't saying I _like_ you, Short Stuff," Logan scoffed, "but I ain't saying I hate you either. You… you helped me out too much for me to just write you off like that…"

For a moment, Tuulikki didn't move, until finally her head raised again to stare at him. "Really?"

"Ja, ja… Normally I ain't the type to accept an apology so easy 'bout something like this, but… is hard to really brush off an apology like the ones you do, hey? Some folks just say they's sorry without putting they heart into it, pretending a few words is enough to earn forgiveness, but the way you do things… is hard not to believe you mean it, girlie." Logan leaned forward, jabbing a finger at her face. "I _ain't_ saying that you is out of hot water yet, Short Stuff, but… figure I owe you this much after… after you helped me out back on the road."

Tuulikki nodded slowly. "It was only the words I wish someone would have told me at certain points in my own hunting career…"

"Right," Logan nodded. Words he could've used a few other times in his life as well…

Tuulikki paused, reaching for the mug in front of her and finally taking her first wary sip. "Your mother was the one who taught you how to hunt, then?"

"Ja… For the most part. She was always a bit busy with her work, but whenever she could, she was teaching me everything I need to know, hey?"

"I see… It is little wonder you held such vindictiveness for me when I said… when I said she…"

"Eh, don't push youself, girlie," Logan sighed. "They's more to it than that, though. It's… thing about her is, she's not my biological mother."

"You… you're adopted?"

"Ja… I is what they call a 'true Lost' back home: one of the ones what woke up from those pretty blue crystals, hey? The Alatreon shoved me and my… birth mother into one of 'em when I was little. Not really sure how old I was." Logan paused, staring down into the froth of his drink. He hadn't even taken a sip yet. "Don't really remember what happened after we 'woke up' but… Mamma said she found me out in the wilds crying over… my mother while she was dying. From a Bnahabra sting."

"A _Bnahabra_? Really? That's…"

"Sounds stupid, don't it? Killed by one of those bugs. Don't know for sure, but figure it was some kinda allergy. One sting only supposed to paralyze you for a bit, but for her… was like poison. Haven't really… cared much for insects since." Tuulikki only nodded slowly, rubbing her right forearm. "Don't even know her name. She never told Mamma what it was, just… begged her to take care of me. I can't even remember what she looks like… just know she died, and that Mamma took me in.

"Mamma was… It took me a while to warm up to her. 'ventually I really started to see her as my Mamma, but…" Logan paused, gathering his thoughts as he took a small drink. "But even when I was little I was thinking… thinking I really wanted to _be_ her son. What you think if I told you I was all quiet and reserved-like when I was little?"

"I wouldn't believe you," Tuulikki replied flatly, and Logan laughed.

"Heh, is real surprising, hey? People think that kids can't pick up on stuff, that they is too young to understand the world. But kids see more than you'd think. Sometime I hear people talking 'bout us, and they was some people that always make sure to say that I was _adopted_ when they talk about me. The way they _say_ it, was like they thought it was a _bad_ thing, like it made our relationship… lesser, because we wasn't blood related. I didn't… didn't like that. So I started _talking_ like her, acting like her, saying I wanna be a hunter like her, hey? Trying to become a child someone could look at and say that I was _definitely_ her son.

"That's why I gotta be as good a hunter as I can, hey? Mamma was… _is_ a powerful person. If I is gonna be a hunter, if I is gonna say that she was the one that taught me all she know, that _she's_ the one that made me the person I am today, then I sure as hell ain't gonna let nobody say that I ain't good enough without a fight. And even if they talking shit about me, I sure as hell ain't letting nobody talk bad 'bout _her_ , hey?"

Tuulikki winced as the words, seeming to wither a bit where she sat. Logan sighed, tilting his head and leaning back against the seat cushions. "But that wasn't all. Once she was more… comfortable with me, she'd start talking 'bout Oswald… her late husband. She'd tell me stories 'bout they adventures together, the things they did when they was young… 'ventually, I started taking pieces of what she say and try to make him a part of me as well."

"What do you mean? Like what?"

"Like using the great sword."

"Really? But… then, what weapon would you have used otherwise?"

Logan shrugged. "Dunno. Never tried anything else. From the start, was gonna be the bowgun like Mamma used, or the great sword like Oswald. Can't shoot worth a damn though, so I picked up the great sword. Had to train my butt off to get strong enough to use the damn things." Tuulikki nodded, not saying anything and continuing to rub her forearm. Logan rolled his neck and let out a sheepish chuckle. "They was a few other things about him I tried to copy too. Guess you can blame my, eh, _flirtatious_ habits on trying to act like him."

"You became a _womanizer_ to emulate him?" Tuulikki asked flatly, and Logan chuckled.

"Eh, well… kinda. Mamma used to tell me he was real popular with the girlies, so I tried to be a ladies man. But 'parently he was so _handsome_ and _gentlemanly_ that he don't really gotta _try_ , while I gotta work for it. Can't, uh, can't really complain 'bout the _results_ , but…" Tuulikki rolled her eyes and Logan couldn't help but laugh. "It was… was worth it when she say I reminded her of him, though.

"That's why I got so fired up when you insulted her. She the greatest person I've ever known. Spent _years_ trying to be like her, live up to the kinda person I see her as, and for anyone to snub her… I ain't gonna just brush that kinda thing off, hey?"

The two of them were quiet for a while after that. Logan idly trailed his finger around the brim of his mug, pulling a small hum from the glass. Tuulikki was the first to break the silence. "Does it make you happy?"

"Hmm? What you mean?"

"Emulating your mother, your… father. Trying to be an… amalgamation of what the two of them are, or were. Are you… happy, doing that?"

"Well… ja," Logan replied. "I mean… don't know what kinda guy I'd be if I didn't start mimicking her like I did, but I ain't unhappy with the way things is. Even if becoming a hunter and my weapon of choice wasn't something I decided completely on my own, I is still happy. Mamma's way of life is honest and direct. Ain't a bad way to live, hey?"

Tuulikki was silent, staring down at her lap and wringing her hand across her wrist. Logan sighed, raising his glass and downing the rest of the alcohol. It was pretty warm by now, but he didn't mind. "Guess this is some heavy stuff… I don't know, maybe this all sounds stupid from you perspective, girlie, some dumbass trying to emulate his Mamma just 'cause he was-"

"I don't remember my mother."

Logan paused at the words as they tumbled out of Tuulikki's mouth. The huntress' expression had grown tight, her hand clamped down around her wrist. "She died when I was six years old. Twenty years ago. She… saved me from being killed by a Tigrex. She died… fighting it off."

Logan nodded slowly. He'd heard the story before. He saw Tuulikki's hand drift up to her abdomen, brushing against her sternum. She'd said that there was a nasty scar across her chest from where the Tigrex had wounded her, before her mother had caught up and kept the wound from being fatal, at the cost of her own life.

"I've always admired her. I've heard… nothing but shining stories about her from my father and the older people in Lintukoto. People that knew her, people that loved her. Their stories of her exploits were my inspiration. I see depictions of her in the town hall in Lintukoto, stitched into those tapestries that depict her greatest moments, least of which was her battle against the Tigrex that… that I…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "I've always… tried to become like her. I became a hunter because of her, took up the glaive because of her, became a Purist because that's the kind of person she was. She's the summit I'm trying to reach, trying to match up to, trying to emulate.

"But as… as the years go by, I can't remember her face. I remember… I remember her playing with me when I was small, reading me stories, taking care of me and… nursing me when I was sick. But I can't recall her features. I used to be able to picture her in my head so clearly… her smile, her laugh, even the stern look she'd get when she was angry. But it's been so long, that my memory is… hazy. Sometimes I dream about her… but I don't see her face. Not her real one. Every time I fall asleep, she's made of cloth and string, like a puppet; all I can see is how she's depicted on those tapestries back home, but not _her_."

Logan nodded slowly. "So… what you trying to say? That you _don't_ want to be like her? Don't wanna be a… a hunter, a glaive user… a _Purist_?"

"No, no, no, that's not it…" Tuulikki sighed, shaking her head. "I like being a huntress. I like using the glaive… and I love Ketrak. And I _believe_ in the ideals of the Purists! I don't regret that, and I believe I'm following a good path, one that I choose to walk… But I… I don't know… I can't… I don't know how to put this…"

"Take you time."

Tuulikki groaned, burying her face in her hands and whimpering silently to herself for a couple minutes. Logan simply sat there, shooing the waitress away when she came by again and crossing his arms as he waited for… whatever Tuulikki was trying to find the words for. Finally she moved her hands, staring into the flame of the candle at the end of the table.

"I know my father, and I know who he really is… he raised me himself after my mother's death. I laughed with him, fought with him, disagreed with him. I know that he is a good and wise man, but I also know that he has his flaws, his weaknesses and vices. I know there are things he hides, things he doesn't want me to know about him… But not my mother. All these stories I hear, all the tales I've heard, the tapestries they've sewn in her image… they are her, but they aren't _all_ of her. They're… photographs in a scrapbook, a fraction of the whole. I'm spoon-fed only her finest qualities, only the venerated memories of those people that loved her most, only the good things. But I can't argue with her, can't disagree with her, can't find her flaws!

"I'm trying to become someone I don't really know. She's not a person to me, just this… vague, spectral memory, whose only qualities I get from people who only tell me good things about her. How do I know I'm really living up to a vision that I can't even understand? I've built my entire _life_ up around a person I don't even remember…"

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes. Logan didn't know how to respond, didn't even know where to start.

"I guess we're both kinda messed up, huh?" Logan muttered, and Tuulikki could only nod solemnly.

"Jumbled up copies of people we don't even know?"

"Thinking that's the way most people are, Short Stuff. Figure most folks take the bits and pieces of folks they like and try and make it part of theyselves. Figure most folks got someone they trying to emulate."

"Hmm… Yeah, maybe you're right…"

"...heh. That may just be the first time I've ever heard you say that."

"Oh." Tuulikki blinked a couple times, before shaking her head. A moment later her tone shifted to the familiar chiding tone he'd grown to associate her with. "Well, statistically it had to happen sooner or later. Even the greatest of fools have to be correct once in a while. A stopped clock and all that."

"Ha! But you still said I was right. And here I is without a witness to prove it…"

"And you'll never be able to make me admit it to the others."

"Maybe not… but I still get the pleasure of being smug about it, hey?" Logan smirked, and Tuli groaned in dismay.

"I immediately regret this entire night…" she moaned, and Logan laughed. For a moment she looked nervously at him, before focusing back down to the table. "Logan, I… Thanks for listening. I know we're not on the best of terms, but-"

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it, girlie. Was nice to get some stuff off my chest, too."

"I suppose if nothing else, you've given me a reason to try and put up with your ridiculous accent."

Logan stared at her for a moment before smirking. "Aw, is you getting fond of the way I speak, Short Stuff?"

"...Possibly. If nothing else, I find it fitting: you might as well sound as ridiculous as you act. It certainly suits you."

"Heh. You think you know me, girlie."

"I think I'm beginning to… much to my chagrin."

"Ja, well, ain't too happy that I is figuring you out either, girlie."

Logan tossed a small pile of zenny onto the table, and the two of them began weaving their way towards the exit to the building. As they approached the entryway, Logan saw the waitress that had been serving them standing near the entryway, with another of the patrons talking eagerly to her, but as they neared, Logan realized that the waitress' posture was stiff and defensive. Her eyes were poignantly trying to look anywhere but the man's face, and as Logan took a moment to study the man himself, he could see that his balance was tilting a little bit, and his eyes were a touch hazy.

The hunter grimaced; he'd seen this a thousand times before. He sighed, patting Tuli on the shoulder. "Hoy, gimme a second girlie."

The huntress didn't reply, merely raising an eyebrow as Logan turned to approach the man. As he neared, he picked up on what the man was saying. "-just gotta give a chance, little missy. I mean, just one date doesn't sound too bad doesn't it? C'mon, I promise it'll be-"

Logan stepped up behind the man, reaching up and tapping his shoulder. The waitress looked up in surprise and slight relief as the man turned in confusion. "Hoy, buddy, leave the girlie 'lone, hey? Pretty clear she don't wanna talk with you."

"Ah, shut up, kid, you don't know what'cha talking 'bout," the man griped, glaring at him. The slur in his voice was enough to display that he'd probably had a few too many, and the smell didn't help.

"You don't have to worry about me," the girl sighed, but there was a slightly thankful expression in her eyes.

"Ja, well, might as well do it anyway," Logan muttered back, before wrapping an arm around the man's shoulder. "C'mon, buddy, why don't you get a little fresh air, hey?"

"Hey! I'm _fine_!" the man argued, trying to shake off Logan's arm, but the hunter held firm.

"Really? Then how many fingers is I holding up?" Logan asked, holding up four.

"It's, uh… four."

"Nah, buddy, is only two," he replied, pulling his hand away. "Thinking you had a few too many, hey?"

"What? No, there was… there was four."

"You sure? I mean, I'm the sober one here, and I is thinking you had a few."

"I mean… I'm _pretty_ sure…"

"Well, maybe you go outside and clear you head up, get some fresh air while you figure it out. You ain't gonna be impressing _nobody_ if you pass out in the entryway, hey?"

"Um… yeah… Yeah, maybe."

"Right, thinking they's a bench with you name on it, buddy," Logan said, turning to wink at the waitress. She nodded gratefully, before turning to get back to work. With a stern tug, Logan pulled the man into the entry hall, leading him towards the door.

"That was rather well done," Tuli muttered, catching up to him from behind.

"Mamma's a bartender," Logan whispered back. "You pick these things up. Let's get this guy some fresh air."

"I can… I can walk by myself!" the drunk snapped, trying to shake Logan's hand off of his shoulder.

"Eh, ja, ja, sure you can. But I just gonna hang on until we is-"

A burst of pain shot through Logan's face as the man abruptly twisted around and elbowed him in the jaw. Logan tumbled back, nearly crashing into Tuli before catching himself. He rubbed his sore jaw and glared at the drunk in agitation; the man himself was rubbing his arm and muttering something under his breath as he leaned against the wall.

"So that's how it's gonna be, hey? Fine," Logan growled, stepping forward. He heard Tuli try and say something behind him, but without waiting he stepped forward and punched the man in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. "Hoy! What, so you ain't so tough when you not catching a guy off guard? Why don't you-"

"Logan, wait!" Tuli yelled.

"Not now, girlie."

"Logan! Logan, _stop_!" the huntress snapped, grabbing his arm and forcing him to face her.

"What? Why?! This guy just-"

"It was an _accident_!"

"It… what?"

"He tripped over his own feet!" Tuli hissed. "His elbow hit you while he was flailing!"

"Oh… really?" Logan muttered, looking back to the man as he staggered to his feet. It looked as though Logan's punch had sobered the man up a little, and he was glaring daggers. The hunter grinned sheepishly, opening his hands. "Eh… whoops. Sorry 'bout that, buddy. Didn't mean to-"

"You son of a bitch!" the man roared. He took a wild swing at Logan's head, forcing the hunter to duck out of the way, grabbing the man's arm and throwing him through the entryway into the dining room. A few surprised gasps echoed through back into the hall as the man slid across the floor, but he was scrambling back to his feet already.

"Look, pal, I-" Logan didn't finish what he was saying; as he looked up across the room, he realized that, at the sound of the man's shout, three other men at the far side of the room had stood up simultaneously to see what was going on. Logan winced, pulling back into the entryway and out of sight, but as the man pushed to his feet he turned to look at the men across the room.

"This guy's picking a fight!" he bellowed. "We gotta show him-"

Logan didn't catch whatever the man thought Logan needed to be shown, because as soon as the man had turned to look at the other three, he'd grabbed Tuli's arm and yanked both of them out the door. "Time to leave, girlie!"

"You! Are! Such! An! Idiot!" Tuli gasped in exasperation as the two of them bolted down the street. The door to the restaurant slammed open behind them, followed by several angry shouts. Logan yanked Tuli into the nearest alley, darting through the darkness towards the next street. "This is what you get for picking a fight with him!"

"Thought he swung first! And didn't know he had friends!" Logan snapped back as the two of them slid out into another main street.

He looked around desperately as the sound of overturned trash cans and shouting echoed through the alley behind him, before Tuli yanked him to the right and into a small crowd of people standing in line outside a bar, forcing them to slow down a little to try and blend in. Slipping through the crowd, Logan glanced back to spot the cluster of men burst from alley and look around frantically, shouting at each other. Tuli kept moving forward, however, moving a little slower to make it look like they weren't running before dragging him into a small side street between the bar and a smithy that was closing up shop. Waves of heat enveloped the two of them as they slid through the narrow area, before Logan spotted a small yard with a tunnel through the buildings on the far side. The two of them crossed through, finding themselves in a small walkway with wooden doors on each side and a sharp right turn up ahead. Coming up to the corner, Logan glanced around the side, finding another street ahead of them.

"Hold on," Tuli whispered, looking behind them. The pair of them paused, listening carefully, but the sounds of footsteps and shouting were gone, faded into the regular noise of the city. "I think we lost them."

"Whew, that's a relief," Logan sighed. "Close one, hey?"

"No thanks to you."

"Hokay, hokay, mistakes were made. Don't need to rub it in, Short Stuff. Was _trying_ to do that without causing trouble, hey?"

"Yes, yes, I know it was an accident," Tuli replied, striding towards the street. "I know you were merely trying to help that waitress out."

"Hope she appreciated all that," Logan muttered. A moment of thought later, he smirked wickedly. "Maybe she be _grateful_ I got that guy out of her face, hey? Give me the date she wasn't giving up for him?"

"Please stop…" Tuulikki groaned. "If you're going to talk about that kind of thing, could you spare me from having to listen? I have no desire to hear of every little detail of your nightly ventures."

"Heh, shame, girlie. I got a lotta good stories that make tonight seem tame."

"These kind of nights are common occurrences for you?" Tuli asked, and Logan grinned.

"Eh, ain't the first time I gotta run away from a bar fight, hey? Least I wasn't drunk this time, or I might be doing the running with 'bout half this much clothes on."

"Ugh… Thank for that mental imagery…" the huntress groaned, shaking her head.

"What can I say? I always feel a bit… _warm_ when I is drunk. Gotta cool off somehow."

"Lovely," she replied flatly. "If I ever spend a night like tonight with you again, remind me to wear my full Rathian armor for the evening. It seems like I'd _need_ it."

Logan laughed. "I remember that, hey? But the night is still young, Short Stuff. Let's go find something else to do."

" _Really_? Honestly, I'm already exhausted…"

"C'mon, ain't they any restaurants you wanted to go to, or things you wanna see in this town? They's gotta be _someplace_ you always side-eyed when you walking past. Someplace you was too embarrassed to ask you buddies to go with you into? You don't gotta worry 'bout those kinda scruples with _me_ , hey?"

"Obviously not. Though, I suppose there is a food stall I saw-"

" _Found you_!"

Logan froze in shock. As he and Tuulikki had stepped onto the street, they'd nearly run head-first into the man Logan had punched back at the restaurant. Before either of them could react, the man slammed his forearm into Logan's neck, forcing him back into the alley several yards before twisting and shoving him against the nearby wall. A shriek and a string of venomous curses echoed through the alley as another of the men roughly grabbed Tuulikki, yanking her into the side street as well before managing to cover her mouth to blot out the noise. The other two men fanned out, one of them keeping near the entrance to the main road while the other made his way a few yards down the alley.

"So, thought you could get away, huh?" the man holding him growled. "Gonna teach you a lesson 'bout slugging people that ain't done you no wrong, boy!"

"Hey, you sure about this, man?" the man at the end of the alley asked nervously.

"Quit your bellyaching! I told you I was gonna get this guy back, I don't care who he is!"

"Yeah, but if he talks like that, then he's one of the old girl's boys, and if she finds out about this, she won't let it slide… I already got problems with Boris, I don't need problems with the rest of them!"

Logan glanced over at the man talking. 'If he talks like that'? Did they mean his accent? Who was the 'old girl'?

"Shut it!" the man holding Logan snapped. "One of her boys needs to learn a lesson, I'll teach it to him! Y'hear that? Your old lady ain't here to help you right now, and neither is anyone else in your family."

"What the hell you talking 'bout?" Logan growled. "What old lady? What _family_?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, brat! You and the rest of your Kin think you're big and bad, but you ain't _invincible_ -"

Logan tuned the man's words out a little, glancing around the alley as he blathered on about… whoever he was associating Logan with; he'd think about that later. For now he needed to get himself and Tuli out of this situation. The man in front of him was easy: he was still pretty drunk, and Logan's hands were free, so all he'd really need to do was introduce his nose to Logan's knee. The two standing guard were far enough away that he could get the first one down before they could react, but the problem was the man holding Tuli. Logan didn't want to involve someone else in a fight he'd started, but the look in her eyes showed that she was ready to throttle the man. Logan wasn't sure how much hand-to-hand combat experience the huntress had, so he'd have to make sure she could hold her own before-

Logan's thoughts ground to a halt as the man shoved his arm harder against Logan's throat, forcing him to return his attention to him. He was still rambling on the same as before. "-and it doesn't matter how tough your grandma is, I ain't gonna let one of her brats strong-arm people! I ain't afraid of her! I ain't afraid of you, or Boris, any of you Kin! So you'd best brace yourself for an ass-kicking, _boyo_ , 'cause I'm gonna-"

"Hey! Oh, shi-" _Whump_.

A strangled cry echoed through the alley as the man standing guard near the street sailed through the air, flying backwards several yards and crashing into the man further down the alley. Both men collapsed to the ground in a tangled mess, the thrown man clutching his gut and wheezing in pain. The man holding Logan stared at them for a moment before turning to face the street, and his eyes bulged in shock.

Logan followed his gaze and shared the same reaction. A man stood at the entrance to the alley… and he was _enormous_. Over seven feet tall and a wall of muscle, the man towered over everyone and was broad enough to fill almost the whole alley, blotting out the light from the street. Thinning brown hair was slicked back atop his head, and rough stubble decorated a stony jaw. A crooked grin creased across his face through half a dozen scars as he glared down at the people in the alley, scanning each person for a moment before landing on Logan, at which point his grin split into a broad and toothy smile, more like he was baring his fangs than anything else.

"B-B-Boris…"

The massive man's gaze snapped to the man holding Logan as the name tumbled out of his mouth, and his gaze narrowed. The man gasped slightly, releasing Logan and stumbling back slightly, allowing the hunter to tumble to the ground, coughing as he rubbed his throat. The giant took a single step forward, his smile seeming to grow more feral.

"So… hyu isn't afraid of me? Of _us_?" The man, Boris, let out a dark chuckle. "Tinkink Hy gonna hef to fix dot, hey?"

Logan turned, staring at the man in shock. Had he just…?

A clattering pulled his attention towards the dark end of the alley, just in time to spot the two men that had been that way sprinting around a corner and vanishing from sight. A moment of silence followed which was broken by Tuli letting out a yelp as the man holding her abruptly shoved her to the ground, turning to dart after his friends and leaving behind only the man that had been threatening Logan. The man held his ground just long enough for Boris to take another step closer before his courage failed him as well, and he turned and fled after his friends. A deep laugh rolled through the alley as Boris chuckled at the sight, before returning his sharp gaze down to Logan as the hunter pushed back to his feet.

Logan glanced over to Tuli, finding the huntress standing up as well. Her gaze was darting between Logan and the massive man, a wary look of concern on her face, but he subtly shook his head, showing that he was just as confused by this turn of events as she was. Logan tensed as Boris stepped towards him, the twisted smile still creased across his face.

"Who the hell is you supposed to-"

Before Logan could finish, Boris' right hand snapped forward, grabbing Logan's wrist with a massive hand and yanking him into the air until his toes were barely grazing the ground. Tuli shouted and shot forward, twisting her body around to aim a kick at the man's gut. However, the man caught Tuli's leg in mid air, stopping it with almost no effort and yanking the huntress upside down by the ankle.

"Now dat vasn't real nice, vas it, girlie?" he growled. "Hy ain't even introduced myself yet und hyu already svinging?"

"Hoy, what's the big idea?!" Logan snapped, swinging his boots up to kick the man in the chest. The blow barely made the man flinch, however, and Boris scoffed, swinging Logan sideways and slamming him into the brick wall, rattling him for a moment.

"Ho, und de boyo ain't much betta! Hy iz tinkink hyu iz schtill a liddle touchy from hyu run in vith Horace und his boys. But Hy iz _nice_. Hy onderstund hyu iz a liddle fired up. So vy don't hyu calm down so ve can hef a nice _talk_ … hey?"

Logan winced under the man's dark glare. "I don't… what's going on? Why is you-"

"Hoy, de boy sure schpeaks funny, don't he, brodder?" Logan turned as a shorter man appeared from behind Boris ('shorter' when compared to the large man, which wasn't saying much; he had at least a couple inches on Logan). He had a devious expression and a razor-sharp smirk. "Real _familiar_ tough. Tink Hy heard an accent like it before, ja?"

"Tink ve have," Boris agreed.

"Let go of me!" Tuli snapped, kicking at the man's arm, but he seemed unperturbed, giving the huntress a mildly annoyed expression. Almost nonchalantly the man tossed her in the air, making her gasp in shock, but before she could hit the ground, yet another man appeared, this one broad and heavyset, catching her out of the air and placing her gently on the ground. He kept a firm grip on her arms, however, pinning them to her side and not allowing her to pull away from him.

"Easy dere, girlie. No need for a fuss. Ve chust gonna hef a liddle talk vith hyu boy here."

Tuli turned and glared sharply at him. "So… there is no need for you to keep _me_ here."

The man raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Heh, schmot gurl. Not really, no… But ve don't vant henny _interruptions_ , hey? Interruptions hyu might go und find. So tinkink maybe ve chust keep hyu here."

"Hoy, you leave her outta this!" Logan growled.

The man holding onto Tuli smirked. "Aw, ain't dat nice uf hyu? But Hy iz tinkink hyu got odder tings to vorry 'bout, boyo… like vhy hyu got de same accent as us?"

"Aha. Dat iz a very goot qvestion, hey?" Boris grinned wickedly. "Dey ain't nobody in dis country dat talk like us, 'less dey's vun of de Kin… und hyu _ain't_ vun, so how come hyu talk like ve do? Hy iz tinkink dey's zum goot answers for such goot qvestions… But Hy iz also tinkink dat maybe ve ain't de only vuns vanna hear dose answers."

"Ho, hyu is right, brodder," the shorter man smirked. "Maybe _Mamma_ vanna hear de answers too. She gonna be interested in hearink vhy zum random liddle boyo talkink like he is."

"Now, _dere's_ an idea."

The man released Logan's fist, and he nearly toppled to the ground in surprise, but was caught by the smaller man, who quickly wrapped his arm around Logan's shoulder, pulling him in. Logan would've tried to jerk away, but a gleam of silver in the man's other hand showed that he had somehow pulled a long, curved dagger out from somewhere on his body, and he was twirling it nonchalantly between his fingers. Finally the dagger stopped spinning, with the point aimed at Logan's face.

"Now, now, boyo, Hy know Mamma's gonna vanna meet hyu, und it ain't polite to keep a lady vaitink, hey?"

Logan stared at the point of the blade, weighing his options… but the options were few, and he knew the good ones weren't likely to work, not without him or Tuli getting badly hurt. He nodded slowly. "Who's 'Mamma'?"

" _Mamma Titania_ ," Boris replied, grabbing both Logan and Tuli and pulling them towards him, hanging his heavy arms around their shoulders and pulling them out of the alley and down the road. "Vould tell hyu 'bout her, but… maybe iz betta for hyu to meet her hyuself, hey? She _expectink_ hyu."

Boris kept a tight grip on them, leaving little room for them to maneuver as he marched them through the narrow roads and dark alleys. They received a few odd looks from passersby, but a dark glare from the men leading them dissuaded anyone from staring too long. Whoever these men were, the people in Lowtown knew it was better not to interfere, no matter how the situation looked.

They didn't travel far. It only took a few minutes to reach their destination, as the three men marched them up to the doors of an aged stone structure. The building was surprisingly tall, almost two or three times taller than the other single-story buildings nearby, with towering doors and windows to match. It looked one or two centuries old, but probably hadn't been built with the intent to survive for so long, yet work had been done to strengthen the wear in the walls and keep the structure standing. Several other damage marks coated the wall as well, those that were less likely to be the result of age: small pockmarks had been broken out of several brick, and dozens of scorch marks littered the front wall. One of the windows was busted out and boarded up, and some of the boards looked like they'd been there a while. Logan could already hear an obnoxious amount of noise coming from within.

An aged metal plaque was imbedded into the wall near the front door, simply wrought with minimal decoration, and only reading "Mamma Titania's".

"This the place, kid," Boris chuckled, leaning in close to Logan. "Welcome home, _boyo_."

With a shove, the man pushed the two of them through the door and inside. The first room was a simple entryway, though very wide and tall, with wooden walls and a bouncer glancing at them from under a wide-brimmed hat. Boris patted Logan's shoulder roughly, and the bouncer nodded, tilting his head towards the entry to a larger room ahead.

Logan knew it was a bar before he even entered, hearing the ruckus from within even as they'd entered the building, and the lingering smell of spilt alcohol in the air. Small round tables, wooden chairs and stools… everything looked new, but in a bar like this Logan knew that was a sign for how rough this place could be: safe bars had old furniture that had been in use for a while, while dangerous ones had everything regularly replaced.

He didn't have time to appreciate the room further, however, as a gasp from Tuli dragged his attention to the far end of the room, and his eyes bulged in shock. There, sitting upon the upraised platform, was a veritable _giant_ of a woman! Logan was used to tall women; his own mother was over a full head taller than him. But even sitting down, Logan could tell that the woman on the stage had to stand at _least_ twelve feet tall upright, perhaps more. Her body wasn't unshapely or distorted either, and were it not for her incredible size, she would look no different than any other person. The explanation came quickly as Logan caught sight of her ears, long and pointed, as well as her three-pronged, taloned feet: the woman was Wyverian. Logan may have been left completely flabbergasted had he not already seen His Immenseness in person, but even so the woman's bulk was stunning.

The woman appeared to be wearing some sort of formal outfit, red robes which Logan had seen in places like Yukumo (what were they called… yakutas?), though hers was worn loosely, in a borderline slovenly manner, showing off the woman's legs and ample cleavage. The woman's pale body was built strongly, and covered in a fair number of scars, likely from being a hunter. His eyes flicked upwards for a moment, and he caught sight of a sword and shield hanging on the wall over the stage, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was no simple sword and shield: rather it was a great sword and a lancer's tower shield! Both were made from bright red materials; the shield was relatively undecorated, though golden lines stretched out from the base to the edges like rays of sunlight, and the great sword was broad and rectangular, flattened out at the end with several notches carved into the point. Mounted together like they were, to be displayed like a sword and shield… those had to be the woman's true weapons, massive though they were.

Her hair was jet black, long and silky, with a few thin streaks of silver shooting through it. It trailed down her back freely, dropping so far as to lie beside her on the floor, likely making it as long as she was tall. Her face was narrow and smooth, and she likely would have been considered a rare beauty were in not for the two prominent scars which dropped over each eye and down to the middle of her cheeks, as well as the fierce expression on her face. There was also a large cane next to her, and though Logan wasn't certain whether she needed it to walk, he figured it had other uses, judging by the sharp angles of the handle, and the thick metal it was made from. In one hand, she carried a wide porcelain saucer larger than most shields, empty now but likely formerly filled with alcohol, judging from the uncorked jug next to her.

The woman was speaking to a man at the base of her stage, but as Logan and Tuli were dragged her way, her dark red eyes snapped to them, focused and sharp as they bored into the pair. She cocked her head slightly as they were marched right up to the edge of the stage, leaning forward and looming over the two hunters menacingly. After a few moments of silence, the edges of her lips curled up in a devious smile. Logan wasn't even surprised to find that several of her front teeth were more pointed than normal, giving her what appeared to be a collection of fangs.

"So… dis is dem, hey?" she asked, glancing at Boris, whose grip on the great sword user's shoulder had never faltered. Her voice was dark, and smooth like velvet, holding not a little hint of menace in them. She had the same accent as Logan, the same accent as the three men that had cornered them in the alley.

"That's right," the man replied.

The woman turned back to them, studying them intently. Or rather, studying Logan intently. Her eyes seemed to be scanning every little detail about him, and she seemed frustrated by what she saw. Then she leaned forward.

"So, I is told you was talking like us earlier, hey?"

Logan glanced around nervously; the room had gotten quieter as he and Tuli had been marched to the front of the room. Most of those around him wore curious expressions, but a few looked excited, while others had a more… bloodthirsty look on their faces.

"Ja…" Logan replied quietly, looking around. One of Titania's eyebrows rose slightly, as the edge of her lips coiled into a twisted smile.

"Ho _ho_. Looks like my boys was right, hey?" As Logan looked around nervously, something swung at his face, and he flinched back as the base of the woman's cane was suddenly an inch from his throat. The tip of the cane rolled under his chin, lifting it up so his eyes were forced to meet hers. "Pay attention, _darling_. Tell me why you talking like us, and maybe I don't show you how hard I can swing this cane, hey?"

"My… I… I was just… just raised to talk like this."

"Ho, really?" the woman purred. The Wyverian furrowed her brows and rubbed her chin in thought. After a few moments of consideration, she seemed to have a sudden realization, and she turned on Logan again. "You don't say… Thinking maybe we skipped a few steps at the start. What you name, darling?"

"Uh… Logan."

"You _full_ name."

"It's… Logan Sturmtrum."

The woman's lips peeled back, splitting into a wide and… slightly maniacal-looking grin. " _Sturmtrum_? Really? Then would that make you the son of _Lynn_ Sturmtrum?"

"What?" Logan gasped. "You… you know my Mamma?"

The woman leaned back, leering at Logan as she released a dark chuckle and looked around the room. "Oh, yes… We certainly remember Lynn, don't we?"

"We sure do," one of the men nearby growled, roughly slamming his palm into Logan's shoulder and giving him a sinister smile. He was short and stout, but looked like he could wrestle a Congalala to the ground. "Remember her _real_ good… That woman broke my arm the last time I saw her."

"She dislocated my jaw!" another man shouted.

"Gave me a concussion," a short woman with countless scars on her arms growled.

"See? We know you mamma _very_ well, hey?" Titania smirked. "Lotta my boys and girls here got some memories 'bout the last time we saw her. In fact… thinking a lot of them wanna share those memories with you, darling."

"That's right!" the stout man from before growled. With a tug he yanked Logan out of Boris' grip, holding the great sword user out in front of him and pulling his other arm back into a fist. "Smile, pretty boy! Here's something I owe your mother!"

However, before the man could throw a punch, a wooden mug wrapped in iron hoops crashed into the side of the man's face, stunning him and making him unclench his fist to rub the side of his face and wipe off the booze. Logan reached up and tore the man's hand from his collar before pulling back and kicking him in the chest, throwing him back and knocking over a table, sending plates and mugs clattering to the ground. He turned towards where the flying mug had come from and spotted Tuli with her arm outstretched, having somehow managed to wrench herself free from Boris' grip and grab a mug from a nearby table.

He also saw an entire barroom full of men and women with battle-thirsty grins covering their faces.

"Looks like the girlie wants to join the fun!" Titania cackled. "Come on, boys, let's welcome them _both_ properly!"

Every voice in the room roared their approval, and in a flash Logan found three of the bar-goers lunging towards him, fists raised and with maniacal looks on their faces. His eyes darted towards Tuli, who had several others converging on her, but he was forced to focus on his own assailants as the closest came at him with a wide haymaker punch, and Logan raised his left arm to block, cringing as the fist clipped his cast and sent a small lance of pain up his arm; how was he supposed to fight back properly with a healing arm? He was caught off guard, however, when the man's next swing changed trajectory, dropping and striking him in the gut, sending him sliding backwards into the edge of the stage. He could hear Titania chuckling behind him as the men approaching him grinned maniacally, closing in on all sides.

The man on his left charged in, swinging another haymaker, and Logan ducked under the blow and stepped around the man, before spinning around and jamming his elbow into the man's side and slamming him into the stage. As the man groaned in pain, Logan grabbed him by the hem of his coat and kicked his ankle out from under him, and as he feet fell the greatsword user hurled him sideways and into the man on the right, sending both to the ground in a heap.

As he turned to face the third man, however, the man's fist smashed into his jaw, making stars explode in his eyes. The man grabbed his shoulder, yanking him in for and slamming his fist into Logan's side with a sneer. "Come on, kid, this the best you got? Gonna have to do better than that!"

The grip on Logan's shoulder shoved down, bending Logan over as the other arm wrapped around his waist. With a roar, the man spun Logan upside down, hurling him away from the stage and towards the nearest wall, where he crashed to the floor and smashed through a collection of chairs and into the base of one of the tables, sending a rain of half-eaten plates and silverware clattering to the floor. Logan shook his head to chase off the dizziness to find the man sliding around to table and reaching for Logan's shirt.

Logan snarled and kicked at the man's ankle, and the man cursed as he dropped down to one knee. It was close enough for Logan to reach, and he grabbed a handful of the man's greasy hair and yanked down, smashing his face against the stone floor. The man howled as he pushed himself up, blood streaming from a probably-broken nose and split lip, and Logan finished up by kicking him in the jaw and throwing him onto his back.

A pair of strong arms slid under his own before he could push to his feet, and Logan yelped in pain as another bruiser hoisted him up and locked his arms with a full nelson. The hunter struggled to pull free, but his captor was much stronger than him. From Logan's front, a sinister-looking woman with countless scars notching her face and arms marched forward and jabbed him in the gut, followed by a slug across the face. Logan groaned, tasting the coppery flavor of blood on his tongue.

"Come on, brat! Whatcha gonna do now?"

"Urk… how 'bout this?" Logan growled, yanking both feet into the air and pulling his knees against his chest. The man holding him grunted in surprise at the sudden weight increase, but held firm, allowing Logan to point the soles of his boots at the woman's face.

"Ah. Nice," the woman muttered, before Logan kicked both legs out, slamming them into her face and hurling her backwards into the crowd.

The man holding Logan teetered a bit as Logan's legs swung back down to the ground, but his grapple still held. Logan pulled his leg back, sliding his foot between the man's legs and hooking his ankle behind the man's heel. With a sharp kick, Logan forced the man's leg out from under him and pushed backwards, sending them both falling back. The man yelped, releasing Logan's arms to catch himself, but Logan used his new freedom and momentum to pull back his elbow, and as the two of them hit the ground, Logan slammed his elbow straight into the man's sternum. The man wheezed, clutching his chest and rolling onto his side. Logan pushed onto his feet and reached down, grabbing the man by the lapels and pulling him up so that they were face-to-face.

"Mamma always said I shouldn't break stuff in a bar…" Logan growled. "Figure she'd approve here though, hey?"

The man sputtered out a confused "What?" before Logan roared, hoisting him into the air and hurling him across the bar, crashing into one of the tables and splintering at the base, throwing the mugs and bottles that had been atop it smashing to the floor. A shout and footsteps from behind gave him enough warning of another attack, and he dodged to the side as a large, bulky woman whiffed her punch. Logan reached towards the nearest table, grabbing the neck of a bottle and shattering it against the woman's skull. To his shock, however, the woman seemed unfazed, whirling around and slugging him with an uppercut that lifted him off his feet and back onto the seat of one of the booths.

Logan was dazed for a moment before spotting the woman reaching for his legs. He swung his arm up onto the tabletop, feeling around for anything he could use until his hand grabbed one of the shakers. He pulled it back - the pepper shaker, apparently - and fumbled with the cap using the fingers poking through his cast as she grabbed him by the ankles. The woman pulled as the cap popped free, and Logan swung his arm, throwing a cloud of pepper into the woman's face, sending her backwards, coughing and rubbing her eyes.

Logan hopped back to his feet, bracing himself for more attackers, when his gaze landed on Tuli. The huntress was standing on one of the nearby tables, kicking sharply at a pair of men that were trying to grab her and pull her down. With a growl, Logan lunged at the woman that had been hit with pepper and slammed his shoulder into her chest. The woman was so sturdy that he barely managed to budge her but the surprise of the hit made her stumble, and Logan was able to shove her backwards across the barroom floor as she tried to keep from falling over. One of the men harassing Tuli turned in surprise a moment before Logan slammed the woman into him, throwing both of them to the floor, and when the other one turned in anger, Tuli took the chance to leap off the table and catch him with a guillotine kick to the shoulder, flooring him almost instantly.

"You okay, girlie?" Logan asked.

"So far, I- duck!"

Logan dropped his head as Tuli knelt, grabbing a half-eaten plate of food from the table and hurling it over Logan's head. There was a _splat_ and a yelp, and Logan turned to find another man wiping some kind of sauce of his face. Logan growled under his breath, grabbing the man by the shoulder and punching him in the nose, knocking him back into another cluster of bar-goers right behind him.

As the man was pulled into the crowd, however, he was only replaced by more men and women looking just as crazed as him. Logan stepped backwards fearfully under a sea of slasher smiles and wild eyes. He'd taken down… what, five or six, maybe more? He hadn't been counting, and who knew if anyone of them were going to _stay_ down, but even if Tuli had managed to take down just as many, or even two or three times as much, it was just a single mug poured out of the barrel. There were maybe another fifty or sixty hoodlums in the room alone, and that was only the ones he could see. And Titania herself… she hadn't even budged, and was leaning back and watching like it was all just a show. Logan and Tuli found themselves side-by-side and backing into a corner as a small horde of lunatics pressed towards them.

"We're in trouble," the huntress stated simply.

"I can see that, Short Stuff."

"Can we get to the door?" Tuli muttered. There was a roar from the side as a man charged them from the side, and the huntress cursed and pushed Logan back a step, grabbing the back of a nearby chair and hurling it across the ground towards his legs. He yelped in shock as his feet were knocked out from under him, and Logan stepped forward to kick him in the side.

"Don't think so, girlie," Logan growled. "They's about twenty of them between here and there."

"Backdoors?"

"Dunno if they is one. Maybe we just pin ourselves in deeper."

" _Windows_?"

"They boarded up… and if they wasn't we just gonna get sliced up trying. People jumping through windows without armor don't come out the other side so pretty, hey?"

All of a sudden the crowd before them seemed to part, and Logan could see Boris approaching them. The man was rolling his shoulder and looking just as eager for a fight as any of the others, but aside from Titania herself, he was far bigger and far more dangerous-looking than anyone else in the room, and just the _thought_ of fighting the man sent a chill down Logan's spine.

"Hoy, girlie," Logan muttered, glancing her way. She'd paled slightly at the sight of Boris' approach. "You really good and jumping, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Got an idea, hey? We make for the door, you right behind me, then when I hit 'em, you jump off my shoulders over the lot of 'em. If you quick you can get to the door before any of 'em grab you."

"That… But what about you?"

Logan shrugged. "I is tough. Probably could last long enough for you to find one of the guard, hey?"

"What?! But they could-"

"Thinking whatever they gonna do to me gonna be the same whether you here or not, girlie. Might as well get you outta here while you can. Ain't no sense in _both_ of us getting our butts kicked, hey?"

"I don't… That's not…"

"You got any better ideas?"

"...Fine. I'll bring help as fast as I can."

"Hope so, girlie. Now come on!"

With a roar, Logan lunged towards the door, with Tuli only a couple steps behind. Sure enough several patrons clustered together to block his path, but he plowed into them anyway, forcing them back a step. A moment later he felt Tuli's sandals against his back as she spring-boarded off of him, leaping into the air over the surprised faces of the men and women around him-

Only to be grabbed by the leg by Boris. Tuli yelped in shock as she abruptly found herself dangling in the air by her leg again, and Logan shouted in dismay, but before he could do anything Boris swung the huntress sideways, hurling her at him. Tuli crashed headlong into Logan, throwing both of them to the ground. Before either of them could push back to their feet they were mobbed by at least a dozen men and women, dragging them upwards, laughing as they-

"Hokay, that's good enough."

Mamma Titania's voice pierced clearly through the chaos and mayhem of the fight, and abruptly everything stopped. Every man and woman in the room that had been vying to beat the snot out of the two hunters suddenly pulled back, leaving Logan and Tuulikki in the center of a wide circle by themselves, side-by-side and bracing themselves for another attack.

There was a groan of wood, and Logan and Tuulikki both turned as Titania pushed to her feet. Logan's heart sank at the sight as the Wyverian stepped off the stage and strode towards them; she had to be almost three times as tall as him, and certainly didn't look like a scrub when it came to fighting. If she was stepping in to fight as well… even if he and Tuulikki teamed up on her, he doubted they could win. But the woman didn't look like she was raring for a fight. Rather, her face was split into a wide, joyful smile.

"Heheh. Yep, you is definitely Lynn's boy," the Wyverian chuckled. "Little weaker than I'd hoped, but that's fine."

Logan braced himself uncomfortably as several of the others in the crowd shouted their agreement. Several of them were praising his combat skills, as well as Tuulikki's. Others were complimenting how well he'd done with a cast on his arm. Others still were applauding how well he'd worked using tables and chairs and anything else he could find to fight off their attackers.

"Uh… what?"

Titania barked a laugh, and knelt down so that her face was level with his. Her face split into a broad, welcoming smile. "Let me introduce myself all proper-like, hey? I is _Mamma Titania_ , proprietor of this bar. And you… _you_ is Lynn's son. That make me you great-great-great-great… uh, great-grandmother, hey? Or something like that."

Logan's jaw would've hit the floor if it wasn't attached to his head. " _What_?!"

The crowd around them roared with laughter, and Titania's grin only grew wider. "That's right! You mamma is my descendant! Welcome to the family, boy!" She laughed, yanking the hunter right off his feet and into the air, pulling him into a tight hug. Logan wheezed in pain from the force of it; he felt like a stuffed toy compared to the woman's size. Finally, she set him down, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. "Heh, is nice to see some black hair in the family tree 'gain! Seems like all my descendants only coming out brunette these last hundred years or so, hey?"

"Wait wait wait!" Logan snapped, swatting the woman's hand away. "What you mean, you is _related_ to me? I never heard of you!"

"Is _true_ , boyo," the Wyverian smirked. "You _sure_ you mamma never mentioned me? Thinking they's gotta be least once she talk 'bout us."

"What? No… I is pretty sure she…"

Logan paused, thinking back. The name 'Titania' did ring a bell… the Shield had mentioned her before the first exam, said she was a real terror in a fight (and Logan could now see why). Lynn, however… he _did_ recall her mentioning someone named Titania once a long time ago, maybe back when Logan was only maybe ten. She'd also mentioned once that she wanted to introduce him to 'Mamma', but Logan had written that off as just talking in her sleep. Even still, to have a distant relative like this and mention her only twice…? But on second thought, his mother really didn't talk with the family he _did_ know about either, which these days only really meant her brother-in-law and great-nephew.

"Thought of something, darling?" Titania grinned.

"Hold on, this doesn't make any sense," Tuli cut in, stepping between Logan and Titania and scowling up at the Wyverian. In another situation, Logan would've been amused at the sight: the smallest woman he'd ever met glaring daggers up at the largest was an entertaining sight. "Even if he is related to you - no, _especially_ if he is, why the hell would you attack him like you did? I may not get along with… all my own family, but even I would not assault anyone without provocation!"

"Oh, that little tussle?" Titania shrugged. "Was just our way of welcoming someone into the family! Good fight is the best way to figure out what someone is _really_ made of, hey?"

"You… but that is _insane_!"

"Can dig out the old family records if you want."

"Really seemed like you was trying to kill us," Logan agreed. "This really the way you treat you family?"

The Wyverian smirked, motioning to the crowd around them. "Think about it, darling. You really think you'd still be standing if we all wanted you smooshed to paste?"

Logan and Tuli looked around, shifting nervously under the dark grins that surrounded them. "Eh… maybe not."

"You see? This just our way of saying 'hello', hey? 'Sides, you know you mamma as well as anyone, darling. You _really_ surprised to find out she come from a family like this one?"

"Hmm… Guess not," Logan admitted. Tuli gave him a concerned look, and all he could do was shrug sheepishly.

"Heh, see? What I tell you? And now that all that's over, you is an official member of the family!" The men and women around them roared their approval, and all of a sudden Logan found himself mobbed by the lot of them, but instead of the violence from before, the horde was treating him to pats on the back, shaking his hand, and even a few hugs as drinks were shoved into his and Tuli's hands. Titania smiled as she turned and walked back to the stage, sitting on the edge. "I has already introduced myself all proper-like, but the rest of this rabble is a part of the family too! A part of the _Rohkin_."

"The… _Rohkin_?" Logan asked. The man he'd slugged at the restaurant had called him a Kin…

"That's right. Guess a Therian boy ain't gonna know 'bout us… but looking like you girlie here does."

Logan turned to Tuli. The huntress was still fairly close to him, and her fists were still clenched as if she was still expecting the worst. Sure enough, she had a look of recognition on her face at the name, though being singled out made her fidget nervously. "Ah… I… may have heard the name once or twice."

"Really?" Titania leered. "And what is folks saying 'bout us?"

"Umm…"

"Go on, girlie. Let's hear it. Ain't nothing I haven't heard before."

"People… say that… you are a collection of mercenaries and hired thugs. They say you are brutes and lunatics. The worst type of hoodlums the city has to offer."

"Heh, you is being _generous_ ," Titania smirked, and a few of those around them laughed wickedly. "Heard a lotta worse things said 'bout me than that, hey? Thing is though, most of the stories you _ain't_ saying out loud… they's all probably true, hey?"

Tuli paled slightly, making Logan wonder exactly what sort of stories she'd heard about these people. All around them, members of the 'Kin' were grinning, and a few were discussing… acts of violence or other such things they'd committed. Logan stared around, feeling slightly disoriented at everything. He jolted slightly as one of them, the woman he'd kicked in the face he realized, came by and patted him on the shoulder and welcomed him to the 'family', grinning even while she had a set of tissues stopping up a bleeding nose, but Logan only nodded lamely, staring down at the glass of beer in his hand but not drinking anything.

"You okay, darling?" Titania asked, kneeling down again and looking at him with a surprising amount of concern. Logan didn't reply, looking around nervously at the rest of the crowd around him. Titania raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Hmm… Suppose we can be a little off-putting if you isn't ready for this kind of thing? Guess a lotta this caught you off guard. Maybe you want a more _private_ talk, hey?"

"Uh, ja… think so…"

"Hokay," Titania said, standing upright and snapping her fingers. "Me and Logan here gonna have a talk. The rest of you keep the girlie entertained."

"Wait, what?" Tuli sputtered, before yelping in shock as one of the women in the crowd grabbed her by the waist and lifted her into the air over her head. "Hey! Put me down!"

"Nope!" the woman laughed. "Mamma's having some bonding time with her grandson, so you get to hang out with us!"

"What?! No! I can- Don't- Logan! Logan, tell them to- Hand's off! _Logan_!"

Tuli's frustrated shouts echoed through the room as the huntress carried her into the next room, where the sounds were quickly muffled by the laughter and other sounds of the bar. Logan frowned and scratched his head nervously.

"Eh… she gonna be okay?" Logan muttered.

"She gonna be _fine_ , hey?" Titania chuckled. "My boys and girlies are a mean bunch, but they just wanna have fun. She you friend too, so they treat her nice and gentle."

"Thinking you idea of 'nice and gentle' ain't the same as mine…"

"Heh, won't argue with that. Now come on. My place is in the back." Logan hesitated for a moment longer before finally turning to follow the Wyverian into a tall side hallway. A heavy pair of footsteps followed behind them, and Logan turned to find Boris trailing close behind them. Titania seemed unperturbed by his presence, leading the two men up to a towering iron door (with a smaller door embedded into the bottom center), pulling it open and leading the two of them inside.

What lay beyond the door took Logan by surprise: it was merely the interior of a comfortable, but fully-furnished house. However, it made Logan feel as though he had shrunk in size, where everything was twice or thrice as big as it would normally be, sized up to fit Titania's needs. Dressers and furniture were tall enough that he had to crane his neck to look over them. The Wyverian waved her hand vaguely in Boris' direction, motioning towards the door. "No interruptions 'less they's a big problem, hey?"

"Got it, Mamma," the man replied, plopping down in a normal-sized chair near the door and picking up a book to skim through.

Titania continued through an archway, leading Logan into a lounge of sorts. Several large chairs were arranged, each as big as the wagon that Logan and Bram shared, with pillows that were bigger than Logan himself. The room was coated with a great collection of trinkets and oddities, but there were far fewer trophies and displays than Logan would've expected, and most of the decor looked as though it had been hung up out of sentimental value more than anything else. The only real trophy displayed in the room was the head of a… Logan thought the creature was called a Teostra, mounted on one wall, but even that seemed little cared for, as it was hung crooked, and the horns and tusks of creature were being used to hang coats from.

"Take a seat," Titania said, waving her hand in the direction of the far wall. Logan frowned; the smallest chair would require him to climb to get up into it. Grunting in determination, he approached a large couch which stretched at least twenty feet long and vaulted up onto the cushions. A few moments of shuffling around and he eventually found it most comfortable to sit with his legs crossed in the center of the cushion. Looking back up towards Titania, he found that she had sunk into an armchair that had been made to match her size, and was reclining comfortably into it.

"So," she purred contentedly. "I is thinking you gotta lotta questions."

"Yeah, I… gotta lot of 'em," Logan sighed, running his fingers through his black hair. "So… you is _really_ my mamma's great-great… uh… ancestor?"

"Yep, and _you_ ancestor as well. Can go dust off the old family records if you want." The Wyverian motioned vaguely to a door off to the side. "Think they's buried somewhere in my boudoir… You can trace you family line all the way back to the old ones in Cathar if you want, hey? We Wyverians got a long memory for these things… You mamma help me fill in a few gaps we was missing for a century or so, so that branch I was worried 'bout is nice and grown again." Titania grinned as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Might gotta get it out anyway. We gotta add _you_ to the tree, and I guess Barras and his girlie had they first child 'bout a month ago…"

"Uh… right, I… I guess." Titania tilted her head curiously, staring at him. Logan averted his eyes, staring down at the hands folded together in his lap. "It's… just… The thing is, I'm not… I… I is _adopted_. I is not… not actually-"

"Pfft. Big deal. You really think that matters?" Titania cut him off, surprising him. "What, you think something simple like that gonna make a difference? Let me ask you this: do you think of Lynn as you mamma?"

"Ja…"

"And do she think of you as her son?"

"Yes."

"Then you is family! Is easy at that, hey? When you second uncle Vincent's buddy died during a hunt, Vince took in his son as his own, and now the boy is on the family tree, same as you will be. Is like that saying goes… erm, can't remember it that well… Blood and water, something like that?"

"Blood is thicker than water?"

"Yes! Wait. No! What? That ain't right…"

"Think it's, 'the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb', hey?" Boris' voice echoed in from the entry hall.

"Ho, yes, that's the one!" Titania laughed. "That's why we say Boris is the smart one here."

" _He's_ the smart one?"

"Heh, what, you think he was only dumb muscle?" the Wvyerian smirked. "I don't like it when my family act stupid, hey? Gotta be _smart,_ darling… least, as smart as a buncha _brutes and lunatics_ can be."

"Oh… um, I see."

"So, anything you wanna know?"

"Ja, you could say that… What is this place?"

"Is 'Mamma Titania's'!" the Wyverian cackled. "Says so right by the front door, hey?"

"It- Ja, I _know_ , but… You is my great-great-something grandmother, they's folks 'round here related to my mamma, apparently she been here before… Why I never hear 'bout this place before?"

Titania raised an eyebrow. "She never told you 'bout this place? Not even a little? Her letter said she was gonna tell you to drop by…"

"Her… she sending you letters?"

"Every now and then. I get one every few years, filling me in on what she up to. Telling me she take in a little _Lost baby boy_ , raising him as her own." Titania paused in thought for a moment and laughed to herself. "Kinda funny, hey?"

"What?"

"You is my great-great-great-great-great-grandson, darling. But, at the same time, you is _technically_ way, way older than me. I is one of the oldest living humanoids in the world, and I got a descendant that's, eh, thirty times older than me? Ha!" Logan couldn't help but chuckle at the idea. Titania continued to grin to herself as she leaned against one of the armrests of her chair. "Anyway, few months ago, you mamma said she you and you 'prentices were coming to Gahiji, hey? Said she'd send you our way, all subtle-like."

"I don't think…"

Logan paused, tilting his head in thought. 'Mamma's'. The name sounded familiar, but… Then it hit him. He remembered, back before he, Sonia, and Bram had left Theron, his mother had told him that if he ever visited Dundorma, that he should stop by a place called 'Mamma's'. She'd _said_ it had pretty good food, and he'd meant to stop by when Stellazzio had passed through, but he'd forgotten about it after getting roped into becoming Tuli's apprentices. Then, once he'd arrived in town, she'd mentioned the place again in a letter, asking him to find out if the beer at Mamma's was still worth drinking. He'd meant to check the place out, but between Sonia's recovery and preparing for the exam, it had once again slipped his mind…

"Erm… guess she may have mentioned it a couple times, but…"

"Heh, well, is always tricky trying to act all subtle-like about this place, hey?" Titania chuckled. "But that's half the fun! Trick you kiddies into coming here, not knowing what to expect, and then the entire bar finds out how tough they is! Find out how much pepper they got in them, eh darling?"

"So that _is_ something you do for everyone?"

"Eh… most folks. Not all, hey? Not every one of my descendants gonna be a tough guy, not every one of them gonna be big and strong. We take it easy, see what they made of." The Wyverian smirked, resting her head against her fist. "If you think my boys and girls weren't holding back in there 'gainst you and you little girlie, maybe you take a few too many smacks, hey? The young folks is only sent here when they mamma or pappa thinks they is ready to prove they worth, but they never gonna take on the whole bar, darling, no matter how good they is. But even if they's weak, long as they got the fire in they heart to _try_ , we ain't gonna be disappointed."

"And… _everyone_ out in the bar is you descendants? Hoy… didn't know I had quite so many relatives, hey?"

Titania barked a laugh at the statement. "Ha! No no no… Maybe I is old enough to have that many grandchildren… Maybe. But you ain't got that many cousins, darling. The family tree don't branch out _quite_ that far. Only 'bout ten or so out there is in the family proper, hey? The rest is friends and comrades, folks that like it here. The Rohkin. The family. _My_ family."

"Still, I woulda thought Mamma'd mention if I have cousins, even if they was in another country."

"Eh, maybe. Personally, I is of the same mindset. I like keeping track of all my descendants, but I don't really leave Dundorma too often anymore, and you mamma's branch of the family… they wasn't really the type to keep in touch, hey? Don't surprise me that she never told you 'bout us," Titania said matter-of-factly. "Truth is, you mamma only visited this place once… and was a bad time in her life, hey? Right after her boy, Oswald, died."

"Oh…"

"Ja, ja. Might be why she don't wanna talk 'bout it, hey? Maybe she ain't so tore up 'bout him these days, but back then? _Whooph_. Was like watching a corpse walk through the door first time she show up. Prob'ly don't help she was thinking that maybe we gonna _kill_ her the second she say who he is… Maybe she actually _want_ it that way-"

"Hoy, _what_?! You was gonna-"

"We was _not_ gonna kill her!" Titania snapped, turning to glare at Logan. "Just saying I is pretty sure that _she_ thought we was."

"Eh… can't imagine why," Logan muttered, "the way you people say 'hello' is any indication…"

"Hmph. We didn't do that to her. Not at first, anyway. She look like she was hollow inside; ain't no fun fighting someone like that, hey? Reason she think we gonna kill her is 'cause of you great-grandpapa." The look of confusion on Logan's face made Titania roll her eyes. "Guess you family never told you _that_ story either, hey? Don't surprise me, all things considered. Is the reason you side of the family don't really… keep in touch."

"What happened?"

"Hoy…" Titania groaned, leaning back in her seat. " _That's_ a story… All started back 'bout hundred and thirty or forty years ago. The young blood of the family was you great-grandpapa, Holt, and his brother, Carson. Those two was inseparable, and a coupla the best hunters you ever see in these parts. The best team you ever seen! Heh, the prim ol' Purists like to turn they noses up at us Rohkin, but was hard for them to mock when my boys was marching back into town ahead of the nastiest creatures you ever seen on a regular basis, hey? Thinking they still hold the record for Deviljhos slain as a team… maybe. Been a while, and I ain't kept too close a watch on things. Still they made they grandma _proud_.

"Anyway, back then Carson was head-over-heels in _love_ with a huntress called Morgana. Pretty little thing he met when the boys was doing work near the Blasted Land, I think. Heh, I really liked that girl. A real sweetheart, but tough as nails. Was from the desert area, so she used to hunt Diablos and Monoblos all the time, hey? Would pluck out they eyes and pickle them in this mix of… honey and hot peppers, and serve 'em up at feasts."

"Ugh… really?" Logan groaned, wrinkling his nose.

Mamma grinned wistfully at the memory. " _Lovely_ woman. Wish I'd gotten that recipe from her."

"Remind me never to eat here, hey?"

"Heheh. So, Carson and Morgana's relationship continue like most relationships do, things happen, they announce they engagement, planning the marriage. Holt's all set up to be the best man, hey? Anyway, day of the wedding comes, and… well, thinking you can guess what happened, hey?"

"Girlie runs off with his brother?" Logan asked, and Titania nodded.

"Is a real cliché, ja? Gotta admit, didn't see it coming. Always knew Morgana and Holt got along real good, but never thought she was _that_ sweet on him. But Carson… Carson was _furious_. As long as I been alive, they's only been so many times I seen someone burn with hate like that. All his love for the girlie, the love for his brother, and they both betrayed him like that? That day he declared a blood feud."

"A… blood feud?"

"Yep. Swore that he would have his revenge, no matter what. He _swore_ he would kill Holt, and maybe even Morgana if he ever found them. And he also swore that if he couldn't find them, then his descendants would find Carson's descendants and kill _them_ , until they'd gotten revenge for the betrayal."

"What?! He announced that? To everybody? Why wouldn't the city guards-"

"Eh, was a different time back then, darling. If you think folks in Gahiji is big on honor and pride _these_ days, the kinda things folks did back then was _wild_. Feuds and broken honor was like… challenging someone to a duel or something, not _strictly_ legal, but wasn't like murder so you wouldn't be arrested or nothing. Carson's anger was so hot and so heavy… We couldn't stop him. We all tried to talk him out of it, but they was no reasoning with him. He had gone mad with rage. Holt and Morgana had left town, hoping his brother would calm down and forgive him, but it was not to be. He chased after Holt for _two years_ with murder in his heart, following rumors and stories from one corner of Gahiji to the other, never resting or slowing down, 'cept when he lost they trail and they was in hiding again."

The Wyverian sighed wearily. "Guess it all became too much for Holt and Morgana. Maybe they was hoping that Carson would forgive them, but after two years… guessing they'd given up hope of that. So the two of them pack up and run 'cross the border into Theron, hoping to escape Carson's hunt. Was… was painful to get that letter from you great-grandpapa. Said they was going to change they name and everything, hide themselves someplace safe… and they wasn't gonna send us any more letters. I gotta hear about one of my descendants hunting down his brother already, now I gotta hear that I never gonna hear from Holt again to protect his wife and children.

"Hmph. And Holt wasn't even deterred by _that_. Swore he would chase the two down, even if he had to scour all of Theron… Got his passport, got all his things in order. Only thing he didn't have was _money_. Boy'd spent most of what he got on the wedding, and then all the work he put in hunting his brother and runaway bride, hey? He was broke! We sure as hell wasn't gonna give him money, so the boy had to stop to work up some dough for his journey…"

Titania paused, frowning and rubbing the brim of her nose. "And then the story go from sad to real _stupid_ , hey? Carson goes off north, killing Zamtrios or something for a lotta cash… then he come home a month later, and they's a pretty little girl hanging off his arm wearing a wedding band. Say he was injured fighting a real big one of them sharq-frogs and had to visit a clinic up there. The girlie there is his nurse, and the fools fall in love with each other at first sight, and they go and get married after they know each other for a week!"

" _What_."

"That's what the rest of us say!" Mamma snapped, rising to her feet and waving her arms dramatically. "We all asking him, 'what about Holt', 'what about Morgana', and he just say he ain't even mad no more! That he just gonna forget about that whole blood feud thing and let bygones be bygones since now he got this _new_ girlie and ain't even broken up 'bout Morgana no more! But the two of them already run away to Theron and nobody know where to find them! How we supposed to let them know that they can come home, that they don't gotta worry 'bout being hunted down? But that fool Carson was too stupid-in-love to really think 'bout that kind of thing! I gave that fool such a smack, was a good thing that girlie he got was a _nurse_ , I tell you that!"

With a miserable groan, Mamma slouched deeper into her chair. "Anyway, after that we tried to get hold of Holt and Morgana, but they already hid theyselves away. Can't send letters to folk when you don't know they name is or where they living, hey? Even Carson couldn't do nothing 'bout it all. So we didn't do nothing, and hoped Holt and Morgana would find they happiness wherever they ended up, hey? Find a nice place all quiet-like and start a family of they own…"

Mamma grew quiet, smiling wistfully. "Suppose he did, hey? Didn't hear hide nor hair of him or his wife until you mamma show up at our doors, saying she was his granddaughter. Though, like I said, girlie looked dead to the world. Her boy Oswald was dead and she don't take it so good, hey? Hearing Holt's stories 'bout the feud, thinking maybe she come all this way hoping one of Carson's kids gonna kill her on the spot."

"She wouldn't!" Logan replied sharply. "She's ain't the type to-"

"Hmph. Maybe. Maybe not. She never said why she come all this way looking for us. Maybe she just need a change of scenery, hey? But everyone's got they weak moments, even you mamma," Titania told him, taking a long draft from the bottle. "But… whatever reason she come all this way, we took her in like any other member of the family, hey? Put the, uh, _initiation test_ on hold, but we welcome her and give her a place to stay while she… work out her problems. Managed to weasel out the names of her family, sent them some letters letting them know where Lynn was. Had to be _real_ careful 'bout the wording though; didn't want none of them thinking the feud was still in effect. Told them we'd look after her 'til she was all better.

"Girlie ended up living here for 'bout six months. Spent a lotta that time drinking, bemoaning the things she don't like 'bout her life and… 'bout herself. You mamma's not as strong as she pretends to be, tries to cover all the things she thinks make her weak by being loud and confident. I seen a lotta girlies like her during my life… The loss of her boy was the worst of it, but they was days when she do nothing but compare herself to her sister, Briar; 'the prettier one, the smarter one, the better hunter'. Guess they was a complex there… suppose everyone got someone they trying to measure up to."

Titania sighed, and a gentle smile crossed her face. "But time passed, and slowly but surely you mamma got better. Started getting along with the family, laughing, telling jokes and stories… heh, _fighting_. Holt always was a bruiser in the ring, guess he taught all his kiddies how to throw down just as good. Soon enough, you mamma was fitting right in with the rest of my boys and girls, like she'd always been here. We give her the initiation one day, and she pass with flying colors!"

"What exactly does 'flying colors' include?" Logan asked.

"Heh, you remember those fellas out there, saying you mamma broke they bones and stuff? _That's_ flying colors."

"Ah."

"Yup. But just as quick she come, one day she decides it's time to go home. Says she ready to move on with her life, do her own thing. We throw one big going-away party for her… and the next day she gone. We still keep in touch with letters. Got nothing but complaints all those years they made her a politician. But she got you. She's written a lot about you, Logan. She very proud of you, and I can see why." Logan's eyes widened, and he turned his head away in embarrassment. Titania simply cackled in amusement, allowing the hunter to gather himself. Even once he finally managed to turn and face her again, there was still a bit of tint to his face. "So, guess that the story of how we know you mamma. Anything else you wanna know, darling?"

"I don't… Honestly, I is still a little overwhelmed," Logan admitted. "Feel like they's a thousand things I wanna ask, but… same time I is drawing a blank."

"Is alright. You don't gotta get all you answers right now. Me and the family ain't going nowhere, darling, so if they's any questions you got, all you gotta do is come by, hey?"

"Eh, yeah… may need to take you up on that sometime," Logan chuckled. "Guess if nothing else, this explains why Mamma's so tall, hey? Only other person I seen as big as you is that Immenseness guy."

Titania scoffed. "Ja, ja, they's always comparing me to Grandpapa. Least he don't send folk around tellin' me I need to act more 'upstanding' anymore… hoy. That was an annoying few decades. Always remembers my birthday though… sent those kegs last fall. Maybe should go say hello. Been a few years."

"Eh?"

Titania smirked. "Heh, guess you don't know _that_ either, hey? That old lump sitting up at the top of the hill is _my_ grandpapa."

" _What_?!"

"Heh, that's right. _I_ is the granddaughter of _His Immenseness_ Leto ka'Polus. I is over three hundred years old and I is still technically 'Princess Titania', hey? Or whatever they gonna call me since Grandpapa don't like being called a 'king'. Ha! Think they'd be a revolt if anyone tried to put me on the throne." The Wyverian's smile coiled at one end as she leered at Logan. "You know what that means, darling?"

"Uh… what?"

"Heheh. Means that, _technically_ , you is royalty!" The Wyverian cackled gleefully at the dumbfounded look on Logan's face. "You is _my_ descendant, 'dopted or not, and since I is the granddaughter of this country's 'king', that means you is a _prince_ , and that means you gots a claim to the throne. A real _little_ claim, but is still a claim. So some day, when that old blowhard up on the hill bites the dust, maybe you get a knock on the door from a puffed-up coot saying you is the country's new king?"

"Uh… no. No thank you," Logan muttered, and Titania laughed again.

"Ja, ja, ja, figured that much. Nobody on our side of the family care 'bout that kinda thing. But don't worry too much, darling. Figure they's gotta be something like fifty people gonna hafta die all at once 'fore they start looking at _you_ , hey? Including me and _all_ my other descendants."

"Hoy, that's good to hear… Eh, figure they's gonna be looking for my cousin 'fore they come after me anyway, hey? He's the one with the _bloodline_."

"You cousin?" Titania asked, her eyes lighting up in interest.

"Eh, ja. Er, second cousin or something, I ain't exactly sure. Briar's grandson, hey? Theo Drake. We, uh, we ain't seen each other too often, but I hear he's doing pretty good for hisself."

"Really? That's good…. Well, next time you see him, maybe you send him this way, hey?" Titania gave him a wicked smile. "But be all subtle-like. Want to give him a proper introduction to the family, ja?"

"Huh. See what I can do, but might be a bit tricky when it comes to _him…_ "

A knock at the front door drew Titania's attention. There was a moment of whispering from out in the hall before Boris entered, leading a broad-shouldered woman with an eyepatch. "Ja? Something wrong?"

"Sorry, Mamma, but we got a problem. The kid's girlfriend got hammered and passed out."

"She not my- She _what_?" Logan blanched.

"Yup. Heinkel talked her into a drinking contest, and uh, she didn't do well."

"Hoy…" Logan muttered, hopping off the couch and tailing after the huntress as she led him back out to the bar. Sure enough, as he entered, he quickly caught sight of Tuli sprawled out across a booth seat, murmuring under her breath with half her shirt covered in alcohol.

"Oy, how many she have?" he asked, setting her upright. She managed to keep herself up for only a couple seconds before toppling over onto her side again.

"Three mugs," a stout man behind him chuckled.

"Three mugs of _what_?" Logan asked, and the man passed him a flagon. Logan sniffed it cautiously before taking a sip and frowning. "This just regular beer. Ain't even that strong…"

"Nope. The girlie's just a lightweight," the man guffawed. "Thought she'd be a little heartier with how easily she accepted the challenge, but after a single pint she was teetering, she was rambling after the second, and about halfway through the third she just fell over."

"Hoy, girlie, what the hell you thinking?" Logan muttered.

"She was probably thinking she wanted to _win_!" one of the others cackled. Logan sighed in frustration as he sat Tuli upright again, and the huntress babbled incomprehensibly for a moment, shoving a finger at Logan's chest before leaning over the table and burying her face in her arms.

"Hoo boy. Girlie don't look too good, hey?" Logan looked up as Titania appeared, looming over him and looking down at Tuli. "Better get her home, darling. 'Less you wanna stay _here_. We gots some bunks in the back."

"Nah, better carry her back," Logan replied. "Our friends gonna be worried if we don't come home. Wish I… wish I coulda talked with you some more…"

"Heh, don't worry, boy," Titania grinned, reaching down and ruffling his hair. "We ain't going nowhere. You can come by whenever you want and we can talk all you like. Can't promise we gonna be _sober…_ but you always gonna be welcome here. You a part of our family, Logan, so this place as good as you own home now."

Logan flushed in embarrassment at the words, to the amusement of the other Kin. "Eh… thanks. Maybe I come back in a day or two… Introduce the rest of my friends to you guys, hey?"

"Looking forward to it, darling," Titania grinned. She quickly snapped her fingers. "Hoy, Regina, you gots a spare shirt somewhere for the girlie here? Don't wanna send her back soaked like she is. Gonna catch her death of cold…"

"Sure thing, Mamma," one of the huntresses replied. "Might be a bit big for a girl her size, but it's clean… Well, pretty clean. Not soaked in beer, at least."

The huntress carried Tuli off to one of the back rooms, and a few minutes later emerged with the silver-haired girl in a clean outfit. Tuulikki was still out of it as she was hoisted onto Logan piggyback, though she was thankfully coherent enough to at least cross her arms around Logan's neck.

"Don' touch my butt…" she mumbled as Logan shifted her into a comfortable position.

"Is either that or I drop you, Short Stuff," the hunter chuckled before looping his arms under her legs and making for the door. She made what might've been an attempt to slap him, but at best it just sort of rubbed her hand across his face. "Thanks for the help, Mamma. See you 'round."

"Come back anytime, darling!" Titania grinned as Logan carried Tuli out the door.

The night was cool as Logan walked back to the manor with Tuli hanging onto his back. The huntress was slipping in and out of consciousness, sometimes snoring, sometimes talking incomprehensibly to herself or to Logan (he couldn't really tell the difference). Either way he was glad she was managing to keep her arms around his neck, or the travel would've been much more difficult. He wasn't opposed to throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but he was getting enough looks as it was and didn't want to make it worse. At least she didn't stink of booze; three mugs had left the scent of it in her breaths, but it wasn't that bad.

"R'they your family now?"

Logan tilted his head at Tuli's question. "Guess so, girlie. Kinda… kinda feels funny, hey? Never really thought too much 'bout any of my family 'side from my mamma, and now they's a whole bar of the folk saying they's my family? Is… is a little confusing."

"Hmm…" Tuli sighed, sinking her face into his shoulder. "You happy?"

"Heh… Ja, think so. Guess I gonna have to take some time to get to know them, but…" A small snore signaled that Tuli had passed out on his back, and he rolled his eyes, tightening his grip a little more as he made his way back to the manor.

* * *

"Ah! Tuli!" As Logan was climbing the steps to the manor, the door burst open and Vi rushed out, flying to Logan's side to examine Tuulikki. "What the heck happened to her, Logan?"

"We went to a… bar," the great sword user replied vaguely. "The girlie here challenged someone to a drinking contest."

"She did _what_? But Tuli can't handle her liquor at all!"

"Tell _her_ that, girlie. I wasn't even in the same room when she did it, and when I come back she's like this. Had to carry her halfway 'cross the city, hey? Least she ain't that heavy…"

"Yeesh… Can you get her to her room?"

"Ja, sure, just open the doors for me, hey?"

Vi led the way, propping open doors for Logan as he made his way through the halls to the room Tuulikki was occupying. Everyone else had come home already, but everyone seemed to be in their rooms, as Logan could hear a few voices coming from within as he walked past, but Vi quickly ushered him straight to Tuulikki's room, where Logan was able to drop the huntress onto her bed. Tuli seemed to regain consciousness as she hit the mattress, but couldn't do anything more than babble drunkenly.

Vi immediately began to hover over her friend, wincing as the glaive wielder belched and hiccupped. "Bleh. How much did she have?"

"Two and a half mugs," Logan replied flatly. Vi stared at him blankly for a couple second before sighing and shaking her head.

"Yep, that sounds about right."

"Didn't realize she was such a lightweight," Logan noted. Though, now that he thought about it, she usually only got about halfway through a single pint before stopping when they were at bars… Logan had always thought she just didn't like the taste.

"That's right… Suppose if nothing else it means it doesn't cost much if she _wants_ to be drunk. Where exactly did you guys go?"

"Eh… restaurant north of here… Then a bar in Lowtown."

"Oh, jeez… Well, thanks for getting her home, Logan. I'll take care of things from here."

"Need me to grab a bucket?"

"No, I've got it. You can hit the hay."

"Ja, alright. See you in the morning, girlie."

"Night, Logan." As the hunter quietly closed the door behind him, Vi sighed, turning to look down at her friend as Tuli mumbled incoherently on the mattress. Her eyes were slightly open, signaling that she was awake, if not entirely cognizant. "Jeez, what did you two do? I haven't seen you this drunk in a long time… And were you wearing that shirt earlier today? Is that even your shirt…?"

"Got inna bar fight…" Tuli mumbled. Vi's eyes widened in surprise as the glaive user's head rolled around on the pillow.

"How did-"

"Went an' saw a p- was a woman on a stage 'n'... clothes all hangin' off real loose…" Vi's mouth was gaping open as Tuli continued. "Logan lef' me 'lone witha buncha guys… went ta big girl's private room. Got drunk'n… an' took m'shirt off. An' he grabbed my butt."

Vi's expression was icy as Tuli rolled over in bed, continuing to mutter to herself. The huntress pushed to her feet and carefully tucked her friend in. "I'll be right back, Tuli. I need to… _have a word_ with our friend Logan."

Tuulikki didn't reply, curling up under the blankets as the horn player covered the glowstone on the headstand with a dimming canvas and slipped out the room, latching the door quietly behind her. The relative peace only lasted about ten seconds or so before an explosive _bang_ shook the walls and Vi's muffled voice echoed through the walls.

" _Logan, you degenerate scumbag! What the HELL did you do to Tuli?!_ "

Shouting continued to penetrate the walls of the manor for several minutes after that, but Tuulikki paid no heed to it all, sinking into a drunken sleep.

"Family… s'nice to have family…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a family with a unique vocal inflection!**

 **Wee! Titania! Finally I get to introduce her! I've been waiting for her to show up since the Memory DLC! And if you were wondering, she uses a Teostra great sword and lance shield as an SNS combo.**

 **One of the things I really try to work with during the course of the story is maintaining how certain characters consider other characters, and how they act around them at that point in the story. Back in TLC, during the earlier chapters when Ellie didn't really like Levin and especially didn't care for him calling her 'Ellie', every chapter that was narrated from her view point only had her referring to herself as Eleanor, while Levin's POV called her Ellie, at least until after the Rath Mating Dance when Ellie started accepting the nickname as well. Other things are important as well, such as listing other characters. When characters list other characters in their thoughts, they're written in order of importance to the character in question. For example, at this point in the story if Sonia were to list the other hunters in the group, she'd give this order: Bram, Logan, Vi, Leon, Tuulikki. Vi's order would be: Leon, Tuli, Logan, Sonia, and Bram.**

 **I try to do the same here with each character's POV, and how they act around each other. Violetta was referred to by her full name until after the group left Lintukoto, after which Sonia and Logan considered her a friend and called her Vi (well, sorta; Logan calls her girlie. Bram takes after his father and refers to everyone by their full name unless they're family or about as close as he is to Sonia). Tuulikki is only called Tuli by her friends, and never as such by those that have yet to really consider her as more than an acquaintance. As such, for the entire story up until now, Logan only thinks of her as Tuulikki (and even Sonia doesn't really consider her close enough to use her nickname yet), but after their discussion about their mothers, Logan has familiarized himself with her to the point where he thinks of her as a friend, or at least he's forgiven her for insulting Lynn and found some common ground, and thus starts thinking of her as 'Tuli' instead (though again, he'll refer to her as girlie or Short Stuff for eternity when speaking out loud). Tuli has a similar method, though her actions are more clearly seen by her words, since we haven't seen into her head yet: if she isn't familiar with someone, she doesn't speak with contractions as a sort of formal speech, but once she feels more at ease, she'll start talking more casually and shortening her sentences. Again, this is something seen after leaving the second bar.**

 **Playing: Pokemon Moon, Final Fantasy XV, MHGen  
Reading: Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon by Cool-kyou Shinsha, Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi, Hakumei to Mikochi by Kashiki Takuto  
Listening: Brand New, The Kooks, Korn, The Adventure Zone  
Watching: Critical Role, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, Pokemon Sun and Moon anime**


	27. Overload

Overload

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

"Oh, this place is nice! I could get used to being assigned to jobs like this!"

"Could you be _quiet_ for once in your life? You keep shouting like that, and they sure as hell won't call us back here again."

"Oh, please. They could use the flair my presence provides. Besides, once we show them what we're made of, we'll be here all the time!"

"Rikki and I may be, but I imagine they'll be shackling you and dragging you away once they get to know you."

"Kinky. And they'd be trying to keep me _away_ with that kind of treatment? Sounds like an exciting night with a few of the ladies I know in Lowtown."

"Reynardine, I swear…"

Rikki allowed himself a small smile as Rey and Grim bickered between themselves ahead of him. Keeping company with them was always entertaining; there never seemed to be an end to their perpetual antagonism, but Rikki never tired of it. He knew that they were actually good friends underneath it all… or at least, he was pretty certain they liked each other… probably. If nothing else, they'd known each other for over twenty years and hadn't killed each other yet, so there was probably something to their 'friendship', or however you chose to define their relationship. Mutual antagonistic camaraderie, maybe. Vitriolic allies.

The Guild worker leading them seemed concerned about their conversation, though it wasn't clear whether it was due to how they were talking to each other or the content of their discussion. But he kept his silence, allowing Rikki to spend his time looking around the interior of the Elder Hall.

Rey was right in his assessment: the interior of the Hall was amazing. The entire structure was built of sleek white stone, providing the core and foundation of the structure. Over that, centuries had been spent covering the existing building with elaborate designs that the current kings - and other leaders under other names - preferred that suited their own tastes. Ancient tapestries and statues that had survived the years were expertly placed to draw attention to their designs, while maintaining the balance of the space. Paintings and busts depicting the images of previous kings and heroes sat in well-lit alcoves. In the hall they were in now, the walls were covered in a dark black stone that contrasted with the white, covered in intricately wrought murals that depicted several momentous events in Gahin history.

"Something caught your eye?" Grim muttered next to him. Rikki supposed he'd had enough of Rey for the moment, and was escaping to talk to Rikki instead. Rey had a chuffed expression on his face, but instantly recovered as he strode forward to chat up their guide.

"I was just curious about the architecture and the murals. This is one of the old structures, isn't it, from the last civilization?"

"Yes, it is," Grim replied, looking around. "I believe the term 'Meridian' has been growing popular in Theron. The building has been standing longer than the country itself."

"Ever the history buff, I see," Rikki chuckled. "You've studied the Elder Hall?"

"A bit. People need to study the past to prevent repeating their mistakes, and when it comes to kings - or those that are kings in all but name - the mistakes have much greater impact. But anyway, you got your eye on anything in particular?"

Rikki shrugged, but motioned towards one of the black-stone murals he'd been looking at. The slab was decorated with several figures standing on each side of a central Wyverian, who was raising a hand and holding a tome in the other. "How 'bout that one? What can you tell me about it?"

The Guild worker leading them turned his head upon hearing the question, and seemed to pull himself up as though preparing to give a speech, but Grim merely glanced at the mural and spoke first.

"If I'm not mistaken, it's depicting the Wyverian Precepts, back when the Wyverians first came down from the mountains. That image depicts the Eldest One, the leader of the Wyverians at the time, who allied the Wyverian people with King Logaine and helped him unify the country, back when all the species kept to themselves rather than living together. According to legend, he was also the progenitor of what would become the Hunter's Guild, setting the rules and standards for how the organization would be regulated. Even today, while certain laws and standards have been updated, most of the initial tenants are still in effect. Some legends say he sponsored the creation of all Guilds in every country, but even if he was a particularly long-lived Wyverian, he couldn't have lived long enough to do that."

The Guild worker had deflated slightly at the elaborate (and apparently accurate) description of the mural. Rey was smiling broadly, and wrapped his arm around the man's shoulder, consoling him as Rikki hid a smile behind his hand. He motioned towards another of the murals. "Well then, what about that one?"

"Hmm… Oh, that one's the Thousand Year. The stories say it was the start of Dundorma's constant attacks from elder dragons, when one thousand elder dragons assaulted the city within the span of a single year. An exaggeration, I'm sure, but even the most accurate records say there were several hundred attacks, and daily elder assaults would certainly feel like a thousand after a year. The man depicted in the middle is Khan Draconia, a hero who supposedly helped kill or repel every single elder dragon that attacked. Again, the story's likely embellished; a single hunter would die of exhaustion if they fought elder dragons every day for a year. Still, he did enough to have his image carved into a mural so that he would be remembered eight hundred years later…"

Rikki continued to listen to Grim's lectures until the four of them finally reached their destination. A long and towering hallway stretched for almost fifty yards, brilliant glowstones shining brightly from their mounts on the walls and chandeliers, and ahead lay a towering set of wooden doors, elaborately wrought and lacquered with brilliant silver trim. The Guild worker shook himself free of Rey's grip and approached the knights standing at the door, speaking to them quietly for a moment before turning back.

"His Immenseness, Lord Leto, will see you momentarily. If you will wait over there, you will be called as soon as he is ready to receive you."

The trio nodded as the man motioned to a collection of lush, expensive-looking couches and chairs arranged in a small alcove. Rey slid ahead of Rikki and Grim, admiring the valuable furniture and audibly pondering its worth. Grim maintained an air of stoicism, but Rikki had known him long enough to sense his awe at the high-value decor. Rikki himself couldn't help but feel uncomfortable; he'd only lived in a small village, where his home furnishings were things he'd bought or constructed himself, or the house he'd stayed at in Harth, where the decor was rugged, sturdy, and functional, like the Troverians that had built them. These chairs, with velvet cushions and golden trim, were far too blueblood for his tastes.

"Jeez, look at these things!" Rey gushed as he flopped down onto one of the couches, sprawling himself out across the entire thing. "I'll bet these individually cost more than my armor set and switch axe combined! Hehehe… Someday I'm gonna have a set of these in every room of my house."

"With what money?" Grim scoffed, slumping down into a nearby two-seater. "You had to save up for weeks to buy your equipment, and you think you'll ever afford a house with this kind of luxury in it?"

"I'm not saying it's gonna happen _tomorrow_ , but look at where we are! The Elder Hall, summoned by Lord Leto himself for a secret mission! They don't give these kinds of jobs to just _anybody_. This is just the first step! We do well on this assignment, and before you know it we'll be the most famous hunters in the country… with all the _wealth_ that fame entails!"

"Ho… If it was that easy to garner wealth, I would be a much more affluent man than I am now."

All three hunters jolted slightly at the sudden voice. Rikki spun, realizing that there was someone else in the nook with them, seated comfortably in a dark corner of the area. Rikki was shocked he never noticed the man though, given how big he was: he was nearly seven feet tall and broadly built, with long legs a pair of powerful arms crossed over his chest. He had a strong, triangular head, with a smock of short-cut black hair atop his head stretching down into a long pair of sideburns that reached most of the way down his jaw. He had thick eyebrows, with piercing blue eyes. He was sharply dressed as well, wearing finely tailored black slacks, a long-sleeved white button up, and a deftly-embroidered dark blue vest.

His expression was one of slight surprise; he apparently hadn't been trying to scare the three hunters like he had, and his lips split into an amused smile. "I apologize for the fright. Good evening, young hunters," the man chuckled, nodding his head politely. "You seem a lively bunch. Have the three of you been called here for the same mission as I, perhaps?"

"Perhaps," Rikki replied. "We haven't really been told anything about why we've been called here, only that we're being requested to track a migrant monster."

"Really? How odd. That's not why _I_ was called in. Hmm… Ah, but I suppose there's no sense in pondering. Best to wait for Lord Leto to inform us himself."

"But if we are going to work together, then allow me to introduce us!" Rey grinned, raising a hand and bowing dramatically. "Reynardine ka'Madoc, at your service. Rey for short though, if you please. My gruff, greying friend here is none other than Ysengrin ka'Madoc. You can call him whatever you want. And the last member of our ménage à trois is Rikki."

The man raised an appraising eyebrow. "So you're both a couple of Madoc's boys, then? He's a good man. Very generous."

"He is indeed," Grim nodded.

"And your friend?" the man asked, turning to Rikki.

"No, I'm not of Madoc's," the charge blade user replied. "But I am grateful to the man for raising them like he did."

"Ha, yes, a sentiment shared by hundreds in this city. But your names do ring a bell… Where have I heard- Ah! Harth, right? Are you perchance the hunters that dealt with the Azure and Pink Raths that were raising hell down there around a year ago?"

"Haha! That we are!" Rey grinned, pleased. "If I were fully equipped I'd be happy to flaunt the spoils of that battle to you, but alas, we are unarmed at the moment."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you three, all the same!" the man smiled. "I heard the tale from the man who repairs my own weapons down that way. Quite a tale indeed, if but half of the story I heard was true… Ah! My apologies, but I have not introduced myself, now have I? Zame ka'Honohaato, at your service."

"Zame… I believe I've heard of you as well," Grim replied, studying the man closer. "I can't remember where, though."

"Oh, that's alright," Zame shrugged. "I keep to myself when I can, but the Guild has their jobs for me. I suppose there might be a couple stories about me going around these days, but Klaus always tell me that's just the way it goes."

"If you're on familiar terms with the Shield, you must be _someone_ important," Rikki noted.

"Ha! Half the builder's unions in town are on familiar terms with him! I hardly think having a friendly chat with that man is any sign of prestige. I don't think-"

"Ah!" Rey gasped, his eyes widening in realization. "I know who you are now! You're the guy they say beat a Rajang to death using only your fists!"

Rikki eyes widened as the memory of the story he'd heard in a bar a few weeks back returned: they'd heard that Zame had wrestled a Rajang to the ground without using any weapons. The man himself, however, looked completely baffled at the statement, staring at Rey as though in utter confusion.

"With my _fists_? And by myself? Is _that_ what people are saying about me? Mercy, I've heard that hunting stories could be exaggerated, but never to that extent before."

"It's not true then?" Rey sighed.

"Of _course_ it's not true," Grim scoffed.

"Oh, certainly not," Zame agreed, shaking his head. "I _have_ fought against Rajang before, but I wouldn't dare do so without my weapons, nor without the aid of my most trusted comrades. Though I suppose I might be able to understand why they might _think_ I could-"

The man paused mid-sentence, turning his head sharply as the Guild worker from before approached. "Lord Leto will receive you now."

The four hunters nodded and rose to their feet, following the man to the door. Rikki, Rey, and Grim all held back, expecting the towering wooden doors to open, but Zame turned to smile at them in amusement as the Guild worker pulled on a handle to reveal a much smaller door hidden in the core of the larger one. Looking sheepishly between each other, the three hunters followed Zame though the appropriately-sized gap and into the throne room.

The room itself was quite the sight, but Rikki was focused instantly on His Immenseness. He'd been mentally preparing himself for this meeting for almost two months now, but he had to admit he still found himself nervous in the giant Wyverian's presence. He'd seen their country's king-in-all-but-name before, at his hunting exam and a few other public appearances, but to be called in personally for a mission had high implications and higher expectations. He had to do his best to impress.

They followed Zame onto a raised stone slab in the center of the room, directly in front of His Immenseness' throne. Uncertain about procedure, the three younger hunters were all caught off guard when their elder abruptly dropped to a knee, bowing deeply. Rikki looked between Rey and Grim nervously before they followed suit, but there was a groan of frustration as His Immenseness leaned forward in his seat.

"Welcome, all four of you. _Please_ , return to your feet." The four of them did so, though and Rikki worried that they had made a disrespectful misstep, but nobody in the room seemed bothered by their actions, least of all Leto himself. "For the record, there is _no need_ to bow in such a showy manner in my presence; I find it unnecessary."

Zame seemed put off by the statement. "I know you've said so before, my lord, but to do anything less seems highly disrespectful-"

"I understand your conviction, Zame, and that is your prerogative. To you young ones, however, do not feel pressured to copy his actions. I ask that you remain respectful to those in this room, but there's no need for ostentation."

"Ah… yes, Lord Leto," Rikki replied, raising a hand to his chest and only bowing with a nod and slight bend to his back. Zame seemed sullen at the showing, but Leto nodded in approval, and both Rey and Grim followed suit.

A short cough drew Rikki's attention to a small Wyverian just to the side of the throne, Guildmaster Kellogg. Rikki hadn't even noticed him, his attention had been so focused on His Immenseness, and now that he looked around, there were a few other people in the assembly seats surrounding the throne. "Perhaps, Leto, it would be wise to inform these four about their mission, rather than dwelling on the topic of social niceties, hmm?"

" _Harrumph_. Yes, I agree, then let us begin," the giant Wyverian nodded. "Firstly, I must first apologize to the younger hunters for delaying this meeting. I realize that you three have been in Dundorma for more than a month now at my behest, yet I was forced to delay our discussion until now. I wished to wait until Zame arrived, but certain events delayed his return, and soon enough the Hunter's Exam was upon us, which is ever a busy time for myself and the rest of the Guild. I am grateful for your patience."

"Of course!" Rey replied instantly. "How could we turn down the opportunity to complete a mission at the request of His Immenseness himself? We only hope to live up to your expectations!"

"I sincerely hope you do as well." Next to them, Zame was shifting uncomfortably and had his arms crossed. Lord Leto took notice, raising an eyebrow and staring at him intently. "Something to say, Zame?"

"Ah, it… I apologize, my liege, I mean no disrespect, and I dare not question your orders, but… I must know: is this task you've called me for truly so important that you pulled me away from my-" The man spared a quick glance at the three younger hunters. "-my _current_ mission?"

"Calm yourself, Zame," Kellogg sighed. "You know as well as we do that your current mission is on hiatus until we have more information. Trust us, once we have a lead, you will be informed immediately."

"Besides," Lord Leto spoke up, "I fear that that the potential danger of what we've called you in for is greater than any other tasks."

"Greater than-? What sort of threat do you mean?"

"First, allow me to ask you four a question. What sort of… rumors have you been hearing in the local pubs these days?" The four hunters looked between each other in confusion. "I realize that this may seem a pointless inquiry, but it does serve a purpose."

"I… do not often frequent pubs myself," Zame muttered.

Grim smacked the back of his hand against Rey's arm. "Here's your moment to shine, loudmouth. You're the one who spends every night bar-hopping and flirting with anything that moves."

"Jealous?" the switch axe user smirked, and Grim scowled. "This is a first! Usually you're the one telling me to shut up, but now you want me to start talking? Truly these are the end times!"

"Just answer Lord Leto's question."

"Well, since you asked so _nicely…_ " Rey faced His Immenseness and took a moment to think. "Let's see, interesting rumors… Can probably skip all the ones about elder dragon movements. Met this lovely redheaded Guildie that said she heard stories of a new Zinogre subspecies up in the Everwood to the north of here. Boy I met in Val Habar was going on about some sorta weather disaster threatening the desert, since there's apparently been a lot of blood storms recently. Hmm… I had a romp with this blonde huntress who-"

" _Rey_!" the gunlancer hissed. "He asked for rumors, not a list of your conquests!"

"Peh. What good are rumors if you don't cite your sources? But fine. Heard tell of Melynx gathering into larger groups south of here, folks think they're up to something. Big crime spree, people are locking their windows and doors at night. Actually, Rikki here stopped a Melynx mugging a couple weeks ago, right here in Dundorma."

"Hmm… You don't say," Leto grumbled. Rikki wasn't sure whether or not he was actually interested or not. "Anything else?"

"There's, uh… there _are_ other stories I've heard in a couple taverns, but we're getting into the ones that are a little out there, even for drunken banter."

"Speak, lad. I know the nonsense you hear in pubs… though it's been years since I could fit in one. Go ahead and say it, no matter how strange it may be."

"If you say so. These two boys I spent a night with told me they met a Teostra in the Hollow that talked to them, asked them about what the town was like… though I'm pretty sure they were just tripping out. Had a few too many bags of dried exciteshrooms laying around the house, if you know what I mean. Girl I met up near Harth said she saw a bunch of Shakalakas riding on top of a giant turtle monster in the Blasted Land, shooting arrows at anything that came close, but even she admitted she'd gotten lost in the wastes and was probably hallucinating from dehydration. One fella out near the east coast _swore_ that he'd seen a Gendrome he'd been hunting fall dead and then come back to life! Like, down it goes then up it comes again with a fury never seen before, covered in the 'black haze of death itself'. Big bag of crazy, y'know? But, uh, few weeks ago, right here in Dundorma, there was this huntress I was chatting up who said she'd seen a Gypceros do the same, fall dead then come back alive again. I mean, I didn't think too much of it really, since Gypceros do that 'play dead' garbage all the time. But she actually said the same thing: dark smoke and all that." Rey scratched his head uncomfortably. "So, uh, you still want me to keep going? I'm kind of spitballing here. I mean, I'll admit I'm not the brightest glowstone in the chandelier - shut up, Grim, I know what you're thinking - but even I know that these stories are ludicrous."

The look that His Immenseness and Guildmaster Kellogg shared, however, told a different story.

"You see?" Leto asked. "The rumors are piling up. If an average hunter can begin to suspect a connection, then soon others will begin to as well. We can no longer hesitate on this this matter."

"An _'average'_ hunter?" Rey gasped, offended. "I'm not-"

"What do you mean?" Rikki cut in. "One of these rumors is true?"

Lord Leto turned, his expression serious. "I'll make it simple: someone, or some _thing_ , is spreading the 'black haze' you mentioned through the forests of our country. We know not what is causing this, but the Guild outposts have seen too many similarities in their reports to write this off as mere coincidence."

"The information young Reynardine has presented is more accurate than you'd expect from barroom banter," Kellogg agreed. "In the last few months, there have been several reports of monsters 'rising from the dead' in a 'haze of black smoke'. The general populace has fortunately reached the most logical conclusion, assuming hunters are exaggerating or misconstruing the facts. But there is truth in the rumor, loathe as I am to admit it."

"That… that can't be," Zame breathed.

"You can't _honestly_ be suggesting that something is causing monsters to… rise from the dead?" Grim asked.

"No, we are not!" His Immenseness harrumphed. "Something is happening to the monsters in this country, of that we are certain. But dead is _dead_ , one way or another. However, this haze is doing something, and it's coming from somewhere, and I intend for you four to find out what and where.

"Rikki, Ysengrin, and Reynardine." The three hunters stood a little straighter as His Immenseness addressed them directly. "We have received several reports of your exploits from Guildmaster Fontaine. Reports detail that you have exemplary tracking ability, and make quick work of your prey. We plan to make use of those talents. We believe it is possible that the source of this 'mist' is in fact a monster of some sort; possibly a subspecies, possibly an undiscovered monster entirely. We suspect that the mist itself may be a new type of poison or virus, which this monster spreads around. We've compiled the reports of the virus' infection spread through the country during the last six months or so, and we are certain that the source is moving. Your task will be to follow the trail and hunt down this monster."

"And are we expected to take it dead or alive?" Grim asked, and Lord Leto frowned.

"Though I am hesitant to allow such a creature to live, even in captivity, it would be best to take the beast alive. We cannot assume that there is only one of these creatures, or that more of them will not appear. If possible, capture the beast for study, but killing it is preferable to letting it escape and spread its poison further."

"The beast itself will not be your only target, either," Kellogg spoke up. "The monsters that have been infected by this haze must be eliminated and studied as well, in order to understand its effects. Should you come across any infected monsters, you are to capture or kill them for study. Also… should you encounter any _other_ hunters that have slain or captured an infected beast, you are to confiscate and quarantine the body, as well as any carved materials taken from the corpse. We will provide you with all the paperwork and authorization required for this, and the territorial Guildmasters have been informed and will provide support as you require."

"We're… _stealing carves_?" Rey gasped. "That's-"

"An unfortunate necessity. The hunters will be duly compensated for what is taken, but as of yet we do not know how the virus spreads, or whether it affects humanoids. Their carves could very well be the catalyst for unleashing an unknown epidemic upon our country, and we _will not_ allow that. Every carve is to be confiscated, no matter the value. I don't care if it's a plate or gem or even the smallest scale. If they try to withhold _anything_ , you are to confiscate it, and you have the authority to fine or even arrest those that impede your work."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Rikki said.

"You'd be surprised," Kellogg scoffed. "Hunters are a covetous sort, and trying to peel a mantle from their clutches is likely to result in conflict. But if that mantle comes from an infected monster, you are to take it, no matter what. There is more at stake here than an individual hunter's desire for a valuable carve."

"Which brings us to another concern that must be addressed," His Immenseness stated solemnly. He was quiet for a moment, furrowing his brow uncomfortably. "We do not know if or how this virus affects humanoids. If you should come across an individual who appears to have been infected, they are to be detained and quarantined. You are to use any means necessary to do so. Again, this is _not_ something we allow lightly, but it _must_ be done. No matter the nature of the inflicted, they must be separated from society until we can determine whether it is contagious or not."

The room was dead silent. All three hunters stared incredulously at the giant Wyverian.

"I realize that I am presenting you three with what may become a heavy burden. But this is the task you must see to. You must do it dutifully and without error or hesitation, or risk great danger to Gahiji as a whole. Do you understand?"

Grim was the first to nod, his expression gaunt but determined. "I understand, Lord Leto. We will complete this mission to the best of our abilities."

"Very good. Any questions before we move on?" The three hunters looked between each other for a moment before shaking their heads. "I believe that concludes the summary of your part in this mission. Now, then, Zame, I have no doubt that you are wondering why you are here, if these three shall be hunting whatever monster might be the cause of this virus."

"I am indeed, my lord," the man replied.

"As stated, it's possible that this virus may be spread by an unknown monster. However, it remains just that: a possibility. There is also a chance that this virus is being spread not by natural cause, but by the work of a humanoid with ill intent."

Zame's expression darkened. "To what end?"

"The motive is up to you to uncover, but whatever reason they might have, malicious or otherwise, you are to stop them and bring them in. I'm sure you understand the gravity of your work well enough, and you don't need us to tell you how to do your job. Be sure to coordinate with the territorial Guildmasters, as well as these three hunters, and send whatever pertinent details you gather back to the Guild for study."

"I understand, my liege," Zame said gravely, bowing deeply. "I will do all I can."

"I know you will. Now, Zame, you are to proceed with your own investigation by your standard methods. If you have any materials or equipment you're in need of, let us know before you leave town. As for the three younger hunters, we've gathered a small team of researchers from the Wyvern Research Society to accompany you on your mission. They'll be joining you while you hunt down this mystery monster, along with all the research equipment you'll hopefully need on this mission to study this black haze. I suggest you visit the research facility as soon as possible. You might be getting quite a bit of use out of them, so it would be best to acclimate yourself to their methods."

"We'll do that as soon as possible," Rikki promised.

"You'll be given all the clearance required, and they'll be informed that you're coming." His Immenseness paused in thought, looking between the four hunters in turn. "I believe that's all the information I have for you at the moment. Are there any questions…? No? Very good then. I would like to see all of you setting out within the next three days if at all possible. The monster recovery group will be heading west towards the last known reports of the black haze and continue their hunt from there. As for Zame… I will leave your investigation to your own discretion. For now, I believe that is all… You're dismissed."

The hunters nodded, bowing again to the towering Wyverian before walking back to the door and exiting the room. The door latched shut behind them, and a Guild worker began leading out of the building. Soon enough, they found themselves in the sunlight again, and as the four of them were marching down the steps of the Elder Hall, Zame sighed, wearing a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I suppose this is where we part ways for now. I must begin looking into anyone who could be behind this black haze." Zame smiled encouragingly at the three of them. "I suppose we won't be working together as closely as I believed, but hopefully the next time we meet, this whole situation will be concluded."

"And we'll have an undiscovered monster to bring back to Dundorma as a prize," Rey smirked.

"I look forward to seeing such a procession myself. I wish you all good luck."

"You as well," Rikki replied. Zame nodded gratefully, before turning to march off to see to his work. The three hunters watched him leave, but as soon as he was out of sight, Rey wilted a bit where he stood. With an exhausted groan, the switch axe user slumped down to sit on the steps on the building. The two others waited for their friend to stand up, but when it became clear he wasn't moving, both sat down next to him.

"You alright?" Grim asked.

"Yeah, just… give me a second. I'm a bit… Ugh. Well… _shit_ ," Rey muttered quietly. "This is a lot heavier than I thought it would be."

"Having second thoughts?" Grim asked. "If you're not feeling up for it-"

"No! No, I'm fine, it's just… This is way more than just hunting down a particularly nasty monster or defending a caravan or something like that…"

"Did you think a G-rank test would be a walk in the park? Did you think His Immenseness would send us out to gather ores? Catch Thunderbugs? Run down to the business district and pick up his dry cleaning?"

"To be fair, I think dealing with His Immenseness' laundry really would be quite the undertaking," Rikki pointed out.

"That's fair," Grim admitted. "But even so-"

"I'm fine, Grim," Rey sighed. "I'm just… Give me some time to register this, okay? I thought we'd be dealing with a sneaky elder dragon or something, but they're asking us to essentially arrest normal people! By force! Dealing with bandits is one thing, but… innocent people that are just sick…"

"If we do our job quickly enough, it won't come to that," Grim said tersely.

"He's right," Rikki agreed. "They said this virus hadn't infected any humans yet. Maybe it doesn't infect them at all. If we catch this monster before it has a chance to, the only people we'll have to deal with are the ones that don't give up the infected carves, the ones risking their lives and the lives of others for little more than greed."

"It's as simple as that," Grim said, looking poignantly at Rey. "We clean this monster up as fast as possible, and this infection will be snuffed out. Got it?"

"...Yeah. Right. Right!" Rey nodded. "It's as simple as that! We just gotta blast this monster into ash so that it never threatens anyone!"

"Or capture it for future study…" Rikki reminded him.

"Sure, or that. Alright, I'm properly fired up again! Come on, let's go see these researchers we're gonna be working with. Maybe they'll have some cool tech they plan to use for this study."

"I doubt it'll be anything you haven't seen in a medical ward," Grim muttered.

"Well, if nothing else I hope a couple of them are cute, not just a collection of withered old fogeys. Fun way to pass the time traveling between villages, right?"

"Of course that's your primary concern…"

"Of course."

"I think I preferred you when you were stressed out."

"Too bad. Someone needs to be around to balance this team's positive energy. Mercy knows without me around Rikki would spiral into gruff cynicism if he only had _you_ to talk to."

"Hmph. Whatever…"

"You see what I'm talking about?" Rey sighed, leaning against Rikki's shoulder. "How would you ever put up with this without me around?"

"I'm sure I'd _never_ manage."

* * *

"Alright, we're all fueled! Fire them up!"

On board the airship, the relative noise of the crowds and ware hawkers was blotted out as the dull roar of two engines belched to life, spitting out gusts of black smoke as they spun up to speed. For a moment the noise was like thunder, but as the engine balanced out the noise lowered to a less aggressive rumbling sound that wasn't nearly so painful.

"Ugh, that's still hard to put up with, even after all these years," Ellie groaned, rubbing her ears. Sonia and her friends had come to see them off as they prepared to leave for home. "And this is supposed to be one of the quiet ones…"

"It's not nearly as bad as it used to be though, is it?" Kerry noted. "Honestly I'm surprised we didn't receive any lasting hearing damage during our ride on that first one."

"I'm hoping Silas figures out how to make pressurized cabins soon… didn't you have someone in the Compound working on a biplane or something?"

"I believe so… That's Milo's project, and one of the experiments Harker approved almost immediately, but I don't know how far it is along. He's crashed a couple things into the side of the mountain… something about not getting the wing shape correct. I believe that's one that Silas is personally funding."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. He's the type to try and keep his vise grip on the monopoly he's built for himself."

"What's a biplane?" Sonia asked.

"One of the early Lost flying machines. Small, fast, and maneuverable compared to airships… Can only carry a two or three people at once, but could cover a lot of ground quickly."

"How fast?" the huntress asked eagerly. "How maneuverable?"

Ellie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Hard to say. I never saw a biplane fly myself, but they could probably outpace most of Silas' airships. Probably not up to par with a Rath or other flying wyvern, but… that'll probably come with time if things move quickly."

"I don't think it'll move _that_ quickly," Kerry replied.

"I think you'd be surprised," Ellie smirked. "The Lost went from biplanes to moon landings in under seventy years. Sonia might be still be alive by the time people are launching things into space again!"

"Holy crap!" Sonia gasped.

"But now that I think about it, that _did_ require two world wars and the Cold War to urge things along, so… hmm. Maybe it would be better to go a little slower this time."

"Aw, pecker… Still, think they're looking for pilot trainees?"

"Shouldn't you be more focused on becoming a hunter, especially now that you've got your license?"

"Well, yeah, that's not gonna change… But Grandpa always told me to have a backup plan or two, didn't he? If nothing else, it's something I could look into as a hobby when I come back home."

"Like I said, if you wanna come work with me at the production facility, I'll save a position for you!" Art smiled, patting the huntress on the shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sonia grinned, "but there's still a lotta stuff I want to learn how to do before I come home."

Her mother's gaze dipped a little, looking down at a strap looping around Sonia's torso, which kept a large green pupa attached to her back, a necessary requirement to acclimate an insect to their owner's scent, according to the Kinsect salesman they visited. Ellie sighed and shook her head. "Still can't believe you're actually going to try and raise a giant bug…"

"No, it'll be fun! I always wanted a pet, and you wouldn't let me have a Poogie!"

"They're cute, but they're fat pink poop machines. I don't need that kind of mess in my house, thank you."

"A Kinsect is more than a pet," Tuulikki grumbled behind Sonia. "It is supposed to be-"

"A partner and ally in the field, I know, I know. I was just being facetious."

"And a source of essences for me to study," Bram added, a small itching smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"That too."

"I have to admit," Kerry said, "I was somewhat skeptical when you told me you wished to study the equivalent of _bug vomit_ -"

"It's not vomit!" Tuulikki groaned.

"-but I'm intrigued by your ideas. Try to keep me updated on your work, dear. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with as you continue your research. And… do try to be careful. You know as well as I do how badly things can go wrong…"

"I'll be careful, Mother, I promise. It's only essence, among other medicinal substances. I doubt it's going to be wildly combustible."

"Even so, show some caution. I've seen your father and siblings cause damage with stranger things…"

"Hoy, maybe I should look into getting my own wagon or something, hey?" Logan frowned worriedly. "Don't wanna get caught up in none of you family's crazy nonsense, Pinky."

"That might actually be a safe idea," Ellie agreed. A quick look at Logan's face made her smirk slightly. "Is your eye feeling any better?"

Logan winced slightly, reaching up and gingerly brushing his fingers across his left cheek, right under where he sported a black eye. Vi looked a bit sheepish, but he just smirked. "Heh, yeah, actually. Ain't that just my luck, walking out of a barfight looking pretty good just to get clocked by the girlie here?"

"Sorry again…" Vi muttered.

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it," Logan chuckled. "Probably woulda slugged me too if I'd heard Short Stuff say what she did."

"Yes, that was my fault," Tuulikki sighed in embarrassment. "This is why I try not to drink…"

"Well, I been punched harder for less than that. Just glad you let me explain myself 'fore you _strangled_ me."

"Erm… that was more Sonia and Leon pulling me off of you before I strangled you."

"...Well, you said sorry, so we still good. We call it even considering how funny it was introducing you all to Titania yesterday."

"Yeah, that was an _adventure_ ," Ellie sighed. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that your extended family was a group like that."

"But does she _always_ dress like that?" Vi hissed. "The way Tuli explained it, I thought you dragged her to a _burlesque_ house!"

"Maybe," Logan shrugged. "Probably hard getting clothes in her size, so less materials is better, hey?"

Some light footsteps caught Sonia's attention, and she turned towards the gangplank as Captain Marcus hobbled down the wooden incline. The man looked at Sonia and Bram for a moment before nodding solemnly to Eleanor and Kerrigan. "Sorry to rush you, but it's time to take off. All aboard that's coming aboard."

"Thanks, Marcus." Ellie turned back to Sonia and sighed, pulling her daughter into another tight hug. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart. And try to come home soon, okay?"

"Don't worry, we'll be coming back just as soon as Tuli finishes teaching me how to use the glaive. It shouldn't take more than a few months at the most."

"Hmm… A few months too many if you ask me," Ellie sighed, kissing her daughter's forehead. "But I guess I'll need to get used to you being gone for long stretches. Hunters rarely lead stationary lifestyles, especially in their early years."

"Hopefully not too long," Sonia agreed. She knelt down, lifting Van up hugging him as well. "Don't think I forgot about you, shrimp. Take care of Mom until me or Dad get back, alright?"

"Okay," the boy replied, squeezing Sonia as tightly as he could before sliding back to the ground.

"Speaking of which, if you do see your father on his way back to Theron, tell him he's in for a world of hurt for taking so long to get back home, alright?" Ellie told her.

"Will do," Sonia laughed. "He probably knows it already though. His last letter seemed a little nervous about finally coming home."

"He _better_ be after being gone for half a year… Well, alright, keep in touch Sonia."

"I will, Mom. See you in a few months!"

"Looking forward to it," Ellie nodded, turning towards the gangplank. Nearby, Bram was finishing his own goodbyes, and the travelers made their way onto the ship.

Marcus still stood on the grass, waiting for the ship's only few passengers to climb the gangplank and up the ship before following them up. He paused at the top for a moment, however, turning back to look at the hunters below, and Sonia realized that he was looking poignantly at Tuulikki. It was a… strange expression, a mix between melancholy and regret. The huntress frowned as she stared at her, until he caught himself, changing to a sterner expression and reaching up to tip the brim of his captain's hat before turning and disappearing onto the deck.

"What was that about?" Tuulikki muttered.

"Don't know," Sonia replied. "Did you talk to him or anything?"

"No, not since he first arrived in the city… He _did_ say that my hair color reminded him of someone."

"Maybe it was an old flame of his?" Vi grinned excitedly. "The captain of a ship having a romantic entanglement with a girl he meets during his travels! Just like in the romance novels!"

"I hope not…" Tuulikki muttered, to Vi's frustration. "Sorry, but the only other woman I know with my hair color was my mother, and I would rather not imagine her having an affair with a random airship captain."

"Oh yeah… Good point."

"Besides, my mother was a dedicated Purist. I doubt she would set foot on one of these Therian airships unless her life depended on it, much less actively pursue a relationship with the captain."

"Huh… Well, maybe you can ask him about it the next time he's in the country."

"No need. I don't really care either way."

The engines on the airship began to pick up speed, and the hawser cables were pulled aboard as flame filled the blimp with warm air. The hull groaned as the vessel slowly lifted into the air, leaving behind a partially dead patch where the ship once lay. A small crowd oohed and aahed as the airship took to the sky, until it was about fifty yards in the air. With a dull roar the engines kicked into high gear, and the vessel leapt forward, launching itself west towards Theron. Sonia watched it grow smaller until finally the speck in the distance passed behind the western wall, vanishing from sight.

* * *

"And, a-hup!"

Sonia looked behind her as a pair of hands grabbed hold of the edge of her wagon, and Violetta hoisted herself up onto the roof of it, where Sonia currently sat. She scooted over, allowing the horn user to plop down next to her, hanging her legs over the side. The pink-armored huntress held up a small paper bag, grinning eagerly. "Here we go! Rheno prosciutto croissants with moss cheese!"

"Hee, great!" Sonia replied, rubbing her hands expectantly as Vi pulled a small, wrapped-up orb from the bag, which Sonia quickly peeled open, revealing a pile of small sandwiches and tearing into the top one. "Mmm! Oh, pecker, this is good… I don't know why nobody else likes Rhenoplos meat."

"I know, right?" Vi nodded, biting into her own sandwich. "People say it's too tough for their tastes, but that's part of what makes it good! Like Bullfango flank steak."

"Exactly! I'm all for hunk of meat that just falls apart when you cut it, but the toughness is part of Rheno meat's charm! You just gotta, y'know, cook it right. My dad knows how to do it, I'll say that much. Simmered in Gargwa broth all day, with garlic, onions, and potatoes, and you make it just perfect."

"Oh, that does sound good, but these aren't bad either. Local flavor… tastes like it was simmered in blessed wine, and I think there's a hint of walnuts and bamboo sprouts in there."

"Is that what that was? I thought I tasted something like that, but I just couldn't place it…"

"Yeah. I wish my house wasn't on the other side of the city from the caravan zone. Some of these food stalls are _amazing_."

"They really are," Sonia agreed as she popped the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth and reached into the bag for another. As Sonia unwrapped the new croissant, she leaned back to lay down on the roof of the wagon, feeling the rattling of the wheels bumping along underneath her as the caravan passed under the tall gates of the city onto the road through the Everwood. Dangling orange banners hung down over them, depicting the symbol of the city and the eight-point cog symbol of the Guild.

It was the day after Sonia and Bram's mothers had returned to Theron, and Stellazzio was finally leaving Dundorma, off to continue their trade routes in search of profit. The caravan staging area was a bit less crowded than it had been in the days leading up to and following the exam, as travelers began to filter away from the city, and the caravans followed them out in search of business across the rest of the country.

Steward had told them that their path would carry them east, up to the edge of the Dragon's Jaw Mountains before turning northwest and following the curve of the range. Their planned path for the next few months would take them halfway to the frozen north before turning west and heading back to the sandsea in search of Val Habar.

Most important to Sonia, however, was that their path was supposed to take them near, or maybe even through the village where her father was supposed to be. The Dragon's Jaw were the peaks that stood between the lush and verdant Everwood and the area known as the Blasted Lands. Sonia had been asking about it recently, and apparently the Blasted Lands consisted of an expanse of deadlands, where very little plant life grew, and fewer animals and monsters lived as well. Not the greatest place in the world by the sound of it, and her father was supposed to have been in the area for half a year already… but that was where the Meridian ruin that Bram's dad wanted to study was, so that's where they'd went. Sonia hoped she'd be able to find them while they were passing through the area, if they didn't finally get up and leave before Stellazzio rolled through.

If nothing else, she hoped she'd become proficient at using the insect glaive by then.

"You think I'll be able to really learn everything I need to know in a couple months?"

"Maybe not everything, but enough," Vi replied, licking some crumbs off of her fingers before reaching in for another sandwich. "Tuli's no scruff when it comes to using the glaive, and she seems to do her training by the book. She won't make you a master, but I think she'll mold you into a respectable glaive user. After that I think it's just experimenting with tactics that work for you, your fighting style, and whatever sort of Kinsect you're planning to raise. Tuli's a lot shorter than you, so her hunting method takes that into account." The huntress paused to wolf down a better portion of her meal before pausing to smile at Sonia. "And if you ever wanted to come and get more training, me and the others wouldn't say no to having you guys come back and visit! You won't even have to go through all that apprenticeship nonsense again."

"That'd be nice… Maybe one day. But I'm feeling pretty homesick, and I'd like to build up some reputation back in Theron before I come back to Gahiji. At least, somewhere a little closer to home, like Tanzia or Orage, or maybe I could go up north to Hearth - the one in Theron, I mean - and hunt some monsters in the Tundra… My friend Sami always says she can hook me up with work if I ever head that way, and I always liked snow."

"That's understandable. Lintukoto isn't exactly Dundorma, but it's not like I can't come home to visit without much trouble. Acting as caravan guards is pretty nice though… Maybe I should sign on for a couple tours with Stellazzio after all this."

"I think they'd appreciate that. I know Steward's been asking around for hunters that would be willing to sign on once we leave, and I think you're skilled enough and well-liked enough for them to want you to stick around."

"Yeah, I suppose so… I've spent the first three years of my hunting career hanging out with Tuli and helping Leon improve. Now that he's passed, I guess we can really start hunting properly… Heh, whatever proper hunting is."

"Right? I thought I'd just… know what to do once I got my license! But all I really have is this… _list_ , and I'm trying to figure out what to do first! I mean, learning the glaive is obviously first in line, but I wanna try and raise my rank in Orage or Tanzia, I wanna go up north and hunt around Hearth, I wanna try and see about becoming a gatherer for the Compound, I wanna explore the chaos island Moga, I eventually wanna come back and hunt more monsters in Gahiji, maybe sign on with a caravan for a while-"

"Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you!" Vi laughed. "At least you've got a list of things you want to do. As long as you have goals, I think that's enough for now. You're still a rookie, you have a lot of room to maneuver. Just keep doing what interests you and you'll do fine."

"Don't talk like you're an old fogey," Sonia grinned. "You're not _that_ much older than me."

"Ha! You must heed my sage advice, young Sonia," the horn player replied, folding her hands together and taking a zen-like tone of voice. "Appreciate my experience and wisdom, foolish apprentice."

"Don't make me push you off this wagon. We'll see how sage you can act when you're covered in mud."

"Ha, you can try!" Vi giggled, flopping onto her back and staring up at the clouds and reaching into the bag to pull out another sandwich. Sonia grinned and reached for another as well, but frowned when she found nothing within but the bottom of the bag and some crumbs, realizing that Vi had cleaned up six of the sandwiches in the time that Sonia had taken for two.

With a sigh of defeat, she leaned forward, scanning the small river of wagons that were rolling out of the city. Clusters of wagons were doing their best to not get separated from each other as armored guardian hunters walked between them, chatting with others while keeping an eye on the nearby trees. Small gaggles of merchants walked alongside their mobile houses, as did groups of children laughing and playing. Off in the distance, Sonia spotted a group of Palicos standing around a half-sized trio of wagons, chattering among themselves. Her gaze lingered on them for quite a while, before she felt Vi pat her on the back.

"Did you ever see Hannibal after the exam?"

Sonia sighed and shook her head. "No, I never caught up to him again. I was hoping to at least congratulate him on passing, but… I guess he just took off back to Cheeko as soon as he got his license."

"I can't say I'm particularly fond of him myself," Vi admitted, "but I have to admit he's quite skilled. And he's very driven as well. I suppose he's not one to just sit around and wait to accomplish his goals, and now that he has a license, he wants to get a move on."

"Yeah… I guess I'm probably not going to be in the country long enough to run across him again. Still, I hope he gets the respect he deserves."

"If I ever see him once you're back in Theron, I'll pass the sentiment along for you."

"Thanks, Vi."

"Besides, with a Felyne like him, I'll probably hear about him sooner or later. He'll either be leading a Felyne revolution or be sent to prison."

"Oof. Yeah, good point…"

* * *

South of Dundorma, a small collection of seven wagons was clattering over the hill just a few miles away from the city. Most of those with the caravan were focused on the road ahead, but a single pair of eyes were watching the city as they crested the other side of the hill, waiting until the city was out of sight before sighing and turning away.

Returning his attention to the wagons around him, Rikki had to admit he was impressed by the way the Guild could do things for quests of high importance. While three of the wagons in the group belonged to him and his friends, the other four belonged to a small research team assigned to assist them. One wagon was packed to the brim with lab equipment and research documentation, another was filled with the necessary goods needed to capture and quarantine any infected monsters they collected, and the last two were large but efficiently-designed bunk wagons to hold the six men and women that would be supporting Rikki and his friends.

It was all very impressive, and while Rey had been the one to vocalize his astonishment at the resources the Guild could offer, both Rikki and Grim were just as awed. Rikki hadn't been sure exactly how this whole process would work when Lord Leto had given them their mission briefing, but now he couldn't help but feel like they could take on anything, no matter what this virus or poison could throw at them. All this and it wasn't even the full team that was supposed to be joining them: Zame had left in a different direction, off to begin his investigation elsewhere, and the team had been informed that a certain high-profile researcher would join them in Juddil Village, the first stop on their hunt for the mystery wyvern.

"Oh, don't look so disappointed, buddy." Rikki turned as Rey and Grim approached, the former grinning as he wrapped an arm around Rikki's shoulder. "You look like a Popo stuck out in the rain. Stop worrying! That old Slagtoth can run a weapon display without your help."

"Hmm. I know. I just wish I could've been there to the end."

"A month doing three shows a day wasn't enough for you?" Grim asked. "Michelle can swing a charge blade well enough."

"Not _that_ well… Neru would've been a better choice."

"And I agree," Rey replied, "but she broke her leg fighting that Rathalos out in the Everwood, so unfortunately the task falls to Michelle. I know she doesn't have much experience, but she's good enough to give a demonstration for a crowd. They won't know the difference between a rookie and a guy like you, Mr. First Charge Blade User Ever."

"But any experienced hunter that watches will see her hesitation and discomfort, and if the weapon's going to be taken seriously-"

"You're being pedantic, Rikki," Grim said sternly, and Rikki sighed.

"I just prefer to see things through start to finish."

"Well, Daedelus wouldn't want you to miss an opportunity to accelerate your hunting career with an opportunity like this, don't you think?" Rey asked. The switch axe user took a moment to alter his posture, scrunching his head down to his neck and sticking out his gut a little. He lowered his voice, speaking in a deep voice with a fake accent. "Now, now, m'boy, y'all should be concerned with yer _own_ sake. I say, this old man's not so decrepit that he needs a young whipper-snapper like _you_ keeping an eye on him, y'hear?"

Rikki snorted and laughed as Rey waggled his eyebrows. "That was… that was pretty good."

"Wasn't it? As much time as I've spent around him, I _better_ be able to replicate that ridiculous accent. Honestly, I'm just grateful you don't talk like that too. I get enough of it in Harth, and I don't need you ruining my chances with people I meet by sounding quite as salt-of-the-earth as him, thank you very much."

"You said that much more kindly than I thought you would."

"Well, I do like the old guy… the way he talks just grates on me, that's all. Now come on, cheer up. Next time the exam rolls around, you can give all the demonstrations you want, but the crowds will be even bigger because you'll be the first charge blade user to become a G-rank hunter! The great Rikki!" he said dramatically, swinging his hand out with a flourish. "That on top of being one of the three _rich and famous_ hunters who slew the… the… black virus wyvern, or whatever."

"Emphasis on the rich and famous bit, huh?" Rikki smirked.

"I mean… if that's your thing. If you wanna split it _fairly_ , I'll take all the rich and you can keep the famous. Spend the rest my days toasting your glory from my mansion."

"Please. We all know you couldn't stand not being in the spotlight," Grim scoffed.

"Hmm… true. Then we can all share the fame and fortune fifty-fifty. Fifty for me, and fifty for the two of you."

"That seems fair," Rikki chuckled.

"Doesn't it though? And just imagine the business old Daedelus will get once every up-and-coming charge blade user hear that you're exclusively using the weapons he made? He'll be _swamped_."

"Oh, good, then we'll get to listen to him complain about all the work he has to do day in and day out…" Grim grumbled. "Hopefully he won't use us as his gathering goons anymore after that."

"Please, once we're G-ranked hunters, even _he_ won't be able to afford us."

"If he gets as much business as Rey imagines he will, he can pay another group of Progressive rookies to go gather the materials he needs," Rikki replied. "Like he did for the three of us back when we were starting out, remember?"

"Nurturing our replacements? _Diabolical_!"

"Well it's not like he can afford us anymore after all."

"Well, we have to stay his favorites! I can't afford upgrades to my weapons without his friendship discount!"

Rikki and Grim glanced at each other. "What 'friendship discount'?" Grim asked.

"The one we get for being buddies with Rikki and his material gophers?" Rikki huffed. The looks the other two made him pause, however. "Uh, right? Like, half off of all upgrades and repairs?"

"First I've heard of it."

"He's been my mentor for more than a decade and he still charges me full price," Rikki agreed. "Says I need to earn things fairly like a good little hunter."

"What?! But he's been… He _said_ he's been giving me a major discount for all these years!"

"Really? How much is he charging you? How much was your last upgrade?"

"Uh… about fifty-five grand?"

"Sounds about right for a high-end high-rank upgrade," Grim muttered, rubbing his chin. "Doesn't sound like he's been giving you any discount to me."

"What?! But… but he said that any other smithy would charge double that or more!"

"Any smithy that charges a hundred thousand zenny for a high-rank weapon upgrade either doesn't understand how money works, or they have a more self-inflated ego than _you_ do." Grim paused, and for the first time in what Rikki believed to be a year, the gunlancer actually smirked. "Sounds like the old toad's been giving you the runaround."

"What?! But… I… he said… I don't-!"

"Sounds like he suckered you into not even _looking_ at other smiths in favor of giving _him_ all your business. How long's he been leading you by the nose like this?" Grim's smirk had shifted now, and the man's expression was positively ecstatic with diabolic glee. "A couple years? Five? More? _Since we met the old coot ten years ago_?"

The switch axe user whimpered helplessly. "I didn't think I could afford anything else…"

"Oh, this is the best day of my life," Grim cackled, turning and striding away. Rey groaned in dismay, and even Rikki couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he patted his friend on the shoulder.

"Look on the bright side," Rikki said reassuringly. "He wasn't ripping you off or anything, just… making you think shelf price was an amazing deal."

"You're not making me feel any better, Rikki."

"I'm just surprised. For someone who has a silver tongue like you, I never imagined you getting suckered for a full decade by someone, especially Daedelus. You're usually a very proficient haggler."

"...I blame the accent. I couldn't detect his hokum through the yokel."

"If that makes you feel better."

"Ugh… Grim's never gonna let me hear the end of this, is he?"

"I haven't heard him laugh like that in _years_. He'll be talking about this when we're old and wrinkled."

"Great… Well, at least today can't get any worse."

"Well, now you're just tempting fate. Come on, cheer up. You can spend the next few weeks thinking of all the clever things you want to say to him after this quest." Rey grumbled miserably in response. "Would it make you feel better if I made that stew you like for dinner tonight?"

"...Maybe."

"And I'll only charge you half price for it."

"Aw, too soon, man, too soon."

* * *

On the northwestern edge of the Dundorma caravan staging area lay a certain collection of tall red tents. The locals knew them by heart, and anyone that was curious need only ask a passerby to learn who the tents belonged to: the Troverians of Harth. Though the staging area was always filled to the brim around this time for the exam, and caravans seeking to sell their wares often jealously hoarded what space they could claim, the Troverians somehow always had a large swath cut out for their own mercantile ventures, and seemed to cut out just a little bit more every year. Though, while the other caravans might seethe at the loss of such valuable property, few locals or visiting hunters would complain: the Troverians _always_ had some of the newest and finest equipment for sale, and it was rare for the red tents not to see thousands of visitors come by to peruse their wares.

This year was no different, and the crowds of curious passerby were in good supply, traveling between tents to see what sort of new and glorious goods the subterranean tinkerers had provided to show off this year. Weapons and armors of all shapes and sizes were presented for viewing, awing those that laid eyes on them and convincing no small number of hunters to part ways with their materials and zenny for a chance at owning one of their own.

Off in the far back of the red tents, pressed up against the wall of the city, a large stage had been set up for weapon demonstrations. The Troverians were usually kind enough to allow other vendors and smiths in the area to use the display as well, but this exam was different. Most of the time slots set up for weapon demonstrations had been set aside for the Troverian's use, displaying none other than their constructed mechanical weapons, with the star attraction being their latest creation: the charge blade.

One of the demonstrations was being given that very moment. A young woman was wielding the basic charge blade design, cleaving a massive metal blade into the side of a large wooden dummy, using wildly exaggerated movements to display the weapon's transformation sequences. An announcer on the other side of the stage was giving a colorful play-by-play of every swing, and the huntress was making sure to make displays at the man's behest, to provide the crowd a clear view each time she shifted the weapon into axe mode, and again as she spun and transformed it right back. They'd been giving these demonstrations for over a month now, and even though the exam had ended a week earlier, they'd still pulled in quite the crowd, almost a hundred eager faces watching the huntress heave the blade, aweing them each time the blade shifted forms.

Off to the side, looking out from inside one of the tents, a red-haired Troverian stood watching the show, stroking the tips of his extended moustache. His head bobbed and swayed with each swing the huntress took, and the pointed finger on his left hand was swinging like a conductor's baton. Unlike the crowd, however, his eyes were sharp and experienced, and with every slight hesitation or imperfect stance the huntress took, the scowl on his face grew just a little bit deeper. A hand squeezed his shoulder, and he turned to find another Troverian giving him a knowing look.

"Calm down, Talus. Don't get yourself up in a tizzy. You know Michelle is doing her best."

Talus let out a sigh, shaking his head. "I know, Calos, I know… But this is our last charge blade show here in the city, and I wanted it to be a real showstopper."

"Can't help whatcha can't help, my friend," Calos replied. "We had to make due with who we had available. I'll make sure to put her through her paces these next six months, and make sure that if this happens again she'll be infinitely better than she is now. You can't deny that she is very good for someone that's only been using the weapon for just over a month, eh?"

"No… no, I suppose I can't…" Talus agreed. "Well, hopefully it'll be enough for the crowd. Most of the older hunters have already been through… looks like the folks out there now are just rookies and civilians. This oughta put some fire in the bellies of the kids watching."

"Indeed it will," Calos chuckled, glancing out at the audience; a cluster of children and young teens had shoved their way to the front, eager to get the best view they could. "I still remember when Rikki first saw what the blade was capable of. He wasn't really a child back then, but the way his eyes lit up… If that's any indication, there will be a hoard of parents cursing us as their children blather on about our charge blades."

"Heh, that would be a curse I'd gladly suffer," Talus grinned. "Eh, but back to business. The phial demo is next. Where's Tuber… Tuber!"

"Here! I'm here, nya." From the back of the tent, another pair of flaps opened up, and a red-furred Felyne shuffled in, carrying a small wooden box in its hands. "Here's your burst phials. All purrimed and ready fur the show."

"Ah, wonderful," Calos replied, taking the box and opening it. Sure enough, a collection of six dimly-glowing yellow phials lay within; they were dormant for the moment, but once placed in the charge blade, they'd be glowing bright soon enough. Nodding in satisfaction, the Troverian snapped the box shut. "Very good, very good… But where's Daedelus at?"

"Double checking the wiring on the element phials, nya. You meow how he is, making sure everything's purrfect."

"Right, right… Well, once the show's over, go tell him the element phial demonstration will start in about twenty minutes, and we'll want them ready by then."

"Ha! They're _already_ ready, nya, he's just being a worrywart."

"Heh, yes, that sounds like him." Calos paused as a shout came from the announcer outside. "Ah, that's my cue! I'll be right back."

With a bit of flourish, Calos strode from the tent, leaping up the steps to the stage and presenting the charge phials to the crowd dramatically. Talus watched calmly from where he stood; the first part of the show was for showing off the transformation abilities of the charge blade, but the second part of the show was what truly brought the dazzle to the demonstration, when the charge phials were inserted. If anyone in the crowd wasn't already interested, the second half of the show would snag them for sure. He watched as Calos deftly raised the phials, showing them to the crowd before expertly inserting five into the shield and the last into the sword in preparation for the discharge burst demonstration.

Soon enough, Calos re-entered the tent, having done his part and leaving the rest to Michelle. "Well, that was fun," he said with a smile, turning back to watch the show. "I think I'm rather suited for this kind of thing."

"You've certainly got a greater knack for it than smithing, that's for sure," Talus chuckled.

"Oh, don't start. Tuber, could you… Tuber?" Calos turned, looking back and not spotting the Felyne. "Must've gone back to Daedelus. Oh, well."

"Did we decide on which element to use this time?" Talus asked, looking back at a collection of charge blades they had on hand. "Fire again?"

"I think we're going with ice. The way the frost crystallizes on the test dummy seems to be especially effective at awing the crowd. Fire is nice and flashy, but we think the ice will be more aesthetically pleasing."

"I really liked the thunder element myself…" Talus sighed, brushing his fingers over an aquamarine shield.

"Yes, but the electricity is a bit tricky to contain, not the best for display. Tends to scare the front row, and we'd like to avoid the… the…" Calos grew quiet, frowning as he stared out at the stage. "Hey, Talus."

"Hmm?"

"Should… should the phials be taking that long to charge before the safeties kick in?"

"What? I don't-"

Talus froze, his gaze snapping to the stage. They were supposed to be showing off the charge blade's safeties at the moment, and Michelle was striking a wooden dummy repeatedly with her sword. Each swing she seemed to be hesitating a bit more, but she was continuing on, and the phial in the hilt of her sword was glowing brightly… _too_ brightly.

"Oh no…"

In a flash, Talus was running, shoving Calos out of the way and sprinting up the stairs onto the stage. Michelle seemed shocked to see him lunge at her, but he paid her no mind as he yanked the weapon out of her hands, shoving her to the ground as he fumbled with the mechanisms. Even from within the hilt he could feel latent heat seeping through, filling his hands with warmth until at last the phial slid free, landing in his palm. He hissed in pain as the phial touched his bare skin, burning like a red-hot brand, but he held tight and spun it around, desperate to find out why-

The safeties were damaged! _Impossible_! The safeties were Daedelus' utmost priority! How had-

 _Crack._

Talus' blood ran cold as a thin break jumped across the phial. Tinny clinking sounds echoed up from his palms as thin spiderwebs began to spread outwards. The phial itself began to shiver in his palm, vibrating from the core. His hands were already burning from the intense heat radiating out of the phial, but he paid no mind as he looked out across the crowd. Eager curious faces, some now tinted with worry and fear, but so many of them…

"Everyone, run a-!"

A flash, and the world was white hot.

* * *

"Careful now, make sure you don't add too much calcium. You must maintain the correct ratios or else you'll - hold it! Don't add the limestone powder now! The rest of the mixture needs to be complete before you add that!"

"Ack! Sorry, boss…"

"It's fine, it's fine, just… hold off for now. Reggie, keep mixing this. Once it's good and blended, then the lime goes in. Let me know when that happens, and we'll finish this batch up."

Klaus sighed, stepping away from the large, rotating urn and allowing the field workers to continue their work mixing together the cement that would be used to repair the walls as he looked down to wipe a few flecks of the substance off his armor before it hardened. He looked up at the wall, pleased with their work; the wall had been damaged a few months back by a wandering Chameleos, but they were finally finishing up their repairs, and the wall was looking better than ever. The Chameleos had abruptly appeared within one of the interior walls on a misty day, raising chaos within spitting distance of the town proper. He was glad they'd managed to chase it off when they had, since one well-placed spray of poison mist could have killed hundreds. Thank goodness Chameleos were more skittish than other elder dragons; a flying, invisible elder dragon was dangerous enough without it having a more aggressive personality.

"Surprised you know so much about building, boss," one of the workers, Hugh, noted as Klaus paused to take a drink of water from a barrel. "Wouldn'ta thought the high-and-mighty Shield would waste his time on stuff like this, much less know his way around all the newest methods. Thought only Lost contractors knew all the fancy details 'bout this concrete stuff."

"Yeah, well, I try and stay on top of the latest structural design methods," Klaus shrugged, brushing some of the stone dust off his armor. Hugh raised an eyebrow, and the Shield shrugged. "It's a hobby."

"Odd choice of hobby."

"Well, if I ever get an arm bitten off by an elder dragon, at least I have a fallback job."

"Sure do. You know more 'bout this stuff than I do, Mr. Hobby, and I've been at this since I was a lad helping my pappy out on the job. Thinking I've learned more from you than I did from him by now. How'd you learn all this between the hunting you do for the city? You can't be that much older than me."

"Well… My job is to maintain the safety and defense of the city, and that includes keeping the walls sturdy and sound. I guess running around the city dealing with all the other building crews left me with a-"

" _Klaus! My good friend_!"

Klaus winced at the loud, boisterous voice, and he could feel his face sag and grow instantly tired. Hugh reeled at the sudden change in his expression, but Klaus could only shake his head in resignation as he turned in the direction the shout had come from.

The man who approached had a loud, boisterous appearance to go which his voice. He was taller than even most hunters, almost seven feet tall, with a lightly-muscled body. His skin was dark black and untouched by scars or roughness, smooth and supple and obviously well-kept. His hair was kept to a buzz-cut, and his crimson eyes shone with obvious self-absorbed narcissism. His smile was gleaming white perfection.

His clothing was just as vibrant as he was, and colored to a blinding degree. Shocking yellows and lime greens and powder blues and royal purples wrapped around him in an uncomfortably brilliant display. That by itself wouldn't have been too bad, were it not for the fact that every scrap of cloth that covered his body was skin-tight, leaving little of his physique to the imagination; Klaus had learned long ago to maintain eye contact with the man. Glancing out towards the street, Klaus spotted a small gaggle of teenage girls - and a few older women - clustered together and doing a poor job sneaking glances in the man's direction. Klaus wondered how long they'd been following him through town, and guessed it was about as far as it was from here to the theatre.

"Ah… Hello, Kieran," Klaus sighed. He reached up to shake the man's hand but was roughly pulled into a hug instead.

"Ha, Klaus, it has been far too long. Honestly, for two friends who live in the same city, we see each other in person far too little!"

"Yes… Too little indeed…" He awkwardly patted the taller man's back and tried to pull away, but Kieran held tight, refusing to release him for several uncomfortable seconds before finally releasing him and smiling magnanimously down at the Shield. Klaus glanced back nervously at the clustered construction workers behind him, who were staring at the display with confusion. "I'll, uh… I'll be right back guys."

Motioning to Kieran, Klaus led the gaudily-dressed man a couple dozen yards away from the workers, allowing them a measure of privacy, though he could still see the construction team stealing glances their direction, and the women that had been following Kieran were peeking around the corners of the balustrades. The Shield sighed in frustration, turning to look up at the actor's face. "So, uh, what brings you out here?"

"Ah, my friend, I am making sure you follow through on your promise!"

"What promise?"

Kieran grinned knowingly, and with a flourish the man produced a pair of small papers from his pocket. A pair of tickets, Klaus realized, and he groaned internally.

"Your promise to come see my latest show, of course! I reserved some special seats, just for you. You did promise, Klaus. _Remember_?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember," the Shield sighed, plucking the tickets from the actor's hands. Opening night for some show called 'Fiddler on the Roof'. "Two of them though?"

"Bring a friend! Maybe that woman you're always working with?"

"Georgia?" Klaus couldn't help but smirk at the thought. He could imagine the look she'd give him if he even suggested the idea. "I don't think she's one to appreciate theatre, Kieran. She probably wouldn't fall asleep during the show, but she won't enjoy it."

"All the more reason to invite her! If there's anyone who can teach a nonbeliever the wonder of the theatre, it's _me_."

"Ever the egoist, aren't you?"

"Am I wrong?" Kieran smirked.

"...No, I suppose not. You've made rapt admirers of sterner people than her before. I admit it's rather impressive."

"I would make it my _finest_ show ever, if only to show her the glory of the performing arts!"

"I'm sure you would, though she's a prim and practical sort of woman, Kieran. I'm not sure she'll be too moved by a more flamboyant show. I _heard_ about that Rocky Horror show you did! If this _Fiddler_ play is half as exuberant as your _outfit-_ "

"Ha! Perish the thought. While not my most 'prim and practical' play, Fiddler does have a serious message, my friend. Though… do you believe madame Georgia would have a soft spot for musicals?"

"No."

"All the more to prove, then." The actor paused and smirked. "Though, if a musical doesn't suit her tastes, I could always get you tickets for the next show we're doing."

Klaus tilted his head, staring at Kieran with distrust. "What show?"

"A rewritten rendition of the timeless Gahin classic, 'The Stone Man'." Kieran laughed as the Shield visibly winced. "Still not a fan of the story?"

"I _hate_ that one," Klaus growled. "It's so… absurd."

"You need to lighten up, my friend! It's just a play. And what's wrong with my outfit?" Kieran huffed.

"I've seen flash bombs less blinding than it, and it leaves nothing to the imagination. Mercy, you stand out like a flare in the dead of night."

"Peh, I fear you understand fashion as well as you understand the performing arts. Dare I be critiqued by a man who is rarely seen out of the same suit of armor? Do you ever remove it?"

"...When it needs washed. And when I sleep."

"How foul. I should get you some new clothes to accompany those tickets. I can't have you showing up in my theatre in clanking Tigrex plating."

"I think I'd prefer the armor to the garish thing you're wearing."

"It's not _garish_ , it's artistically designed! It's a matter of subliminal beauty!" Kieran replied adamantly. "You see, the purple flowers are a medley of-"

Whatever Kieran was hoping to say was silenced as the sky suddenly seemed to grow darker, and for a moment, Klaus was confused, as it seemed to have abruptly shifted to evening, with a bright light coming from the west.

Then the blast wave hit, a thunderous eruption that roared through the city. Screams could be heard through the din as a gust hot wind rushed through the streets from the west, and the earth itself shivered, making window panes rattle and pebbles clatter across the ground. The shock wave roared past in only a moment, but the roar continued to rumble through the city in a deep, groaning echo.

Kieran blinked in confusion, looking around fearfully. "My stars, what was-"

Klaus was already dashing towards the main road, leaping out onto the pavement and scanning the horizon. He didn't need to look hard. A towering pillar of flame was rising up on the west side of the city, plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky and blotting out the sun. Screams could be heard in all directions, and the civilians on the road that weren't staring with mouths agape were running in the opposite direction in fear.

The lancer, however, dashed in the direction of the explosion, carefully weaving his way through the mobbing crowds, doing his best to keep from harming anybody as he pressed towards the devastation. The closer he got, the thicker and more desperate the crowds became until it was a struggle for him to make any headway at all. The sky began to grow darker as he neared, and the smell of smoke began to wisp past his nose as the first traces of ash and cinders started to fall from the sky.

A small horde was swelling out of the caravan staging area as the Shield finally reached the gate, and Klaus struggled to fight against the tide. A thin haze of black smoke billowed through the gateway, and several people were coughing from inhalation. Thankfully the guards in the area were well-trained; already Guild knights were trying to keep the order and move people to safety, and Klaus rushed up to the closest.

"You there, get up into that tower and ring the emergency bell! I'm announcing a state of emergency, and I want people back in their homes!" The guard nodded quickly, turning and leaping up the stairs of a nearby tower and racing towards the top. Nodding in satisfaction, Klaus pressed forward into the caravan area.

What he saw drained him of what little hope he'd been clinging to. The pillar of smoke rising up from the earth stretched nearly a hundred yards across, enveloping the land taken up by over a dozen different caravans. Though the center of the blast was completely enveloped in smoke, the subtle glow of flames were creating wicked shadows dancing inside, and several wagons and tents at the edge of the blast zone were alight with fire. The pillar of smoke blotted out most of Klaus' vision about what lay around it, but he could still see that the wall near the center had been blown apart. The bodies of several wounded guards could be seen sprawled out over the crenulations, and some of their corpses were still aflame…

Cursing under his breath, Klaus strode towards the carnage. The road and paths were clearer now; most of those near the blast zone had already fled by now… at least, the ones that still had the ability to do so. He glanced around and noticed that one of the abandoned wagons had a now-dirty white banner hanging limply from a snapped flagpole; Klaus grabbed the banner, tearing a stretch of it free and wrapping it around his nose and jaw. Another wagon had basic hunter's armor for sale, and Klaus paused long enough to find a set of leather armor and snatch the goggles from the mannequin, pulling them over his eyes as he turned and strode into the smoke.

Each step he took only made his heart sink further. Bodies materialized through the ash, curled up on the ground and burning away. There was little blood, only cinders. There were people of every shape and size scattered around: humans, Wyverians, Felynes, and Troverian. Male and female. Old and… young. Numerous small bodies were scattered around the rest, some of them buried under the corpses of those that tried to shield them, with little success.

Eventually he reached a point where he knew there was no point in going further. The ground dipped downwards at the edge of a small crater, which he believed to be the core of the explosion. Beyond there was nothing else, save for the flickering flames, and even the bodies of those that had likely been within had been reduced to ash, and Klaus wondered if they'd even be able to find any bones among the rubble.

He knew that the Troverians had claimed this place as their own. This was where their display expositions were held. Something had happened. Something had gone wrong. But what…?

Above the roaring of the flames, a small sound caught Klaus' ears. A cough, a whimper, a groan. His head spun, seeking out the source. "Hello! Is anyone there! Is anyone alive out there?!"

Nothing replied at first, but eventually another cough echoed through the smoke. Klaus turned, following the sound through the haze. Eventually he reached the remains of what he assumed had been a weapon shop at the base of the broken wall; blades and shields and other things were splayed in a pile under the charred remains of what looked like a mobile forge wagon, still belching smoke from the top of its broken chimney. The wagon had been almost completely knocked over, but the peak of the chimney had slammed into the base of the city wall, leaving a small, shadowed nook. The coughing could be heard from underneath the tilted wagon, broken and weak.

Klaus pushed in, kicking aside the scattered weapons in his way, feeling the scrape of the blades' edges against his Brute Tigrex armor as he grabbed the edge of the wagon. He pulled desperately against the wagon, and the stone and mortar chimney began to scrape against the city wall as it leaned the other way, and with a roar of effort, he pushed the wagon over, watching it teeter back onto its iron wheels for a moment before groaning and toppling in the other direction, smashing against the earth and causing the chimney to break apart.

A curled-up lump lay right up against the edge of the wall, near an old workbench and a pile of tools. A littering of charge blade parts, some half put together and still in pieces, lay around the area, and the red glow of the flames and the shadow of the smoke was broken by the dim glow of several pale blue weapon phials. The lump against the wall shivered slightly as another weak cough echoed out, and Klaus rushed over, gingerly checking the person's condition.

It was a Troverian, particularly old-looking even among his species. His beard had probably been rather long, but most of it was burned away. Aside from that, however, there were few defining features that Klaus could make out at this point; the entire left side of his face was badly burned, and the rest of it was covered in a layer of soot. The coat he was wearing had been mostly burned away as well, leaving an agonizing-looking wound stretched across his back and waist. But he was still alive, somehow.

Klaus reached down, carefully hoisting the man up and over his shoulder before marching quickly out of the smoke. As he hurried to get the man to safety, he began to pick up other sounds, little clattering and shifting of materials… and a few weak cries for help. Klaus cursed, searching around for the source for a moment before the Troverian over his shoulder began to wheeze in pain. He hesitated a moment longer before turning and dashing towards the edge of the smoke, the man groaning in pain as he bounced on the pauldron.

Breaking through the smoke, he took a moment to pull down his makeshift scarf and take a breath of fresh air. Looking around, he was pleased to see that several squads of guards had arrived at the staging area nearby; some of them had jumped at the sight of him emerging from the smoke, but he sharply motioned them over, and they instinctively jumped at his command.

"Here, get this man somewhere safe, and see to his wounds," Klaus said quickly, passing the Troverian off to the first soldier he saw. The man nodded quickly, but crumpled to his knees as Klaus passed the heavy Troverian over to him; another guard hurried over, helping him carry the weight as the two of them scurried to get the wounded man away.

With practiced precision, Klaus began motioning to several groups of guards in succession, passing out orders. "You two, get over to the Hospital! I want you to gather as many available doctors and nurses that you possibly can and get them here! You four, find a big tent near the blast zone and empty out whatever's in it; we're turning it into an emergency medical tent! You five, get the fire brigade here and keep these flames from spreading any further than they already have! Accept any help you can get! The rest of you, get a scarf or handkerchief or something; we're going in there to look for survivors and getting them out!

"And someone start looking for any possible witnesses! I want to find out _what happened_!"

* * *

South of Dundorma, deep in the Everwood, the forest was dark as night settled over the country. The sky was clear, but a new moon left little light shining down through the leaves in the canopy, save for the small glowing pinpricks provided by the stars.

In one small corner of the woods was a small, ruined structure made of orange-colored stone, which lay tangled in creeping vines and small shrubs that had powered their way through the weakened structure. The roof had partially collapsed, creating a crooked overhang from which a dull yellow-orange glow of a fire could be seen. A young huntress wearing Kecha Wacha armor sat on a fallen column outside the structure, staring out into the forest with her ears perked up as she kept watch.

Behind her, inside the old structure, three other hunters sat around a small fire pit. On one side were a hunter wearing Azure Rathalos plate mail and a long sword across his back, and a huntress sitting next to him wearing a set of Desert Seltas armor with a lance and tower shield leaning against the wall behind her. On the other side of the fire pit, a hunter in full Stygian Zinogre armor with matching dual blades was leaning against the wall. His face was pallid, his breathing sharp, and every muscle in his body seemed wired up like a mousetrap ready to be released.

"You sure you're okay, Mikal?" the long sword user asked.

"I'm fine, Alma," the dual blade user replied tensely, through clenched teeth. "Ugh. I, uh, I wouldn't mind another antidote though… if you can spare one."

"Of course we can. Here," the huntress said, passing him a small bottle filled with a pale blue fluid. "This poison's really lingering, isn't it? You've put back half a dozen of those and it's still bothering you. You should've said you were weak to poison when you joined us and we could've planned accordingly."

" _I'm not_!" Mikal snapped, with a little more force than he might have intended. He winced as the other two hunters tensed, pausing to collect himself. His breath came in short hisses. "Sorry. I mean… I didn't think I was. I've never had this problem before."

The other two hunters were quiet for a moment, before Alma turned to the huntress. "What do you think, Sandrasa? Maybe it was the Garuga?"

"It was certainly acting strange, I'll give you that," the lancer replied. "It was far more aggressive than any I've fought before… and that's saying something when concerning a Garuga."

"Wouldn't have been hit if it hadn't played dead…" Mikal growled. "That was _your_ fault, Alma!"

"I was sure it was dead!" the long sword user argued. "After it fell over that ledge, it wasn't moving! I thought it had snapped its own neck!"

"Yeah, well, this _wound_ on my arm says _otherwise_!" the man snapped. His eyes flared with rage, and Alma thought he could see the man's face growing red with anger, and his veins standing on end. Alma winced backwards; for a moment he felt like the veins on the man's face were had been stained _black…_ But the next second the man grunted, clutching his head and gasping for air, and he seemed to wither a little. The black color wasn't there anymore, if it had been there at all; it must've just been a trick of the light. Alma frowned warily as he looked down at Mikal's other hand, which was gripped tightly around the hilt of his carving knife. "Sorry. Sorry… I know it wasn't your fault. I just… my heart feels like it's pounding a mile a minute…"

"Another antidote?" Sandrasa offered.

"No, I've enough of those, I just…" Mikal paused for a moment in thought. "I think I just need some fresh air," he said decisively, pushing to his feet.

"What?" Alma muttered. "You're still sick! You should be laying down!"

"I'll be fine," he replied, waving him off. "Besides, I'm sure Sasha could use the company."

Alma opened his mouth a bit, but no words managed to come out as Mikal walked out of the structure. As his footsteps faded away, the long sword user leaned back and groaned, thumping his head gently against the stone wall rhythmically in frustration.

"She could go without you constantly hitting on her," Alma growled under his breath. Next to him, Sandrasa chuckled under her breath as she pulled a ration out of her pouch and began peeling away the wrapping.

"Calm down, Alma."

"How can I? What if she starts dating him?"

"She won't. We only met him a couple days ago."

"But… I mean, she might give him a chance-"

"Nope. She thinks he's got too much ego."

"But how can you be sure?" Alma asked worriedly, running a hand through his hair.

"I'm her best friend. She tells me these things. Would I lie to you?"

"Yes. I haven't forgotten what happened in Stonewall Village, you know."

"Oh, yeah… Good times," Sandrasa sighed with a wistful look on her face. "That wasn't a lie though, just a mistake on my part. I couldn't have predicted that it would rain and make all the streets muddy either. And we all got a laugh out of that in the end, didn't we?"

" _You and Sasha_ got a laugh out of it."

The huntress chuckled to herself, pausing to finish off her ration as Alma continued to rock back and forth worriedly. "Just _ask_ her. As her best friend and confidante, I can assure you she won't say no. She likes you… and she thinks you have a nice butt. I mean, I've seen better, but there's no accounting for taste. If you walked out there now, I'm sure you'd be kissing her before the sun came up."

Alma blinked, shifting around a bit. "You… you think so?"

"Mmhmm. Just be honest, and I'm sure she'll-"

Both hunters froze as a shout echoed in from outside, voices raised in anger, and a loud furious howl. Alma was on his feet in a flash, but before he could take a single step, a shrill and horrified shriek tore through the cave, and was immediately cut off with a wet and twisted sound of impact. He sprinted out of the ruins in a flash, and the clanky noise of Sandrasa hauling her lance echoed behind him as he charged out into the open.

As Alma stepped out into the night, he froze as his blood ran cold in his chest, and his eyes widened in horror. Over by the rock where Sasha had been sitting, she was now lying on the ground… and nearly every inch of her torso and face were covered in blood. Her exposed abdomen had been torn open and stabbed at least six times. Her throat had been essentially ripped out, and her face had several large gashes torn across it. One of her eyes had been sliced in half, and her nose had nearly been severed off completely. Her orange Kecha Wacha armor was stained crimson.

Mikal was kneeling on the ground next to her, breathing so heavily it was as though he was hyperventilating. His eyes were wide and dilated, bloodshot so badly that they were nearly glowing red in the moonlight. His teeth were clamped together, his lips peeled back and twisted into a mix between a grimace and a snarl. Every muscle in his body was tensed, and in his right hand he held one of his dual blades, the thunder-element Zinogre sword, and the serrated edge was dripping with Sasha's blood, as was most of the Stygian armor across his chest. Flecks of the huntress' blood was sliding down his face, staining his skin and soaking into his under armor. With a wild howl, he pulled his arm back, plunging the blade down into the huntress' chest, tearing through the Kecha hide armor and flesh, shattering bone as it sank into her body, before pulling back and stabbing her again, and again, and again.

"You… don't… turn… me… down!" he hissed. His voice was cracked and warped, barely human, growing louder and more violent with each swing of his sword. "You don't turn me down! _You don't turn me down_!"

" _GET AWAY FROM HER_!" Alma roared. Finally pushing through his shock, the hunter lunged at the other man, yanking his longsword from its sheath and swinging wildly at the Mikal. The other hunter looked up, pulling his arm up to block as the longsword crashed into his Stygian armor, throwing him backwards and rolling across the grass.

Alma looked down, staring hopelessly at the Sasha's body and dropping to his knees next to her. Was she still alive? Was there hope that they could save her? Next to him, Sandrasa collapsed to the ground as well, whimpering in horror as he shaking hands hovered over Sasha's body, perhaps holding onto the same hope that there would be some way to help their friend, but not knowing where to start.

It took little time for the desperate hope he clung to to be snuffed out, however. The wounds were too deep and too numerous. Her innards had been sliced up, and some of them were falling out of her gut. The blood pooling on the ground under their knees was almost more than Alma thought a body could hold, and the terrible gashes across Sasha's body weren't even bleeding anymore; there just wasn't enough blood left in the body anymore. Next to him, Sandrasa collapsed, crumpling on top of her best friend and wrapping her arms around the shoulders, pulling her corpse close as she broke down into broken sobs.

"Sasha… Sasha, no…" Alma felt hollow inside. He knew he should feel sadness, would feel sadness, but right now there was nothing but a pit where his heart should be. He reached a hand forward, brushing his fingers against the side of Sasha's face. The huntress' undamaged eye stared blankly at him, her last expression frozen on her face, a mix of horror and pain.

A guttural growl and the sound of clanking pushed aside the hollow feeling in Alma's heart, replacing it with a cold flame. He spun, raising to his feet as the flames flared into a white-hot fury, glaring at Mikal as the dual blade user pushed to his feet. He might have wondered why the other man had done this in any other situation, but with his boots pressed into a puddle of Sasha's blood, none of that mattered. His own lips pulled back into a feral snarl to match Mikal's own as the dual blade user's gaze lifted to meet his own. Mikal's eyes glazed over for a moment as he stared at Alma, before he growled in frantic fury, clutching the arm where he'd been injured by the Garuga.

"You… lied to me! Got me hurt! Your fault! _Your fault_! YOUR FAULT!"

Mikal howled with rage, yanking the second dual blade from its sheath. The fury in him was so strong that the blood vessels in his face were swelling and visible, and even in the dark of night there seemed to be a dark tint to them. Not only that, but small, nearly-invisible tufts of dark haze seemed to puff out of the hunter's mouth with every breath… But Alma didn't see that, nor did he care. All he saw was the man who'd killed Sasha, and with a roar of his own he charged Mikal, intent on cutting the other man open just as he had cut Sasha open.

"You killed her! YOU KILLED HER! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"

The two men clashed in the field outside the ruins, tearing at each other with a flurry intent on nothing less than ripping each other to shreds. No words, no waiting, no caution or tactics, just brutality and death. Soon enough Alma found terrible gashes and cuts across his face and his arms, but he ignored them, refusing to stop until Mikal lay dead at his feet.

Even so, he soon realized that he was outmatched. The dual blade user was attacking wildly and without style or form, but each swing had so much power behind it that they shook Alma to his core, and he feared that either his blade or Mikal's would shatter before the fight was over. Thankfully, before the other hunter could cut him down, Sandrasa managed to recover from her horror and found her rage as well, and the lancer cut into the fight, her chest and arms still covered with Sasha's blood as she screeched her fury at Mikal, intent on impaling him on her lance.

For several hellish minutes the three of them fought without pause, Mikal managing to hold off both other hunters in his frenzied state. It finally ended when Alma's longsword clipped his ankle, dropping him down to a knee, but before he could recover, Sandrasa plunged her lance into his spine. The dual blade user gasped and fell forward, but before he could recover the two other converged on him, plunging their blades into his body over and over and over again, until his corpse was just as much a mess as Sasha's was only a few yards away.

Finally, the pair of them collapsed, gasping for air over his body as exhaustion and pain overwhelmed them. Their rage and lust for vengeance sated, sadness and loss soon regained control of their hearts. Tears began to well up in their eyes as they slowly crawled back towards Sasha's body, and soon both of them were racked with sobs.

As the two hunters wept over the body of their friend, neither of them were paying attention to the body of her assailant. Hard to see in the darkness, his flesh was ashen and grey, his eyes bloodshot. The veins in his flesh stood out in stark contrast, but the reds and blues were stained with a terrible black tint. But as his corpse lay there, for a short moment, a haze of blackish smoke trailed out the edges of his mouth before being blown away by the breeze, vanishing into the night. The pallid tone began to fade, returning the skin back to its normal hue, if not paler from blood loss. The pronounced veins grew less apparent on his flesh, hiding under his tan. After a moment, the hunter's corpse looked no different than any other, with no sign that there had ever been anything amiss.

* * *

 _Mikal belongs to Jsun25_

 _Alma ka'Kol belongs to Draconic_

 _Sandrasa tar'Alyssa belongs to Pendragonowns._

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about weapon malfunctions!**

 **And now we get a real look at several things in this chapter. I haven't forgotten about how dangerous phials can be when they break, you know, and now nobody in Gahiji ever will again either. And we also get a first look at what the frenzy virus does to humans it infects. Not exactly the same as a health regen debuff, now is it? Best of all, we get a first look at the kind of things I'm going to be subjecting any reader-submitted OCs to. I wasn't lying when I said they would suffer from death or worse fates.**

 **Playing: Final Fantasy XV, Pokemon Moon, Horizon: Zero Dawn, LOZ: Breath of the Wild  
Reading: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi  
Listening: My Brother My Brother and Me Podcast  
Watching: Critical Role, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon, Samurai Jack**


	28. Training and Weapons

Training and Weapons

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

A Gypceros walked through the trees of the Everwood.

The creature had lived in this territory for several years now, having grown fat and comfortable in its way of life. It had even managed to find a mate, one that was strong and capable enough to keep herself safe from other predators, of which there were many. That included the great and fearsome Nerscylla, one of which dwelled to the north of the Gypceros' nest. The two of them together had managed to raise several young a year, and now nearly a dozen of their offspring were off on their own, either dead or successfully in control of their own territories far away from here. It didn't matter to the Gypceros, however; once they left the nest, the survival of their young was their own responsibility.

The Gypceros had lived long enough that it knew its territory quite well, though changes would occasionally occur, as was the way of the world. The Gypceros always made sure to investigate changes, if only to check possible threats. As it was walking, it spotted such a change: a sparkling glitter in the distance caught its attention, and immediately the creature was on edge. The glitter had come from the trees, a place where things were not _supposed_ to glitter, so it approached with a cautious gait.

However, it found not a threat, but a treat instead. Hanging down from the branches of a tree were two pretty, shiny objects. If the Gypceros had more knowledge, it would know that they were glass potion bottles, dangling by some string and spinning in the breeze as the green fluid within sloshed back and forth. The sunlight glittered appealingly off of the glass, much to the Gypceros' pleasure: it _liked_ shiny things!

Moreso, directly below the bottles, a veritable feast had been laid out, as though in preparation for its arrival! Numerous mushrooms that the Gypceros loved were arrayed in a cornucopia of delicacy, accompanied by several already-dead Altaroth! Truly a fine meal for the discerning Gypceros! With a honk of delight, the creature dipped its head, eagerly sinking its beak into the meal.

As it ate, however, a low droning sound caught its ears, and it cocked his head cautiously. The sound vanished quickly, too fast for the Gypceros to get a bead on the source, but several leaves suddenly brushed across its face. The creature looked down curiously as the greenery floated down onto a half-eaten mushroom, tilting its head curiously.

There was a rustling sound, the creak of a tree branch. The Gypceros looked up, only to find a curved metal blade falling towards it.

* * *

Sonia let out a sharp grunt as the blade of her insect glaive plunged into the Gypceros' spine, tearing through the thick grey hide and sinking a few inches into the flesh. The creature screeched as Sonia yanked the staff sideways, dragging the blade across the wyvern's back down towards its tail, releasing a gush of blood through the rubbery hide. The Gypceros howled, twisting its head back and snapping its beak at Sonia's ankles, but the huntress leapt off the creature's back and down to the ground.

As the beast spun to face her, Sonia raised her right arm and aimed her fist at the creature's skull, pointing a large powder-blue Kinsect at its face. She pulled a small trigger on the shaft of her glaive, and the beak of the Kut-Ku head at the base of the staff snapped open, revealing the pressurized pheromone sac installed within. With a quick twist the glaive spun around, and the Kinsect shot forward, smashing its hard, pointed skull plate into the side of the Gypceros' face.

The wyvern yelped in pain, staggering back a step, and Sonia spun the rod again, sending the Kinsect up and over the creature's head and towards its spine, where the bug grabbed hold of the grey hide and sank its small teeth in. It tore a small chunk of flesh from the Gypceros' body before disengaging and flying back to Sonia, as the small grey sac on its chest shifted to a pale orange color. As the Kinsect perched back onto Sonia's forearm and clamped down onto the mouthpiece, there was a warm feeling as the essence coated her skin, seeping through her pores and into her bloodstream. A moment later Sonia felt a surge of energy cascade through her: her flesh felt thicker thanks to the essence, like it had temporarily calloused, a boost to her natural durability.

The Gypceros spun to face her, hissing viciously as poison welled up in the back of its throat. There was a flash of motion from the side, however, as a smaller Kinsect with a dark blue shell shot in front of its face. The Gypceros stumbled back a step in shock, trying to get a bead on the lightning-fast new bug that was flying circles around its skull and disorienting it badly. Close behind, there was a loud clanking as Leon thundered out of the underbrush, and with a strong thrust, his lance punched into the grey hide of the beast's leg, followed by his shield smashing into the limb next. The Gypceros yelped as its leg buckled, and Leon's push sent it collapsing to the dirt.

As the Gypceros fell, Ketrak paused in the air for a moment, receiving some unheard orders before darting towards the wyvern's legs, scraping off a bit of flesh, and turning to fly back towards where Tuulikki was emerging from the foliage. The bug perched atop her bracer, clamping its mouth down onto the funnel and emptying its now-white-colored essence sac onto the huntress' skin, and a moment later she leapt forward with a burst of speed. Her glaive lanced out, cutting deep into the Gypceros' wings and slicing apart long stretches of the webbing.

Sonia tried to join in on Tuulikki and Leon's assault, but the wyvern managed to regain control of itself surprisingly quickly, snapping its beak at Leon's legs. The hunter slammed the base of the tower shield into the dirt to block the hard beak, but that was followed by the creature abruptly rolling over, and even Leon's practiced defense wasn't strong enough to keep from nearly being bowled over as it knocked him backwards and pushed upright.

As it pushed to its feet and turned to hiss at the lancer, Leon thrust his shield forward, smashing the plate against the creature's beak. They wyvern staggered back a step, but the second it opened its eyes again it was caught off guard by the shield's massive eye design, as Leon began waving it around in an effort to make it seem 'alive'. The Gypceros stepped back and warbled fearfully, and while it was distracted, Leon thrust his lance just below the Gypceros' kneecap, while Tuulikki simultaneously sliced the beast's ankles from behind. It wasn't enough to topple the wyvern a second time, however, and the Gyp's tail snapped out, cracking like a whip and chasing Tuulikki away.

Sonia grinned, allowing her Kinsect to fly into the air as she twirled her glaive. However, she'd been intending to order the bug to gather speed essence under the Gypceros' legs, but instead it buzzed towards the wyvern's head, spinning in wide loops meant to confuse the monster.

"What the- wait, no! Pecker, that's not what I meant!" Sonia shouted. She'd spun the glaive wrong, giving the wrong order! She sharply spun her staff again, this time giving a signal to return; the bug seemed to falter for a moment, confused at the abrupt change in orders, before spinning about and flying back. Sonia sighed in relief, glad that the first glaive signal that Tuulikki had drilled into her head was the order to return. She'd practiced it so many times that she would be hard pressed to mess it up, even under duress.

Her Kinsect's aerial dance had gotten the Gypceros' attention though, and as it landed on her arm the wyvern let out an agitated caw and charged in her direction. Sonia cursed, spinning her glaive down and planting the head against the dirt as she prepared to jump. She pulled the trigger and felt the rod shiver as a pressurized blast of pheromones shot through a rifled tube running along the staff, bursting out the end and striking the earth with enough force that it accelerated her jump and launched her almost ten feet straight up.

The Gypceros charged directly under her as she tucked in her legs, allowing herself to spin once in the air before dropping back to the ground, her boots crunching against the soil beneath her. As the wyvern slid to a halt, Sonia glanced behind her and planted her blade against the ground again to launch herself into the air once more, arcing backwards and landing right on the peak of the Gypceros' spine. She spun and cleaved the curved blade into the crook of the wyvern's crown, and the Gypceros crowed in pain and the inner light flickered within the chunk of bone and cartilage. The next moment the beast was howling in rage, thrashing around wildly to dislodge her, but Sonia needed no encouragement and jumped off before the Gyp could start bucking too fiercely.

The wyvern continued to thrash for another moment before realizing she wasn't there anymore, spinning around to search for her. It spotted Leon first, or rather the lancer's eye-shaped shield, and visibly jolted in surprise again, taking a frightened step back before spraying a panicked gush of poison at the hunter. Rather than blocking the spray, Leon sidestepped and allowed the purple fluid to splatter against the grass behind him. His lance snapped out and tore a hole through the Gyp's wing before his shield thrust forward again, smashing against the creature's beak and making it take several steps back, shaking its head dizzily.

Both Sonia and Tuulikki dashed around the lancer, unleashing a flurry of strikes and slicing lines through the beast's rubbery hide as its head snapped back and forth, trying to figure out which huntress to focus on. Finally, the wyvern howled in frustration and its crown began to flicker.

"Behind me!" Leon called, and Sonia and Tuulikki slid behind the lancer's broad back. Sonia swung an arm over her eyes as the Gypceros unleashed a burst of light, illuminating the world around her in shades of white and black. Her arm lowered and she blinked away the lingering flecks of light a moment later, but the muffled cursing from Leon and Tuulikki's hiss of frustration indicated that they'd been affected worse than her. A glance over Leon's shoulder showed that the Gypceros was preparing to attack its hampered assailants…

"Brace yourself," Sonia muttered, patting Leon's shoulder.

"What? What are you-"

Before the lancer could continue, Sonia hopped forward, planting a boot on Leon's shoulder and vaulting over his head right at the Gypceros. The creature was kneading its talons against the earth and preparing to charge, but its gaze snapped up in shock as the huntress swung her glaive at the creature's face. The beast reacted quickly, beating its wings and throwing itself several yards back before the huntress could strike and squawking in rage as its crown began to flicker once more.

A distant rumble echoed through the forest. Sonia glanced up in surprise; the sky was clear and blue, so it couldn't have been thunder. Tuulikki and Leon reacted the same, still blinded but tilting their heads up impulsively at the sound, and even the Gypceros took a moment of pause. As the rumble faded, a dim sound followed in its wake, a thin warbling sound that could barely be heard. Though the noise made Sonia frown in confusion, the Gypceros had a far more powerful reaction, squawking in dismay and turning to face the direction of the rumble.

"Wide open!" Sonia grinned, darting forwards and striking the creature across the face with the weighted Kut-Ku head-shaped mace at the base of her glaive.

The Gypceros staggered back a step, and once more Sonia released her Kinsect to fly straight towards the creature's face; it didn't attack, however, merely blocking the wyvern's vision with its massive bulk while weaving left and right. The Gyp's head bobbed as it tried to follow the insect, and while it was distracted, Sonia slid underneath it and hooked the curved blade of her glaive around the Gypceros' neck and yanked _hard_ , tearing the blade deep into the rubbery flesh. The creature gasped as the blade tore through its throat, but all it could do was let out a wet gurgle. It yanked away from her, but in doing so tore the blade free, unleashing a torrent of blood onto the forest floor.

The Gypceros heaved in pain, staggering backwards as its strength rapidly failed it. The wyvern spread its wings as though to take flight, but it couldn't flap them enough to lift off, so instead it turned and tried to flee. Sonia stepped back, sliding her hand down to the base of her staff and sweeping the blade into a sharp overhead strike, cleaving into the back of the creature's neck. The Gypceros seized up, and Sonia yanked again, tearing the billhook blade free from the wyvern's spine, and the wyvern toppled, wheezing once and sending a splatter of poison onto the grass before going limp.

"Woo! Add another successful hunt to our tally!" Sonia grinned. She pushed her Tetsu mask off her face, enjoying the cool air as she hoisted her glaive onto her shoulders and hung her arms over the shaft. "It's nice to finally get some official numbers onto a Guild card."

Tuulikki let out a short sigh as the tension of battle left her, swinging her own glaive back into its sheath. "Indeed. It is a relief on my part to finally be able to truly take part in hunting again. Keeping watch on four apprentices did an effective job at cutting into my own work."

"Well now you can get back to work and hunt what you want again," Sonia replied as she leaned down to look the Gypceros over, deciding how best to start carving into it. Leon, however, had yet to put away his lance or shield, and had his eyes narrowed distrustfully on the carcass.

"I'm probably being overcautious, but… we're absolutely _sure_ it's dead, right?"

Sonia raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the Gypceros with its sliced-up neck, and the trail of blood that was slowly dribbling down the slope of the hill. "I know they like to play dead, but I'm fairly certain this one's not going to get up again."

Leon frowned warily and poked at the creature's skull with the tip of his lance, before shrugging and slinging his weapon. "I guess you're right… but I've been caught off guard by these things playing possum before, and I'd rather not have it happen again."

"Its throat looks like it's gone through a butcher shop. I think you're safe."

"You _say_ that, but sometimes that's not enough! One time I was so sure it was dead that I started to _carve_ the damn thing, and managed to cut out one of its _poison sacs_ before it decided to jump back to its feet and knock me across a field!"

"...I'm calling shenanigans on that."

"Actually, he is telling the truth," Tuulikki spoke up, wandering over to the corpse and prodding at the head as well; even she seemed a little cautious. "Vi and I were there to see it, and we were both just as surprised. Gypceros will sometimes let a hunter cut off entire stretches of hide or wing webbing before deciding its deception has gone on long enough. I have often wondered if it is praise-worthy that Leon managed to carve out one of the creature's _internal organs_ before it decided to drop its ruse."

"You're messing with me," Sonia scoffed, but the serious expressions on their faces made her gasp in disbelief. "You're joking! _Pecker_ , what is it with you and Gypceros? Broken leg, broken arm, having them attack you after cutting out their insides…"

"I don't know!" Leon griped. "They just have my number. If I have a mortal enemy in the world, it's one of these damn things. So… maybe you and Tuli can cut what you want off of this thing before I give it a go. I'm not picky. I'll _accept_ the scraps."

"If you say so," Sonia shrugged, pulling out her carving knife to take what she could.

She and Tuulikki managed to pick apart a good collection of carves before Leon finally seemed satisfied that the Gyp was well and truly _dead_ , and stepped in to take his fair share. Meanwhile, Sonia turned her attention towards the buzzing in the air above her, where her Kinsect was playing with Ketrak… or at least Sonia assumed that's what they were doing. She wasn't quite sure, since Ketrak was flying circles around her own bug, who was only moving half the other's speed.

"Hey, come here, Franky," Sonia cooed, and the Kinsect paused its playing to buzz over to her. As it did so, she began to pull out a collection of small bottles from her pouch, holding them up and rattling them together. "Let's help get what Bram wants, okay?"

The creature stared at her, not quite understanding until Sonia pulled out her glaive and rapped the pheromone casing against the Gypceros' body, at which point the bug buzzed down and began picking off scrapings from the carcass. The next few minutes were methodical as she had the bug create essence from various parts of the wyvern's body, emptying the fluid into the bottles as Sonia labeled each one with the body part that each bit of fluid had been mixed from. Tuulikki was doing the same, as per her promise to Bram for passing his exam, though Ketrak needed far less supervision than Franky did. Soon enough they'd filled a bit over a dozen bottles, in whites, reds, oranges, and greens from all over the Gypceros' body.

"That should be enough for today," Sonia nodded, satisfied as the bottles clinked into her pouch. She raised her hands wide, and this time Franky understood the gesture, immediately swooping into her arms and cuddling up against her chestplate. "That's a good boy… Great job out there today." As she stroked his shell, however, she bobbed him in her arms a little and frowned in concern. "Hey, Tuulikki, I've been meaning to ask: Franky's been feeling a lot heavier today, and I'm not sure why. I think he's put on another pound or two."

Tuulikki scowled at her from the other side of the Gypceros. "Have you been feeding him treats? I told you, Kinsects need to maintain a strict diet until their body weight has stabilized to the point-"

"I know, I know! I haven't been giving him anything you haven't instructed me to give him! But he still feels a lot heavier today than he did last time we went on a hunt…" Sonia scowled down at the Kinsect, meeting its gaze. "You haven't been sneaking food out of my nectar collection when I haven't been looking, have you?"

"Not unless you have trained him how to uncork bottles in the last couple weeks," Tuulikki replied, "and - no offense - but I do not believe Franky has quite that level of dexterity."

"Yeah, neither do I."

Leon had a thoughtful look on his face, however. "Hmm… You know, Burmecia's been complaining that some of her fruits have gone missing during the night. She's not too bothered, but she's been asking around, and nobody's 'fessing up…"

"What, you think Franky might be the culprit? But I always make sure that he's inside my wagon when I go to bed, and he can't work a doorknob… I think."

"Do you leave one of your windows open at night at all?"

"Oh, yeah, I've been cracking the back one a bit since it's been getting pretty warm the last week or so, and- Ah! Franky, you sneaky, gluttonous tub of lard!" At the shout, the Kinsect chittered in surprise, wiggling loose of the huntress' grasp and taking to the air, flying straight up until it was hovering about four yards above her. "Don't you run from me! You're going on a diet when we get back! And I'm gonna get Cleyra to mold me a wire screen to cover my windows! In fact, I should probably do that anyway to keep the bugs out… the smaller bugs I mean, and to keep the big one _in_."

The Kinsect chittered a bit, then spun and dove down towards the mushroom trap they'd laid for the Gypceros, grabbing several from the pile and flying up to perch onto one of the thicker branches of the tree, nibbling at the food it had swiped. Sonia gasped at the audacity of the show, scowling up at the massive beetle.

"Little brat…"

"Looks like you have got your work cut out for you," Tuulikki chuckled. "You will need to be stern with him if you want to make him a reliable Kinsect."

"Yeah, yeah…" Sonia grumbled, cutting into the bird wyvern's hide and peeling back a swath of hide and muscle. "Oh! Pass me a bottle. I think that sac has dash extract in it, and Bram wants some…"

* * *

A couple hours later, the three hunters were riding on the back of the recovery wagon, sitting next to the Gypceros carcass as several Popo pulled it back into town. Sonia had been bantering with the drivers, hoping to talk them into letting her keep the head for her own ends (Cleyra claimed she need the WHOLE head for her next dual blades upgrade), but by the sound of it, they weren't going to give it up. Apparently they needed the skull for something or other, so it looked like she'd have to put off her upgrade for now.

They spotted another wagon coming off of a side path a few dozen yards ahead of them as they neared the village, carrying the carcass of another Gypceros as well as the familiar pink-armored shape of Vi as the huntress amused herself by playing a jaunty tune. She waved happily at them, but continued her song as the wagon rolled through the gate.

"Well, things look fine on their end," Leon noted. "Where's Bram and Logan though?"

"Maybe they went off to collect our pay already," Sonia shrugged, as their wagon rolled through the gate and into a wide fenced-in area which the village used for carving up monsters.

"Hey guys!" she said cheerily as they pulled up next to the other cart. "Looks like you guys did pretty well."

"You too," Tuulikki nodded, looking down at other team's Gyp. "I suppose Logan took his chance to show off a little, by the looks of things."

Sonia whistled at the sight of the other Gypceros. Honestly, it only had a few superficial singe marks, cuts, and bruises, but the killing blow had obviously come from Logan: the wyvern's head had been completely severed from its neck by a single clean cut.

"Yeah, that Zinogre sword of his is wicked sharp," Vi nodded. "Gyp throats aren't thick or anything, but to cut all the way through so easily is something else. I can see why he was so eager to go back to his usual equipment now."

"Sure looks clean," Leon muttered. "That's good. Means it died quickly."

"It didn't die _that_ quick," Vi scoffed. "We were fighting it for almost ten minutes before Logan could do this. Damn thing kept running in circles, spitting poison from a distance."

"How'd you get it down? A good whap from your horn KO it?"

Vi pursed her lips a little before replying. "Well… I _helped_ stun it, but Bram was the one who finally dropped it."

Tuulikki frowned, scowling down at the body. "With his charge blade."

"Yep."

Following the hunter's exam, after Sonia had purchased a glaive and her Kinsect, she and Bram had visited the Troverian weapon display. Though the hunter tended to use the bow more often than not, Sonia knew that Bram actually had a fondness for more technological weapons, even if he only had a switch axe in his possession; he was well-versed in the mechanics of the gunlance, but wasn't fond of its lack of mobility. His eyes always lit up when presented with a more mechanical design to one of the other weapon types though. He'd even tried to pressure Sonia into constructing the motor-driven drill-shaped Seltas dual blades, or a short sword with a chainsaw edge, but Sonia had declined both since she wasn't built for using dual blades that required her to _punch_ monsters to death, and she had no desire to maintain a sword that required _fuel_.

So it came as no surprise that when they attended the demonstration she'd heard about from Rikki, Bram had been ecstatic to have one of his very own… or at least as ecstatic of someone as self-controlled as he was could ever be. What money he'd been saving to purchase a new switch axe had been redirected into a charge blade instead, as well as some extra materials to upgrade it.

He'd been eager to give the new weapon a try, but there were some complications, specifically in having Tuulikki around. The huntress already had her Purist beliefs, but it seemed that the charge blade was a particular sore spot due to it being her brother's weapon of choice. As such, Bram had been _hesitant_ to use the weapon until now, with the six hunters splitting into teams and allowing Bram to use his blade somewhere that Tuulikki wouldn't have to see him.

"How'd it go?" Sonia asked, looking over the Gypceros corpse again. The singe marks had to be Bram's handiwork.

"It's… I can see why it could be helpful in the right hands," Vi replied carefully, and Tuulikki crossed her arms and turned away. "It's powerful, but it seems a bit unstable. I think it'll be a while before Bram's really proficient with it; he ended up getting hurt a little because he was too close, and-"

"He what?!" Sonia gasped, spinning about.

"Don't worry, he's fine! Mostly. The Gyp was a little too close when he hit it in the head with that… explosion discharge. The blast KO'ed the Gyp, but rattled Bram's skull a little. Logan went on ahead and took him to the local clinic, but I think he'll be fine. He was just a little woozy." Tuulikki sighed in frustration, clearly biting back some sort of comment, but kept her silence. Vi wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a half-hug. "You're being very civil, Tuli. You should be proud of yourself."

"...I may disagree with Bram's personal outlook, but I will try not to think less of him because of it," the huntress replied sullenly, though it sounded more like a self-imposed mantra than a statement of fact.

"And I'm very proud of you for trying so hard," Vi cooed. "Just think of it as a fancy sword and shield. Like Sonia uses! Maybe if you keep this up, you'll be able to hunt with him while he's using it before we reach the next village!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"If we're all doing alright, you think we'll be able to go on another hunt tomorrow?" Sonia asked eagerly. "We're all in pretty good condition, it looks like… 'cept for maybe Bram, but you said his wound wasn't that bad, right?"

"We will see," Tuulikki shrugged, before reaching up and pulling off the cap from her Rathian armor and fanning her face. "For now, I think I would like nothing more than to take a bath. Summer is _not_ a pleasant season to be a hunter in southern Gahiji…"

"Ugh, okay good point," Sonia winced, suddenly aware of her own sweat. "Pecker, why does it rain so much in this country? It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so _humid_ all the time… Whew! Might need to take a day or two off just to air out my armor."

"How ladylike," Vi laughed.

"At least you can enjoy a breeze," Leon grumbled, raping his knuckles against the exposed flesh on Sonia's waist. "My face is the only thing that gets any sort of air."

"Pssh, well that's your own fault," Sonia replied, rapping her knuckles against the lancer's Genprey armor. "You could always get a less clanky set, you know. After those Kechas we took down on the road, you could probably make a set of armor to match your lance. Get out there and show some skin!"

"Uh… I'd rather not. That's kind of counterintuitive for a lancer…"

"Nah, that's what the shield's for in the first place! Heck you could probably get by in… _snrk_!"

Leon raised a nervous eyebrow as Sonia suddenly snorted in laughter and doubled over in fits of giggles. "I'm afraid to ask, but… what?"

"I just imagined you lancing in Conga armor! Or, or, or! Or bone armor! Just… just the thought of you having that huge shield and lance in front of you and then, and then behind it you've got that ridiculous pink furry codpiece! Or, or, or in nothing but a loincloth and those shin guards and the feathered shoulder pads and-"

Leon's face flushed in embarrassment as Sonia toppled over in fits of laughter, only for Vi to break out in uncontrolled giggling as well. Even Tuulikki had to turn away and cover her mouth to hide her amusement. Vi was the first to recover, approaching the lancer and wrapping her arms around his neck from behind.

"Oh, we're just teasing you, Leon," she told him. "It's just a funny image. I mean, it's just as ridiculous as any of us prancing around in revealing armor as well. Can you imagine me slipping around a battlefield while wearing Bone armor?" Leon opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes glazed over and his jaw snapped shut as the blush on his face grew just a little bit redder. "Don't imagine _too_ hard, dearest."

"No, no, maybe it _is_ pragmatic," Sonia chimed in. "After all, he's a defender, right? And he does his best if he's standing in front of us? I wouldn't mind standing behind him more often if he was wearing one of those sets and I was guaranteed a nice view of his backside."

" _Stop_."

"Oh, that's a good point!" Vi squealed, leaning forward to purr into the lancer's ear. "Mom always said that one of a hunter's best boons is to be properly motivated, and I know I'd be properly motivated if I had something nice to look at…"

"Alright, ladies, show's over," Leon muttered, smacking Vi's hands off from his shoulder and stalking out into the village.

"Oh, come on, we're just messing around!" Sonia laughed as she and the other two huntresses followed after him.

"Yeah, yeah… Shouldn't you be going to check on Bram or something?"

"Oh, pecker, that's right! I'll meet you guys back at the caravan later! Then we can talk to Clerya about getting you that furry pink codpiece!"

"Just go, dammit!"

"Hee! Alright, see you later!"

* * *

"Alright, I believe that everything is in order… please sign your name on the dotted line, and… done! I will pass this off to the local Guild official later this evening, and they should let the client know about your acceptance by morning at the latest."

"Heh, that's good to hear, girlie," Logan smirked, taking a copy of the hunt request from Selene. He glanced over to Vi, who was flicking her way through a separate collection of requests, before returning his attention to the Guildie. "When we gonna be able to head out?"

"Hmm, given the nature of the request, the client may need a day to prepare… but I _hope_ you are not planning on heading out _tomorrow_ ," Selene said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "I have heard that Bram received an injury during today's hunt. Would it not be prudent to allow him some time to recover before setting off on another hunt? You could endanger him if you allow him to hunt without proper time to recover and rest, or-"

"Whoa there, girlie! I ain't _planning_ on heading out tomorrow! I mean, Bram's _probably_ fine, just rattled his skull a bit, hey? And he's a prudent sorta fella, smart enough that ain't gonna risk his bacon if he don't think he's fit as a fiddle… and if he don't play cautious I know Sonia'll shut him down if _I_ don't."

"O-oh… I see," the Guildie muttered, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I, ah, I apologize. I just… I see too many hunters going out when they have not had proper recovery time, and… Well… um… have you almost selected your own hunt, Violetta?"

"Yep! Here you go, this one!" the horn player replied, snatching up a piece of paper and holding it out. "This one here, if you please!"

"Hoy, hold on now-"

"Yes of course! Just let me do the paperwork really quick!" With that the Guildie spun, slapping the paper down onto a retractable desk and began filling out the paperwork… nice and slowly. Logan scowled down at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and turning away.

"Eh, forget about it," he muttered, turning back to Vi. "So, what kinda hunt you and Short Stuff going on, Music Girl?"

"Music Girl, huh? Is that my new nickname?"

"Eh, I is trying it out. You prefer Squishy Girl, like Cleyra calls you? I mean, Music Girl's a lot nicer than other things. Figure you don't wanna be called 'Horn Girl', considering-"

"Stick with Music Girl for now. We'll see how I like it."

"Heh, thought so. Anyway, you hunt?"

"This one's an _Emerald_ Conga. Bigger, stronger, faster, and _greener_ , if the name wasn't enough of a giveaway. Apparently a few of them have been coming up from the south and causing trouble, so me and Tuli are gonna go out and clean them up before they start making a mess of the ecosystem. I needed some extra materials for my horn anyway…"

"Mind if I tag along? Sounds like a fun fight, girlie."

"Maybe one day, tough guy. But you know this is a high-ranked quest, and you're not qualified for those yet. If you manage to swing high-rank before you head home, you and I can do some really challenging hunts together, alright?"

"Heh, looking forward to it, girlie."

"Here is your hunt request back," Selene cut in, holding out a copy for Vi to take.

"Thank you!" the huntress grinned.

"Of course. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go file these with the local Guild representative. Could you ask Burmecia to save me a plate for dinner if it is ready before I return?"

"Sure thing, girlie," Logan replied, and the guildie nodded thankfully before making her way towards the village gates. Down the main road, Logan could see the entrance to the local taphouse, and a smirk curled across his lips. "Y'know, Music Girl, they's _other_ ways we can practice our teamwork…"

"...Where are you going with this?"

"Woah, I ain't thinking nothing _uncouth_ , Music Girl! Get you mind outta the gutter, hey?" Logan laughed, and Vi rolled her eyes. "Just thinkin', you know how you play you horn sometimes at night? Sometimes for the caravan, sometimes for the villagers?"

"Yeah, sure. I can usually make a little zenny by busking outside inns."

"Ja, that. Was just thinking, maybe I help you out next time you playing a song? I ain't got a bad set of pipes on me, so maybe we can have a… _duet_ , hey?"

"You're not leading into a 'we could make beautiful music together' line, are you? Because I've heard that one before, and I was hoping for better than that from you."

"Hoy! That one's a classic! But I was being serious! I have you know, I is a real good singer, hey?"

"So I've heard," Vi smirked, "but most of the _dulcet_ tones I've heard from you tend to be drinking songs and barroom medleys, and there wasn't so much tune to it as much as shouting louder than the other patrons."

"And they's a certain, eh, jaw nay-say coif, or whatever. A certain _appeal_ 'bout that type of music though, ain't they?"

"If you're a girl that likes her drink, certainly."

"And I is thinking I is talking to one such girl, hey? Seen you put 'em back with the best of them, and that's coming from a guy raised in a bar!"

"Pssh. You keep saying that, 'I was raised in a bar', but I think it's losing its value. Your track record in bars here in Gahiji isn't too hot right now. Two bar fights in Dundorma and maybe one or two more on the road?"

"Eh… guess that's a fair point. I had a run of bad luck in this country recently… but things turned out alright, hey?"

"Still…" Vi sighed thoughtfully. "I guess I do still owe you for slugging you, so I guess I can let you audition one of these days, and we'll see how smooth those pipes of yours really are…"

"Hoy, girlie, you don't _owe_ me for anything anymore, hey?"

The huntress fidgeted nervously, a guilty look crossing her face. "I still feel bad… I mean, I nearly strangled you. Even if it was an accident, I still feel like I should make up for it."

"You bought me dinner for a week, girlie. Thinking that's good enough, hey? Wasn't the first time I've been punched… hell, wasn't even the first time I was punched _that day_." The great sword user paused, contemplating something for a moment before he turned and grinned at the huntress again. "But you know, girlie… if you really wanna, they _is_ another way you can make up for slugging me if you want."

Vi's eyes shone at the offer. "Really?"

"Sure… if you go on that date you keep teasing me with."

"Oho, so that's the catch!" Vi laughed. "Well, sorry, Logan, but if that's the case, I'll just have to pass on your offer. If you think of anything else you want me to do to apologize, I'll do that instead, so maybe next time."

"Aw, again?" Logan groaned. "You know, if I ain't you type, you can just say so. You keep on saying I should 'try again later', then turning me down. If I is just botherin' you, just say the word and you won't hear 'nuther word outta me, hey?"

"No, it's not that," Vi sighed. "I do like you Logan, and I promise, under other circumstances, I wouldn't mind giving you a chance. It's just…"

"What, you got you eye on someone already?"

"It's… well… You're _Therian_. I don't have a problem with Therians or anything, but how long do you plan to stay here in Gahiji? Once Sonia's done with her glaive training, how long before you go home?"

"Ah… so that's what you thinking 'bout."

"Yep. You're a great guy, Logan, but I don't want to strike up a relationship with someone who's just going to leave in a few months. I don't have any plans to go and live in Theron or anything like that, and I don't really like the idea of having a long-distance relationship either, so…"

"Eh, that's fair," Logan sighed, but he grinned at Vi all the same. "Alright girlie, I get it. I leave you alone from now on, hey?"

"I'm sorry about all this," the huntress sighed meekly.

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it. Least you was straight with me this time. Can't say the same for _all_ the girls I dated before…"

"How about one more time for the road then? If you find yourself at a point where you decide you want to _stay_ in Gahiji… ask me for a date again."

"Ha! A tease right to the end, eh, girlie? Alright, I'll take you up on that if it happens."

"And we can still do that duet if you're up for it!"

"Heh, I take you up on that too, hey?"

With that the two hunters began walking towards where their friends were waiting. Evening had fallen, and the caravan's dealing had stopped for the day; the merchants were locking up for the night, or retiring to prepare what they needed to for the next day's business. Cleyra was hammering together something a villager had commissioned, and a plume of wispy white smoke was billowing out of Daguerreo's wagon as the man within worked on concocting more potions and ointments. Burmecia and her children were working hard to prepare the night's dinner, and just from the smells that were wafting through the wagons, it was getting close to done.

On the far end of the caravan lay the four wagons that were shared between Stellazzio's six hunters. At the moment, only Bram and Tuli sat waiting for them to return, since Sonia and Leon were in the village gathering their reward carves from the local Guild.

Bram had a collection of essence bottles splayed out before him on top of a barrel, though he was focusing on two of them with white and green fluid inside. A notebook sat beside him with a small lightcrystal in the crook between pages, a spoil from one of their previous encounters with a Gypceros; it wasn't very bright, but it was certainly good enough for a reading light. Tuli was sitting on the ground next to him, leaning against a wagon wheel, and Logan caught wind of their conversation.

"I know the essences are a balm of sorts, affecting the hunter by being absorbed through the skin, but is there a limit on how much essence is required for the fluid to take effect?"

"Erm… I admit I am not too certain. I know most Kinsects are bred and trained to release a certain amount of essence, so perhaps the amount of essence released coincides with either the duration of the effect or the efficacy of it."

"Alright, then what about mixing the fluids together? Your description of essence says that different colors blend together to amplify effects-"

"Yes, that is correct. White and red essence can blend together to increase the effects of the red essence. White essence increases orange defensive boosts as well, and I have found that it makes most monster roars more bearable."

"What about red and orange mixtures?"

"Ah… those two do not mix together that I am aware of."

"So the white essence acts as the catalyst?"

"I suppose so."

"And what about when you have all three essences within you? I've read that all effects are amplified further when red, orange, and white are all injected."

"Yes, that is correct… But it is not entirely recommended."

"It's not? Is there a danger to mixing all three?"

"Well… nothing permanent. The thing about taking in essences, is that it is essentially doping. And much like other Guild-regulated drugs, careless use can lead to a crash… or worse. I suppose you could compare it to how Sonia's body reacts to stamina buffs once they wear off."

"Aha…"

"Yes. Mixing two essences into your blood can be done with only minor side effects upon it wearing off, but while all three greatly boost your physical attributes for a time, it can leave you completely exhausted afterwards."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind… But back to the topic at hand, red and orange do have an effect on each other, but only when reacting through white as a chemical bond… That means the mixture of white with another essence produces some compound that has a reaction with its opposite…"

"I… assume that would be correct? I am unfamiliar with chemistry."

"I see. And do the essences react to each other naturally? Or do they only mix together when they are injected into a human body?"

"I… Again, I do not know. I have never gathered the essences for any other reason than for using them in battle. Why would that matter?"

"I'm wondering if human blood is a part of the catalyst. If they don't mix outside the human body, then that means that injection is a part of the mixture process, that changes how my research will proceed. I'll need to see if they mix together in non-circulatory conditions…" Tuli frowned uncomfortably as she considered the words, but Bram jumped immediately to his next train of thought. "What about the green essence? Does that blend with any of the other essences?"

"Oh, no. I do not believe so. I have never felt a difference in the healing effects while having other essences within my blood, and I have never seen anything suggesting as such within my Kinsect rearing books."

"Are you sure though? I mean, you've been using the glaive for… how long, a decade? Surely you-"

"Hoy, think that's enough, Pinky," Logan chuckled, patting Bram's shoulder as Tuli nodded gratefully. "You got all the time in the world to study the puke, hey?"

"It's not-!"

"Ja, ja, girlie, we know."

Bram frowned in disappointment, rolling the orange bottle around in his palm for a few moments. "One quick last question. Does the essence only have effects as a balm, or does it have an effect through other methods of injection as well?"

"I… cannot answer for sure. I am fairly certain it needs to enter the bloodstream to take effect. The balm is absorbed directly into the blood through the skin, but other methods of injection might take longer, depending on what you have in mind."

"Hmm… Alright, I suppose that can be my first experiment."

"What do you-"

Before the huntress could finish, Bram popped the cork to the bottle of orange essence and raised it to his lips, drinking the entire glass, much to the shock of the glaive wielder. "Hmm… How long does it take to kick in as a balm? I don't feel anything yet."

"What the-?! Are you completely-"

"Thinking the answer's gonna be yes, girlie."

"Bleh… I guess medicine isn't supposed to taste good, but that stuff really has a tang to it," Bram muttered, brushing his fingers across his arm. "Still no effects. It's supposed to harden the skin, isn't it? I don't feel- Wait. Maybe mixing with stomach acid changes the mixture in some way. I forgot to take that into account. Absorption through the skin would only have to deal with sweat and natural skin oils, so it might affect the efficacy of the essence… Hmm…"

"I think he should go back to the clinic," Tuli whispered, as Bram began jotting down thoughts into his notebook. "That… phial burst must have made him loopy."

"Nah, he's just a Renfield," Logan shrugged. "This kinda thing is 'bout par for the course, trust me. Thinking he's actually one of the calmer ones, actually."

"That's rather distressing."

"You get used to it."

"I'd rather not," the glaive wielder muttered, looking worriedly at Bram and shaking her head. "I suppose I should be happy he has such interest in Kinsects, but at the same time… Oh, forget it. So, did you two find any hunts for us?"

"That's right!" Vi replied, plopping down right next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "This time it's just you and me! We're taking down an Emerald Conga while the apprentices - I mean _rookies_ \- take on their own hunt."

"Oh, lovely," Tuli groaned, crossing her arms. "I hate fighting those smelly apes. But you do need the materials, don't you… Alright, fine."

Bram paused in his note-taking and looked up. "We're doing a hunt on our own?"

"Surprised you paying attention, Pinkie," Logan chuckled. "But ja. Found one thing thinking is gonna be a decent quest, hey?"

He held out the copy of the quest paper for Bram to take, and the redhead skimmed through the mission briefing, furrowing his brows the further down he read. "An escort mission? Really? That hardly seems like something you'd call interesting."

"Maybe so, Pinkie, but wasn't you complaining 'bout not having the money for all you tinkering? Sonia was saying the same thing, that she needed money to feed her new bug." The great sword user crossed his arms and smirked. "A hunter ain't gotta always be 'bout the killing, hey? This a _career_ , Pinkie, and sometimes you gotta take jobs that ain't exciting just 'cause they pay well. Sometimes you just gotta go out and mine some nice ores and sell them to smithies. Took a job back in Theron that that had me going deep into the Volcano hunting grounds to find old ruined weapons and take them back to be refurbished and sold."

"What weapons would you find out in the wilds?" Tuli asked.

"Eh, surprising amount of stuff, hey? Old hunks of metal so rusted over you couldn't tell what it was at first. We get back and they's old weapons that's been laying there for years. Maybe _centuries_ , hey? Ran across this old lance once that the fella at the shop said was made by Meridians. But most of them was just broken parts from old weapons you could find in a lotta shops."

"That sounds… rather morbid, actually," Bram muttered. "If those weapons were at the hunting grounds, doesn't that mean that they were weapons used by hunters that… didn't make it back?"

"Probably," Logan admitted. "But the fella was paying me up to twenty thousand zenny a pop, so I wasn't thinking too hard about it. Is not like _they_ was using the weapons anymore. Gotta get paid, one way or another. And this job? Is _real_ good pay, hey?"

Bram's gaze dropped to the bottom of the sheet, and his eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight of the pay scale. "Ah, so it is. Where exactly are we escorting this person, through a Jhen Mohran's digestive tract? Hmm… The Iron Heart? Where is that?"

"I asked Selene 'bout it. Says it's a valley 'bout thirty miles north of here, big basin sunk down in the earth, hey? Buncha old ruins there made of steel."

"And our ward requires us to get him there to study whatever he seeks, and return him here safely," Bram said. "For this much money, what exactly is waiting there for us to protect him from? A Rathalos?"

"Nah, nothing like that, Pinkie. Is only a two-star quest, hey? This guy probably either gots real good funding, is real _generous…_ or maybe ain't too smart with his money. Either way, he paying good for a easy job."

"I would not trust an 'easy job'," Tuli spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"I agree," Bram nodded. "What's the catch?"

Logan frowned. "If things go good, they ain't gonna _be_ a problem… _But-"_

"There it is."

"-but they's always gonna be a monster somewhere close, hey? 'Nuther reason why I pick this quest in particular. Figure Sonia gonna wanna take a crack at this, considering that pretty little wound she got 'cross her face now."

Tuli's eyes narrowed. "You mean…"

"'The bones of the iron giant is wrapped in tendons of webbing', that's what the locals say. Is a popular nest for Nerscylla. Figure girlie wanna take a shot at taking one down when she got us helping her out, hey?"

"You will _not_ fight-!" Tuli's retort was cut off sharply as Vi reached over and clamped the glaive wielder's nose between her fingers, reducing her voice to a strangled honk. "Ow! Vi! Leggo of be!"

"They can hunt a Nerscylla if they want, Tuli," the horn user sighed. "They're not under your tutelage anymore, and can pick their _own_ quests."

"Fine! Fine. Just lebbe go!" With a smile, Vi released her, leaving Tuli gasping for air as she rubbed her face. "But I do not like it."

"I didn't expect you to."

"If it make you feel any better, Short Stuff, I ain't _planning_ on us having to fight one of those damn bugs if we do this. We ain't going after the Nerscylla _specifically_. We only being paid to get this guy there and back. So if we do things _good_ , we ain't even gotta _see_ one of them giant creepy crawlies, much less kill one, hey? But if we do run into one, Sonia gets a little catharsis, and that ain't too bad, now is it?"

"No, I suppose not," Tuli admitted.

"So let's see, our ward is supposed to be… Thatch Pendleton?" Bram asked. "Isn't that a Therian name?"

"I think so," Vi replied. "Maybe he's one of the Lost. The older ones never changed their names or anything, and even a majority of the younger ones keep their hereditary surnames… though some decided to go with Gahiji's method."

"And what exactly is he going to this… Iron Heart to research? What kind of ruins are there, and what is he hoping to discover? It doesn't say anything on this sheet at all."

"Not sure," Logan shrugged. "We can ask when we go on the hunt, hey? We take a day off or something to recover from the Gyp hunt, we ain't hurt too bad. Girlie at the Guild booth said this Pendleton fella's been in town for a while waiting, so he probably ready to go anytime. Don't think it's Meridian or nothing; all they stuff's made of that crazy white stone, not iron, far as I know."

"Hmm… and a Nerscylla chose that as its hideaway? I wonder why."

"Well, if you take typical Nerscylla habits into account-"

"Urk! Wait, hold that thought Tuulikki. I think… I think the essence is finally kicking in!" Bram shivered a little, brushing his fingers across his arm, and Logan could see that his flesh seemed a bit leathery and stiff. In a flash his notebook was open again, and he began idly writing things down as he explored the extent of the orange essence's effects. "Huh… I wonder if the effect is weakened due to the method of ingestion… I should've tested it as a balm first..."

"Um… okay. So Tuli, how do you think Sonia's doing, raising Franky?" Vi asked. Logan sighed, walking over to plant himself down onto the steps leading into his and Bram's wagon; he didn't care much for all this discussion about the giant bugs. He couldn't figure out why Bram was interested them in the first place, either; he'd thought the boy was supposed to be interested in medical science, so why bother with the Kinsects?

"She's learning, bit by bit," Tuli replied, resting her head against Vi's shoulder. "I didn't expect her to be a master with the glaive or an expert Kinsect rearer after a scant two weeks. Her weapon experience seems to favor swords for the most part, but she is learning fairly quickly."

"If only because your sparring sessions have her getting hit with a stick if she _doesn't_ learn quick."

"I am teaching her in the same way that I learned!" Tuli grumbled. "It is not as though we can easily set up practice dummies while we travel. She is learning fast though, which is encouraging. Not everyone is a quick study when it comes to adjusting your fighting style to wield a glaive. She has more trouble keeping Franky in check at this point… but that is a skill that will develop over time, as the two of them learn to better understand each other's desires."

"How long you think it gonna take?" Logan asked.

"That depends on her own determination. At best I believe that two months of solid work will teach her all the basics, and she can expound on her own strengths from there. Though that is assuming that she only uses the glaive in that time, which seems unlikely. I think her biggest struggle will be adapting to Franky: though he may be larger and stronger than the average Kinsect, he is also quite a bit slower, and does not match Sonia's maneuverability. If she really does wish to excel with the glaive, she will need to learn how best to coordinate with him."

"How she gonna do that if the bug's so slow?"

"I don't know!" Tuli groaned. "I _told_ her she should let me pick the egg for her, but she insisted on choosing a random one! She chose her egg just because she liked the _color of it_ , not the pedigree or the reputability of the breeder. I don't know Franky's potential, so I can't say how best to use him! Honestly, I've never even _seen_ a Kinsect as big as him, so who knows the best way to use him effectively?"

"Woulda figured a Bug Girl like you was gonna be happy to learn about a different bug."

"Shut up, don't call me that. While I am eager to learn the nuances of rearing a larger bug, most glaive wielders choose bugs for speed, so I don't have any practical knowledge about how to raise such a heavy one. I don't want to volunteer my aid in raising Franky if there's a chance that I make a mistake which leads to him being raised incorrectly."

"Well, it'll be a learning experience for you both," Vi replied. "Sonia was the one who decided to choose an unknown Kinsect egg. I'm sure she'll accept that he won't grow to become a shining beacon of Kinsect pedigree."

"Besides, I'm helping too," Bram spoke up, glancing up from his notes.

"Yes… I am surprised you have managed to become as well-versed in Kinsect rearing so quickly, to be honest."

"I've done some reading."

"Hmm. Well, the suggestions you have made are rather odd. You wish to amplify the effects of the healing essence? I have read the reports on Kinsects raised for that quality, but I have yet to meet a hunter that actually raised their Kinsect in that manner."

"I is surprised you actually got Sonia to agree to that," Logan added.

"She didn't really care about pedigree," Bram shrugged, "so I don't see why she would care about how her Kinsect was developed. Besides, he's not really going to be an essence-collecting speed demon."

"Fair enough."

"I'm back!" Logan glanced up as Sonia approached from the village gates, carrying several envelopes and parcels under her arms and smiling excitedly. Behind her, Leon had a large satchel slung over his back, filled with the spare carves the village was offering them as rewards. "Mail delivery!"

"Oh nice. Anything for me?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, gimme a second," Sonia replied, slipping through the letters and Leon made his way over to sit down on Vi's other side. "Let's see, I got one from my mom, and another from my dad… Ah, here we go, one from your mom, Logan. And another from your grandma, along with this box!"

"Hoy, nice," the great sword user muttered as the letters were passed his way, accompanied by a medium-sized box. A careful shake created the sound of clinking glass and sloshing liquid. "Think it's booze," Logan said, turning to smirk at Tuli. "Maybe is a gift for you too, Short Stuff."

"Shove it."

"You and your grandma are really getting along nice," Sonia noted.

"Ja, guess so. Maybe she like this for all her family. Don't really know though, still getting to know her."

"Right, right. Now, what else… One letter for Tuulikki from her father, and another for Vi and Leon from Vi's parents."

"Anything for me?" Bram asked as the letters were passed around.

"No, sorry. I thought there would've been one from your dad since I got one from mine, but… There'll probably be one from him and your mom at the next village or before we leave here."

"Actually, I was hoping for one from Mina."

"Really?" Sonia asked, leaning against a wagon wheel and sliding a finger through the letter top to unseal it. "Why would you be expecting something from Mina? I mean, I get that she's your sister, but…"

Logan started to tune out the pair's conversation as he started reading his mother's letter. He rolled his eyes after just the first line; he could feel the amusement in his mother's writing as she congratulated him on being 'properly' welcomed into the Rohkin, as well as chiding him for never taking the hint to visit and being wrangled into doing so by Boris. There were a few mentions of her own initiation into the family, but they were vague, and none of them mentioned anything about what Titania had told him… not that Logan blamed her. That wasn't surprising though. Logan suspected that it wasn't something his mother would want to talk about with him, at least not in a letter. Still, the rest of the paper was filled with encouragement and congratulations, as well as questions about what he thought of the family before sliding into news from back home…

However, as he was getting into a section about how his mother was considering buying out a warehouse nearby to build a small brewery of her own, he paused as Sonia spoke worriedly. "Hey… is something wrong, guys?"

Logan looked up in concern, following Sonia's gaze to Vi and Leon to find them in a heated discussion over something, whispering worriedly between each other as they stared down at the letter they shared.

"Oh!" Vi gasped. "Sonia, sorry, it… it's just…"

"Did something happen?" Tuulikki asked, pulling her nose out of her own letter and looking worriedly at the sheets of paper in Leon's hands. "Are your parents alright?"

"It… yes. Something's happened. Not to my parents though! Nothing like that, they're fine, just…"

"Something happened in Dundorma," Leon spoke up, quiet and solemn. "There was an explosion on the west side of the city, and a lot of people were killed. A couple hundred."

Silence surrounded the hunters as the others stared at him in shock. A few of the other caravan members nearby halted their own work upon overhearing the words spoken, looking over at Leon with expressions of surprise. The leaves of paper in Sonia's hand fluttered to the ground as her fingers lost their grip on them, and the motion pulled the huntress from her stunned state as she quickly dropped down to collect the papers.

"I am sorry, but… could you repeat that, young man?" Leon turned as Steward tapped him on the shoulder. "You said there was an _attack_ on the city? An elder dragon?"

"No, not an elder, or at least not from what the letter says. But according to Victor there was an explosion on the west side of the city, in the wagon staging area. The blast was centered around the Troverian tents, and it… apparently it completely destroyed almost a dozen caravans and killed… more than a hundred people. A lot more than that are badly injured."

"I see… and when did this happen?"

"About two days after we left the city, I think?" Vi replied.

A flurry of concerned whispers echoed through the caravan as word spread to those that hadn't heard the news yet. Steward and a few others looked a touch gaunt at the news; Logan remembered that they'd been debating about staying for a few more days or not, but Steward had eventually decided to leave a little early. How close had they come to getting caught up in the blast as well?

A clink to the side pulled Logan's attention as the small box he'd gotten from Titania teetered over and fell onto its side, and a dawning realization made him grab for the attached letter, scrambling to tear it open and see if there were any news from the Wyverian. Meanwhile, several others had approached, eager for more information.

"What happened?" Daguerreo asked.

"Let's see… Victor says he hasn't heard what caused the explosion," Leon replied, as he and Vi returned their gaze to the papers. "There's a lot of speculation though. Some folks think it was an anti-dragon bomb explosion, or a pile of powderstone cannonballs were triggered."

Logan's letter from Titania seemed to say much the same as he skimmed through it. The Wyverian seemed to be avoiding a lot of the meat of the issue, however, and Logan wondered if maybe she just didn't care about the explosion… or maybe she was just trying to dampen the issue to keep Logan from worrying too much. Or maybe there was something more than that. Apparently at least one or two of the Rohkin had been in the area when the explosion had gone off… Nothing in there gave any concrete information about the cause of the blast.

"It was probably one of the damn Progressive weapons or some other mad creation that the Troverians made," Tuli growled venomously. Logan glanced up in surprise at the sudden assertion, to find the huntress scowling darkly at the ground.

"That's… I mean, possibly," Leon replied. "But I think it's a little early to be blaming them for-"

"Is it? Is it really?" the huntress snapped. "The blast came from their area, you said it yourself! And their tents were filled with some of the most volatile and dangerous machines known to mankind!"

"Tuli, those were some of the most experienced and meticulous smiths in the country. I'm sure they wouldn't be reckless enough to cause-"

"They're _Troverians_! An entire species dedicated to the technology and Progressive ideals and weapons! Who else could it be?! Switch axes, gunlances… _charge blades_! You all saw the kind of things they were working on in Harth! Weapons with motors and flammable fuel powering them, bowguns that can fire rounds the size of _cannonballs…_ weapons using _Brachydios slime_ as a coating! Would it really be a _shock_ if one of their twisted creations finally blew up in their faces?! They spit in the face of safety and the natural order of the world, they develop bombs and weapons so dangerous and volatile without ever thinking about if it's safe or right, and they don't expect their reach to eventually exceed their grasp?! They have to-"

"Tuli! People have _died_!" Vi hissed, cutting the other huntress off. "The Troverians were the ones caught in the blast, and you don't even know what _caused_ the explosion! They might have been victims as much as anyone else. Is this really the time for sermons?"

The glaive wielder blinked once, then lowered her head in mortification. There was still a touch of steel in her eyes, however. She glanced up, sparing a quick look towards Bram, who swallowed nervously. The huntress looked… uncomfortable and unsure for a moment, before shaking her head.

"I hope you are right. I suppose news of the truth will reach us eventually." Tuli's fist tightened at her side, and she looked as though she wished to say more, but instead she simply turned and stalked back to her wagon, disappearing within and latching the door behind her.

Silence surrounded the caravan for a minute or two as hushed whispers and speculation circulated through the wagons. Looking through the city gate, Logan could see a small crowd gathering in one of the squares; it seemed like he, Vi, and Leon weren't the only ones that receiving news from Dundorma. A new layer of tension now hung over Stellazzio as its members pondered quietly to themselves what could've happened back in Dundorma.

"I think I need a drink," Logan muttered, reaching down and tearing open the package he'd gotten from Titania. Sure enough, it was liquor, some brand of whiskey he'd never seen before.

"I hope you plan on sharing," Vi muttered.

"Sure thing. But you take it easy, hey? Girl like you gonna kill half the bottle before the rest of us get a chance."

"Hope you've got enough for me too," Leon sighed, slouching back and leaning against a wooden barrel.

"I ain't too familiar with Titania yet, but knowing her and knowing what was in the letter…" The great sword user popped the cork and took a whiff, reeling back as the smell singed his nostrils. "Hoy! Yep, called it, this some _strong_ stuff."

"Well, pass it around already," Sonia sighed, plopping to the ground.

"Don't worry, I got plenty for all of us," Logan muttered, taking a quick pull from the bottle, shivering as the liquor slid down his throat. "Bwah! Yikes, that'll mess you up real quick. Thinking we _definitely_ ain't going on that hunt tomorrow… Who wants the next drink?"

* * *

"-and we've gotten requests from the Troverians to be moved somewhere safer than where they're staying now. There have been threats nailed to their doors and rocks thrown through their windows at night. I've suggested an increased watch to catch the provoking parties, but I don't know if… Klaus? Klaus, are you listening?"

The Shield didn't reply immediately, taking a moment to register the question before turning to look at the speaker through baggy eyes. "I… I'm sorry, Seth, I think I zoned out for a moment there. Could you repeat that?"

Seth, the city's emergency management director, frowned and looked around the others at the table. They were currently in a small shack just inside the caravan staging area that had been repurposed into a command center. Inside stood a dozen individuals, those that had been spearheading the recovery effort: searching for and treating survivors, providing temporary housing for those that had been displaced, organizing the reconstruction of the damaged wall, and recovering and identifying the dead… if there was anything left to identify.

Klaus had been there almost the whole time, doing whatever he could to organize the recovery effort.

There seemed to be some unspoken conversation as Seth looked around, before returning his gaze to the Shield. "When was the last time you slept, Klaus?"

Klaus was proud of his good memory, but he'd slept sporadically these last couple weeks, and he couldn't quite remember the exact time… "What day is it?"

"Thursday."

"Ah… and how long ago was the explosion?"

"...Go home, Klaus. Get some rest. We don't need you here if you're dead on your feet… and we have more than enough corpses to worry about right now."

"No, I can't just stop…" The looks on the faces of the others made him pause; they were all genuinely concerned about him. And he knew they were right: he'd only create more problems if he didn't try to get some rest… and he couldn't afford to have them trying to take care of him if he collapsed. "I… I'm sorry. You're right. I'll… I'll be back in the morning."

"In the _afternoon_ ," Seth replied. "Don't come back until you're actually fully rested, understood?"

"Right… right, understood," Klaus sighed, turning and striding out the building.

Klaus did his best to keep his eyes forward as he made his way through the staging area, but despite his best efforts, his gaze still turned to look out across the desolation. The crater against the far wall of the staging area was thirty yards wide and almost ten deep, and the fire from the blast had razed the area in twice that distance, charring the land black. The remains of the tents and wagons had been partially cleaned up in the last couple weeks, but charred wagon wheels and tent supports still littered the terrain, making the area look like a battlefield. Beyond that, there was a prominent layer of soot and ash on everything within a hundred yards. It all felt so bleak… and it was hardly made any better by the sight of Guild knights and some civilians scouring the desolation in search of… whatever they hoped to find.

Then of course, there was the task of figuring out what exactly had happened, and after gathering a few witnesses, they were fairly certain about the truth. A few guards on break had been watching the Troverian's charge blade exhibition atop a wall through a pair of binoculars, far enough out of range to survive the blast. Apparently, from what they'd seen, something had gone wrong, and the blast had soon followed, but further details were sketchy. Their best hope was the Troverian artisan, Daedelus, but he had been comatose ever since the explosion.

It didn't help that somehow, the story had gotten out and quickly spread through the city. People had not reacted kindly to the rumors either, especially the hardcore Purists, and now the surviving Troverians were being harassed by some of the more rowdy and vengeful public. It was hard enough dealing with the recovery as it was, now they had to deal with people seeking retribution? It was still a small minority causing trouble, thankfully, but they were being loud and harmful enough that it was causing problems… and unfortunately it seemed like they were gaining some traction.

Fights between Purists and Progressives had been occasional in the city up until a week ago, but the encounters usually ended up in loud shouting matches at worst, and only devolved into violence when the most zealous members of the groups were involved. However, assaults on Progressive hunters had skyrocketed in the last week, and Klaus had been forced to increase city guard rotations to keep an eye on wandering groups of Purists. More than once had hunters equipped with a technological weapon been mobbed and beaten by gangs of Purists, their assaults considered 'justified' against someone who 'threatened the city' by carrying around a potential bomb on their back. In response, Progressives had started to gather up in numbers as well, for safety if for no other reason, but the result had led to at least two brawls between groups that had run into each other.

The days had seen a noticeable rift growing between the two factions. There had always been a separation between the Purists and Progressives during the last couple decades, and while obnoxious extremists had always caused trouble on both ends of the spectrum, a civilized neutral majority had separated them, keeping the clashes between the two few and far between. But in only a few days, the neutrality lines were growing hazy, and a clear-cut divide was opening up; civility seemed to be fracturing apart, forcing those in the center to start picking sides or risk being caught in the middle.

Klaus walked slowly through the gate and into the city proper, meandering aimlessly through the streets. He knew he was supposed to go home and sleep, but… as tired as he was, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was just too restless.

He'd been the Shield for _years_ now. He'd seen his share of disasters and deaths; hell, just a decade ago an attack from a Teostra had caused the deaths of nearly a thousand, fire times that the explosion had caused, and burned an eighth of the city. But elder dragons came with warnings, and could be predicted weeks in advance. Deaths could be expected and prepared for. It was a cynical thing, but realistic, and something everyone had learned to accept.

But this… this was so much different than an elder dragon. This wasn't something that the Elder Dragon Observation Team could've seen coming. This wasn't something Klaus could've prepared for. There was no enemy to go out and challenge, no shield he could've put up to protect the innocent. More than two hundred people dead in an instant or over the next couple days, and Klaus could do nothing to help.

Some called him the best hunter in Gahiji, or maybe the best in the world. Hell, when he wasn't being modest, he knew they were right. But right now he just felt so… powerless. What good was all that strength if it couldn't help people from things like this?

Eventually, Klaus escaped from his internal frustration and returned his attention to the world around him. He found himself sitting in the grass, leaning against a wall outside the city in one of the battlequarters. Ahead of him lay a hundred yards of cleared land, before the treeline of the Everwood rose from the earth.

It was quiet here. The noise of the city was blotted out, and all that could be heard was the rustling of grass, and the distant footsteps of Guild knights on their patrols high above him. It was an odd feeling, finding peace in a place of combat, when 'safety' of the city was so noisy. It was things like this that made him miss his old home up north, where it was always quiet and relaxing… but at the same time, so lonely.

Klaus closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall and trying to rest. Sleep still wouldn't come, however. His mind was filled with things he needed to do, people to meet, damage and repairs to oversee. Even here, it seemed, he would find no ease of mind. He just wanted a break… only a few minutes to catch his breath…

Klaus sighed in despair as the sound of heavy footsteps approached him. As he opened his eyes, however, he found a dark bottle hovering in front of his face. A masculine voice accompanied it: "You look like you could use a drink."

Klaus didn't reply, snatching the bottle and popping the cork before emptying half of it all in one go. His visitor chuckled and something heavy thumped to the ground next to him, shaking the earth a little as Klaus finally came up for air, sighing in relief as the lingering taste of wine tickled his tongue.

"Don't really blame you for that though, considering the state of things. I've been wanting to speak with you for almost a week now, but… I didn't want to distract you from your work."

Klaus nodded, a touch hazy as the liquor began to filter through his body, before turning to figure out who he was talking to. It was a broad, heavyset man, a few inches shorter than Klaus but much more solid. He was scruffy-looking, and appeared to be in his late sixties or seventies, with short brown and grey hair and an exceptional beard of the same color. His clothing was a set of worn traveling clothes, made from plain and undecorated leather, nothing elaborate or special. The only ornamentation he wore were a collection of bangles on his wrists and a few makeshift necklaces, all of which were decorated with uncut shards of blue and violet gemstones.

Klaus recognized the man instantly. "Ten? What are-"

"Please, call me John," the man replied with a smirk. "'Ten' just feels so impersonal, don't you think, Klaus?"

Klaus stared at the other man for a long moment before nodding. "Yeah… you're right. Sorry, John."

"Don't worry about it," John replied, pulling another bottle out of his coat and popping the cork. "You've had a rough couple weeks. Drink up. I've got more where that came from if you need it."

"Hmm… Thanks. I may need to take you up on that." Klaus took another long pull, until almost all of it was gone, shaking his head as he came up for air. "Hoo boy… never could handle my liquor that well."

"Ah, one of the great pharmaceutical poisons," John chuckled, taking a drink as well. Another two bottles seemed to materialize from his coat, placed on the ground between them, and the one nearest Klaus barely touched the grass before Klaus was drinking from it. "Best be careful, friend, or you're going to need a lot of the other poison tomorrow morning: _caffeine_."

"Oh, while I may not be friendly with liquor, me and _that_ particular poison are _very_ good friends," Klaus replied. John laughed as Klaus raised his bottle to scan the wrapping, but the words on the label were old and faded. "What exactly is this? I don't think I've tasted a wine like this before."

"Ancient berry wine from the Litta Peninsula down in the southeast. Vigne Kaulahuuto."

The words sparked an old recollection in the Shield's memories. "Kaulahuuto… Kaula- the hell?! This… this is worth more than five years of my salary!"

"It is?" John seemed genuinely surprised, glancing at his own bottle with concern before shrugging and taking another drink. "A little overpriced, in that case. It's not really that good, in my opinion."

"Where the hell did you get these?! You didn't _steal_ them, did you?"

"Of course not! I merely… came across them unguarded and requisitioned them for myself." Klaus scowled, and the man rolled his eyes. "No, really. I found them."

" _Where_? In a nobleman's kitchen while he was out of town?"

"No… Well, _technically_ , yes, but- Don't look at me like that, Klaus, let me explain. You ever heard of Barubare?"

"Barubare? Isn't that… That was the name of that town they wanted to build at the edge of the sandsea, 'round a hundred and fifty years ago or something. The permanent settlement, right?"

"Got it in one," John grinned. "Big plans to make it a shiny new _stationary_ trading port. But there's a reason places like Val Habar scoot around like they do. About a year into construction, what should happen but a Dah'ren comes through and flattens the place? Barubare became a dusty, crushed memory buried under a wave of sand."

"And the bottles?"

"Well, one of the sponsors of the city was this big, wealthy merchant lord who built a nice fancy mansion. Of course, the mansion got flattened like the rest of the town, and the ruins were abandoned and lost. Well, lost until I happened across it a few decades ago. Turns out the wine cellar managed to survive the attack almost perfectly intact… as did the wine. So I've been paying visits when I pass through the area and helping myself to a bottle or two." John paused, glancing at the bottle and grinning. "Suppose I've drank the equivalent of Gahiji's national budget by now."

"You do realize I might use this knowledge the next time I'm called in to help Leto balance the budget?"

"And then he'll wonder where _you_ got the information."

"And I'll tell him the truth: that I got a tip from the world's most hedonistic vagabond, who spends more nights sleeping in alleys than in a bed."

"Ha! I'll need to grab what I can before then, I suppose," John grinned, swirling his bottle and taking another drink. "Visited Three earlier this week, since you were so busy. Still doing well with that acting career of his, it seems."

"Yeah. Not a year goes by he doesn't receive some thespian award or another… really honed his art over the last few decades. I admit, I'm not one for the theatre, and it's been some time since I've gone to see one of his shows, but the last time I went I was very impressed."

"Really? Color me surprised. I always thought you hated plays."

"No, it's… just the one."

"Still not a fan of The Stone Man?" John smirked. "Personally I find it rather entertaining!"

"You would," Klaus grumbled.

The two of them were silent for a couple minutes, continuing to nurse their drinks until Klaus' second bottle was gone. He flopped onto his back, staring up into the night sky and visualizing images among the constellations. The liquor was really getting to him now, and after everything he'd had to deal with in the last couple weeks, he wanted to get good and gone, eyeballing the last bottle greedily.

But he knew he had other things to deal with. Drunkenness wouldn't do him any good right now… and if Ten had come to speak with him, that meant there were probably important things to deal with.

"Why are you here?" he muttered to the sky, and John sighed.

"I can't come visit a friend?"

"You can. But you don't. You only come to Dundorma when you _have_ to, even if you want to socialize. So drop the pleasantries and tell me why you _have_ to be here."

John sighed ruefully as he tossed his now-empty bottle across the grass and uncorked the last one. "Ever the observant one, Klaus. Unfortunately I am here on business. Our little green soothsayer's made a prediction. He says our worst fears are on the horizon."

"...Which fears? He's made so many prophecies even _I_ can't remember them all."

"Hmph, don't I know it… He thinks _Beleth_ is returning."

"What?!" Klaus gasped, sitting bolt upright. Any weariness or drunkenness he felt was gone. "That… that's impossible!"

"Hmm… I do so mistrust it when 'impossible' is someone's initial reaction to an idea. However, I've done some digging in the last few months, searching for clues about why the impossible _could_ be possible, and I've stumbled across some things. You remember Muris?"

"Of course I do!" Klaus snapped. "My brothers were _killed_ because of him! But what's he got to do with this?"

"Apparently the Therian Guild has a record on him," John replied. "And the report said he was last seen only a few years ago."

"What?! B-but it's been… Eleven said he _killed_ him!"

"I know what Eleven said. But apparently he _lied_ to us. I don't know if they teamed up, or if Eleven just let him live, but Muris was still kicking." John paused, raising a finger to cut off Klaus' next outburst. "Emphasis on 'was'. He _is_ dead now. I had the pleasure of reading his obituary myself."

"But… but _why_? Why would Eleven… Muris was-!" Klaus was forced to pause. He found his teeth squeezed tight, his breath hissing through his teeth as he seethed in rage.

"I know, I know. I was shocked too. I don't know why Eleven would betray us like that… He had every reason to want Muris dead just as badly as the rest of us."

"But even if Eleven wasn't straight with us, that doesn't explain how Muris could've survived… Oh! It must've been like when he put Azza-" Klaus winced in realization, and the blood drained from his face. "Oh, hell, _Azza_. If she's back too… Is it just Beleth, or-"

"Greeny didn't say. He's always only had his focus on the man himself, not the others. Honestly, you'd know more about Beleth and his ilk than I would; all I got were secondhand stories from Charlotte- erm, _Six_."

"I wasn't exactly paying attention to the state of their marriage when they were trying to _kill_ us, John. But even if Muris had Eleven's help, that doesn't explain how Beleth was still alive. We were all there for the final battle… well, except you, Two, and Nine. Eleven wouldn't have had a _chance_ to betray us!"

"Oh, I'm aware… but, and I hate to admit this, Beleth was a smart cookie, as were his followers. If anyone could've survived your attack, it was them… however they did it. Which means, unfortunately, that if Beleth is still alive… chances are the other seven are as well."

" _All of them_?" Klaus groaned, knocking his head against the wall in frustration. "And I thought my day couldn't get any worse… Does One know yet?"

"Erm… no. Not really," John muttered uncomfortably. "That's part of the reason I came to Dundorma in the first place. I was hoping you'd be able to go tell her."

"Me?" Klaus gasped. "I… I can't just…"

"She _needs_ to hear all this, Four. If there's anyone in the world that hates Beleth more than that withered old bean, it's _her_. She _has_ to be told." Klaus grimaced, turning away and wringing his hands in frustration. John sighed, shaking his head. "I know how busy you are here, but I wouldn't be asking you this if you weren't the best choice I had."

"...No."

"What?"

"I said _no_ , John. I'm not doing it," Klaus growled. "I'm not. Leaving. Dundorma. I _can't_."

"But One has to-"

"I _know_ she needs to be told about this, Ten, but I can't just up and leave, not now! I need to oversee the recovery effort, I need to make sure people stay safe, I need… There's so much I have to do! I have _responsibilities_ now, Ten, and I refuse to ignore them! I am the _Shield of Dundorma_! This is _my_ city, my home! I gave my word to Marlene that I would keep it safe, and it's in a state of emergency right now! I will not just… run off and leave Dundorma in the lurch to play messenger to someone who I haven't spoken to in _decades_!" Next to him, John was staring wide-eyed at the Shield's ranting, and Klaus withered slightly in guilt. "I… I'm sorry, John. I know Beleth is a threat. I know warning One about this is important, but… I just can't abandon my city at a time like this."

There was a moment of silence between the two men before John smiled. "Look at you. You really _have_ changed, haven't you, Klaus?" The Shield frowned as John chuckled. "Feels like it wasn't that long ago that you would've loved nothing more than to watch Dundorma burn, and now here you are, the city's most stalwart defender."

Klaus scoffed. "We didn't all take to this kind of life as easily as you and Six did…"

"A prison for one man feels like freedom to another, Klaus. But I suppose, while you won't leave Dundorma in the lurch, you've certainly done well to leave me in one. I still need to let One know about Beleth."

"What about one of the others… No, wait…"

"I can see you already know how that went. When I said you were my best option, it may have been better to say that you were my _only_ option. I can't _find_ any of the others… well, except for you and Three, and Three already said no. Said his next show will be his _finest_ , and he _couldn't possibly_ disappoint his audience-"

"That sounds about right."

"But this is information that _needs_ to get to her! I thought he was her most loyal ally!"

Klaus gave John a flat look. "Do you know how long I've lived in this city with him, John? I know how he works. He's One's loyal toady to the end, but even if it's the smart thing to do, the stage is his mistress unless he receives a direct order from One herself."

"Ugh, damn him… But he wasn't even my first stop. I actually went down south when I first came to Gahiji, hoping to run into Seven and Eight at that little castle of theirs, but they were both gone. Do you know where they are? Eight's a disagreeable sort, but Seven's always been amicable and takes our little wine and cheese society seriously. If you know where she is, I'm hoping she'd agree to… What?"

Klaus' face had gone stony, and now John stared at him in concern. "You haven't heard?"

"...Heard what?"

"Seven's _dead_."

"What?!" John gasped. "When? _How_?"

"It's been _ten years_ , John," the Shield replied, lowering his head solemnly. "She was murdered in her sleep. They tried to get Eight too, but he managed to escape and…"

Klaus paused, turning away. A cold flame had ignited in his heart when he'd mentioned Eight. John didn't seem to notice, however, his eyes wide in shock. He covered his mouth with his hand, taking a few deep breaths. "Oh… oh, dear. I imagine Eight didn't take that very well."

"No. He _didn't_."

The words had come out in a sharp hiss, and John turned in concern. "How bad is he?"

"...Bad. He was _insane_ the last time I saw him, and that was a decade ago. Since then… who knows. I doubt he really cares about our organization anymore."

"That's… that's not good. One will probably need to hear about that as well. What about Charlotte? Erm… Six? I couldn't find her either."

Klaus turned, staring at John in disbelief. "You couldn't- I thought- What do _mean_ you couldn't find her? She's in Theron!"

"She _what_?!"

"You didn't _know_?! She's been there for nearly eight years! And you didn't…? I thought you two would've spent all that time _together_ , but you didn't even know she was in the _country_?"

"She… I mean, I do move around quite a bit…"

"Honestly, John, you could afford _some_ stability. A house? An apartment? Hell, at least an _address_ we can send mail to? I know you've got wanderlust, but as much as you two care about each other, I thought you'd have spent every waking moment together since she immigrated. But to not even… Mercy, what have you been _doing_ these last few years? You're almost as bad as _Twelve_ these days!"

"I'm not _that_ bad…" John grimaced. "I don't suppose _he's_ an option."

"If you can find her, but that's almost impossible. She's more of a vagabond than _you_."

"And he probably couldn't remember my request for longer than a couple days either. That leaves… Two and Five won't work… Nine's right out. Damn! Well… damn."

"Maybe… Maybe I can deliver the message once things in Dundorma have calmed down."

"That's… hmm. Actually, maybe I can talk to her myself."

" _You_? How the hell are _you_ going to do it? You can't even-"

"I have my methods," John replied with cryptic smile, though it faltered slightly a moment later. "Well, maybe. I can't be certain it'll work… but while _I_ can't get to _her_ , I might have a method to get _her_ to come to _me_ instead."

The Shield narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"Come now, Klaus, I can't give up all my secrets now. I've already told you about my wine cellar, isn't that enough for you today? Just trust me that I have my ways of getting her attention… if things go smoothly."

"Well, if you do, you know more than the rest of us."

"Oh, I'm just a font of secrets, don't you know? Guess I should leave first thing in the morning…"

"Already?"

"I've been here for over a week, and I've probably dawdled enough waiting for a chance to talk to you."

"Well, the least I can do is offer you a place to stay; you can stay at my place tonight, if you want."

"That's kind of you. A roof over my head would be a luxury."

"That's rather depressing. But I'll send some letters out and see if I can't track down Six and let her know what's going on. I won't make any promises, but I'll do what I can. You said she was called Charlotte, right?"

"Last I saw her, but that was more than fifteen years ago, so who knows what she goes by these days. Thanks." John paused, looking down at his bottle, now empty. He sighed in disappointment and tossed it off into the small pile he and Klaus had created before pushing to his feet and stretching. "Get some rest, Klaus. You look tired."

The words were like a spell, and all of a sudden all the weariness from before washed over Klaus like a tidal wave. Despite the concerns he had over what John had just told him, the exhaustion from the last couple weeks started to consume him. With a grunt of effort he pushed to his feet, only for his knees to nearly give out. John caught him, however, throwing Klaus' arm over his shoulder and hoisting him up.

"Ugh… I'm sorry, John. I don't… don't think I'd make for a very good host right now…"

"Don't worry about it, Klaus," John chuckled. "I'll get you back home. Can't promise I won't help myself to whatever food you've got in your cupboards, though…"

"Freaking glutton…" Klaus muttered, but as John dragged him towards the city, he allowed his consciousness to fade, falling into a much-needed sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about training and weapons!**

 **Sorry for the long wait guys! RL's been a bit rough recently and I've been in a bit of a slump. But I've got most of the next few chapters planned out properly, and I should have a better release schedule than before.**

 **And Sonia now has a Kinsect of her own. I've decided to branch out from the typical Kinsect methods you see in the story to make it more varied when it comes to the actual bugs. They're not all going to be the same in color like they are in game, and will have more unique appearances base on their breed, much like real life animals. In this case, Tuli selected Ketrak very carefully based on his pedigree which lead her to believe that he would hatch as a high-quality Culldrome, and raised him with a specific diet to become the exact Kinsect she wanted him to be, the Bilbobrix with the Extract Extender ability (though the ability doesn't work in exactly the same way). Sonia, on the other hand, despite Tuli's advice, decided to pick a Kinsect pupae almost at random, deciding to grab the one that had a color she liked instead of considering parentage. As a result, she ended up with a Mauldrome that was off-color and much bigger than normal, making it slow and bulky to the point where trying to raise it into a Ladytower would be a futile effort. Franky is far too heavy to ever be used in the same way Tuli uses Ketrak, and Bram managed to convince Sonia to go the route where Franky would become a Great Arginesse, or whatever the Generations equivalent of the Recovery Extract Up bug is going to be. Tuli is frustrated that a glaive user wouldn't want to breed and raise 'the best bug' in most hunters' opinion, but she's settled for helping Sonia raise Franky to the best he can be, despite his perceived deficiencies. Essentially, Ketrak is a well-bred Greyhound, and Franky is a Russian Mastiff crossbreed.**

 **Whew, just bought the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 and 2.5 Remixes and the new Crash Bandicoot remaster. Going back to those old-school games! Though… I have to admit the Crash game feels a little sluggish compared to the originals; the new character designs feel a little… floppy compared to the original polygonal builds, and it's really hard to properly judge jumps because of that. KH is still a great game** **though. Gotta get through all of them before KH3 comes out.**

 **Playing: Final Fantasy XV, Pokemon Moon, MHGen, Nier: Automata, Final Fantasy 7, Shovel Knight  
Reading: Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari by Aneko Yusagi (still the best manga/LN ever), Birdy the Mighty by Yuuki Masami, Patlabor by Yuuki Masami (kinda digging the 80s/early 90s manga recently)  
Watching: Critical Role, Planet Earth, Samurai Jack, Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon  
Listening: The Adventure Zone Podcast**


	29. Iron Heart

Iron Heart

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

Two days later, Logan and the other three 'rookie' hunters found themselves near the entrance to the village, sitting around a small fire pit as they ate breakfast. Sonia had wanted to take off on the quest the day before, eager for another shot at taking down a Nerscylla, but they'd decided to wait an extra day so Bram could fully heal.

There had been a layer of tension around the village the previous day, as news of the explosion in Dundorma circulated. What surprised Logan, however, was how the tension had dissipated so quickly: by evening, while there were still rumors of what had happened being whispered, the fear and worry had dimmed. Rather, the entire village had passed into a state of resigned acceptance.

"You get used to it, I suppose," Burmecia had told him the previous day during lunch.

"What you mean?"

"Dundorma is no stranger to damage. The city is attacked fairly regularly by elder dragons, and they're not always stopped from getting inside the walls. Kirin are easy enough to keep out, sure, but most other elders can just fly into the middle of the city if they want. A Chameleos attacked just a month or so before the exam, I hear. Didn't get to the city proper, but still caused a lot of damage to one of the walls. They're not the worst, though. Kushalas or Teostras… round about ten years ago a better part of the southern side was burned by a single Teostra. Thing wasn't even killed in the end, just chased off."

"Ja, heard 'bout that…" Logan muttered. "But this ain't exactly an elder attack, is it? This was just… an accident, or something."

"Yeah, well… One disaster isn't too different from another," the woman sighed, sliding a plate of fruit salad and mixed nuts to the hunter. Looking around and seeing she didn't have any other customers at the moment, she sat down across the table from him. "I don't want to speculate about what that explosion was before we hear something official, but we'll do what we always do: deal with it, power on through, and rebuild. That's the way it's been, that's the way it'll always be. Maybe it sounds weird to the foreigner."

"Why people put up with it, though? Why they choose to stick around somewhere they's always gonna be in danger of being attacked by an elder? Why not go… somewhere else?"

The cook sighed. "For some folks it's not so simple. Picking up your life and moving isn't always easy. Sometimes it's money; not a lot of folks can afford to move somewhere safer. Sometimes it's stubbornness; people have lived in the city for a long time and they don't want to give in to the elder dragons, no matter how many of them come. A lot of the time, though? It's love. Love for their land, love for their city, love for the place where they were raised and reared, the place they cherish for all the memories they've made. For whatever reason, the city's a giant bullseye for elder dragons, and that puts their lives at risk, but… it's still their home. And a person's gonna defend their home if they can. Are the Therians any different?"

"I guess not."

"It's not to say nobody leaves though," the woman told him. "I used to live in Dundorma myself, actually. Truth be told, I was one of the people who decided they just couldn't take the idea of living in such a dangerous city anymore."

"Really? Huh… Never pegged you for a city girl," Logan replied, popping a few slices of fruit into his mouth. "What clenched it in the end? Just one too many elders knocking at the gate?"

Burmecia smiled ruefully. "Well, when you're a newlywed who's just discovered she's pregnant with twins, and your husband and parents are killed by a Kushala… you start looking for an escape from the place that might do the same to your unborn children."

The fruit between Logan's fingers slipped out of his grip, splattering to the ground underneath him as he stared at the woman in shock. " _Hoy_. Wow. Sorry… I didn't-"

"Oh, don't apologize, young man," the cook smiled. "It's an old story, and one everyone around here except you hunters already knows. I couldn't stand to stay in Dundorma anymore, so I used what money I had left to buy a little wagon and sign on as a cook for the first caravan which would take an untraveled pregnant woman. And the caravan that took me was Stellazzio. Been here ever since, me and my little angels."

"Huh…" Logan glanced back towards the cooking wagon. Behind the counter, Conde and Petie were coloring on a few pieces of paper, chattering back and forth about their works of art. Logan looked around the wagons as the rest of the caravaneers worked to sell their wares to the sporadic browsing villagers. All of them were circled up as per usual… _outside_ of the village walls. "Don't figure staying with a caravan's much safer than living in Dundorma, though."

"Hmm. Perhaps not. But I think it's much the same for caravans as it is for Dundorma: money, stubbornness, or love. In my case, just love. The road's no safer than any of the cities, maybe even less so, but Dundorma holds too many bad memories, and my time here with Stellazzio has only made me happy. Maybe one day my children will want to settle down in a safe place, somewhere stationary, but as for me… I think I'll be with Stellazzio for the rest of my life."

It had certainly given Logan something to think about for the rest of the day. In the meantime, Tuli and Vi had set off the previous day on their Emerald Conga hunt, alongside one of the local hunters, but they had yet to return. Their prey didn't have a nest, though, so they probably had just camped out somewhere. No emergency flares had been spotted in their direction, so they were probably fine.

Logan had finished his own breakfast already, and was watching with wry humor as Sonia and Leon bickered over who deserved the last slice of Mosswine bacon. Bram had finished long ago, possessing a surprisingly small appetite for a hunter, and was skimming his way through a small collection of papers he'd gotten in a letter from his sister, Mina, the previous day.

"So this supposed to be help for this big invention Sonia says you is working on?" Logan asked, glancing over Bram's shoulder. The pages were a mess of technobabble and diagrams which Logan didn't care to try and decipher.

"Something like that…" Bram replied, browsing the documents. "It's mostly details on experiments she's conducted which might be similar to what I have in mind. Not all of this is useful, but it'll serve as a fine foundation. I hate to admit it, but I might need to send a letter to Seward and Quincey as well. Getting information out of those two is like pulling teeth though; they always make a game out of it. Maybe I ought to send one to Senya as well… I could use advice on my Amritas and Cathangeas."

"Seward and Quincy's the, uh, the alchemists, right? The weird ones, ja?"

"Yeah, the 'weird ones'."

"Right. Can barely keep all you family sorted in my head. And Senya is the stoner."

"She's a _botanist_ , Logan, not- Oh, who am I kidding. Yes, the stoner."

"Heh, thought so. You don't grow some of the stuff I seen in her greenhouse just for _science_ , hey?"

"There are _some_ medical properties to those herbs, you know."

"Heh, 'herbs' he calls 'em…" Logan chuckled. He looked back across the fire to discover that, while Sonia and Leon had been bickering, Franky had settled the argument for them by flying over and stealing the last slice of bacon for himself. Logan laughed at the sight of Sonia yelling at the Kinsect while the creature sat perched on top of Selene's wagon, nibbling away contentedly at its stolen meal.

The hunters waited for another ten minutes or so, watching fishers and farmers and the like walking out of the village and off to see to their daily tasks. Eventually, a loud clinking and clattering could be heard approaching the wagons, and Logan looked up in time to spot a peculiar man heading their way. A single glance was all Logan needed to peg him as their client; his outfit just screamed 'scholar'. A button-up, white-collared shirt and brown vest under a long green duster coat, and all of it clean and unsullied by dirt or mud. Several pockets were filled with pens and pencils, rulers and protractors, all sorts of equipment he needed for… whatever he needed them for. He held a thick book under one arm, and had a large satchel clattering around on his back with who-knows-what inside.

While the man's choice of clothes and obvious research equipment gave away his profession, what shocked Logan was the man's physique. When he'd heard that they'd be guarding a researcher, he was expecting someone thin and wiry, or heavyset and stout. He'd seen all number of their kind in the Compound back when he was still dating Mina. This man, however, was not what Logan had been expecting: he was built like a pit fighter. Broad-shouldered, six and a half feet tall, with short-cut black hair and a strong jaw. Mix those features with his sharp-looking eyes, and even the small, circular glasses resting on the brim of his nose gave him an imposing figure.

"Ah, um… Ahem. H-hello there. M-might you be the hunters I h-hired? Hmm? Yes? Maybe?"

And any intimidating presence the man might have had before was gone in an instant. Logan realized that, despite the man's physique and fierce expression, it was just the way his face was structured. Under the narrowed eyes, the man was nervous and uncomfortable, fidgeting as the four hunters turned to face him.

"Ja, that's us," Logan replied, reaching a hand forward. The man looked at it uncertainly for a moment before shaking awkwardly. "You Thatch?"

"Ah, um, yes. Indeed I am. Thatch Pendleton, at your service… Or, um, perhaps you are at mine, since I am, ah, hiring you after all… So, well… Hmm, well, here's my card."

The man fumbled through his pockets for a few moments, digging through half a dozen before finding a small collection of business cards and passing them out. Logan raised an eyebrow as he skimmed it, keeping his frustration from showing on his face; he hoped Thatch was more capable than he seemed. Escorting a jittery man like this promised to be a slog if he acted like this the entire time. Still, he supposed the pay was worth it, assuming Thatch didn't actively _try_ to make this mission a living hell.

"The Elder Dragon Observation Team?" Sonia spoke up, glancing up from her card, and Logan glanced down to read his more carefully. Sure enough… "You work for _them_? Uh, what kind of research expedition was this supposed to be again? Because I was told a _Nerscylla_ was our likely threat, not an elder…"

"Oh! No, no! No elders on this journey… Or, um, I certainly hope not. I haven't _heard_ anything like that… No, ah, I am a member of the E.D.O.T.'s archeology and research division. We don't deal, um, _directly_ with elder dragons, no ma'am. We focus on more, hmm, shall we say, historical data? My job is to study the, ah, the information compiled about elder dragons and other monsters within old historical records, including the, well, including old ruins and dig sites. Such as the Iron Heart. The ruins are presumed to contain some manner of, of information concerning elder dragons, or concerning other monsters of… of concern."

"Well, that's a relief, I guess. I'd rather not have to get up close and personal with an elder if I don't have to. Not yet at least."

"Yes! Yes, I believe… I believe we are in agreement about that. Now! Um, now, are we… are you all ready to go? Can we go? Can we… move out?"

"Think so," Logan replied, glancing at the others for confirmation and getting a collection of nods. "Right then, we can take off, hey?"

"Ah! W-wonderful. Then, let us go, yes?"

"Right, let's go."

With that the hunters and their ward headed north. The start of the journey was easy enough, following an existing road weaving through crop fields and animal farms, passing by grazing herds of Kelbi, Popo, and Gargwa. Eventually the path vanished out from under their feet, changing from well-worn gravel to rugged dirt, until there was little directing them but a thin strip of earth where years boots and greaves had stamped down the grass lower. Not much further and their path was gone, leaving them with only their sense of navigation to get them where they need.

"So, Thatch," Bram spoke up, "what can you tell us about this 'Iron Heart'?"

"Oh. Um… Well, I've never been myself, but from what I've learned, it's an old ruin out in the the Everwood. I don't know if you asked any of the locals about the legends surrounding the location-"

"We asked around the pub yesterday," Sonia replied. "Giant steel beams rising up from the earth, old and weathered like a rusty iron ribcage, the bones of a fallen giant. I heard a buncha stories about the place. They say a long time ago a great hunter fought a _huge_ Gravios the size of Dundorma, and when it died the rest of its body was slowly eaten away, except for its ribcage. Its bones were hard as steel, and remain to this day in the place where it fell, surrounding where the creature's enormous heart had been. Thus, the Iron Heart… which doesn't make sense, because only the ribcage is supposed to be there, and the beams are made of steel, aren't they?"

"True, but 'Steel Ribcage' doesn't quite roll of the tongue like 'Iron Heart', does it?" Bram grinned.

"Either way, neither of the names are true indications for what's actually there," Thatch said. "What actually awaits us there is an old Lost ruin."

"A _Lost_ ruin?" Logan muttered. "Didn't know they was any of them left."

"Very few. It's been over ten thousand years since our era, so unless they're in a dry area like the desert or kept well-preserved, time has reduced our old cities to rubble at best."

"So, whatcha hoping to learn from a buncha rusted old steel beams sticking up from the earth?"

"From the Lost ruin itself? Nothing," Thatch replied. "Nothing I don't already know. Old, dilapidated multi-story buildings. Maybe some lingering copper pipes or PVC. The broken remains of a highrise somewhere if you're lucky. But there's nothing there I can't find in my memories or those of older Lost."

"Then what you even going there for?"

"The writing on the wall surrounding the Heart itself," Thatch explained.

"What writing?" Leon asked. "What _wall_?"

"Well, like I said, Lost structures wouldn't last long unless the location was suitable, or if the buildings were intentionally preserved. From what I've heard, the Iron Heart is the latter: the entire city is surrounded by a wall of Meridian stone, which has allowed the Heart to survive the ages longer than it would otherwise. You see, the Meridians studied the Lost's civilization just as curiously as we study theirs. They found places where old Lost structures managed to survive the ages, and built walls up around them for the sake of studying them. You can find those kind of ruins here and there throughout the world, if you know where to look, and the Heart is one of those places."

"There's one of them near the Compound, actually," Bram noted, and Sonia nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad took me there a couple times when I was younger. It's the place where my Mom woke up from her crystal, actually… I think she still goes by once every couple years. She takes flowers and treats it like a graveyard; apparently a few people she knew died there."

"Really? That's new information," Thatch said, intrigued. "There were Lost crystals in one of these enclosures? Perhaps there were some in this one as well…"

"Thinking if they was, the locals woulda mentioned it, hey?" Logan noted.

"Ah. Good point."

"I have a question," Leon piped up. "You said you were looking into this ruins for information about elder dragons back at the village, but just now you said this ruin was a Meridian study of the Lost. How do you expect to find information about elder dragons at the ruins of an old Lost city?"

"Or are you here for other reasons besides elder dragon study?" Bram asked poignantly.

"Oh, no! I mean, _yes_ , I am here for elder dragon research, and no, I am not here for other purposes! Though, admittedly, my focus of study is rather roundabout…"

"How so?"

"Well… The Meridians studied the Lost, yes?"

"Certainly."

"And if there is information to be gleaned about elder dragons when it comes to the Lost, there is… certainly at least _one_ elder dragon you could think of which has had a profound affect on the Lost, couldn't you?"

"The Alatreon."

"Precisely. Now, I am… _fairly_ certain that, if the Meridians took time to study the Lost so intently, they must have done so with the desire to learn more about the Alatreon's abilities. After all, the beast did spite their people just as greatly as it spited the Lost, just as it spited the current world until only a quarter-century ago. So they would want to learn as much as they could about it. With fortune, these walls will have information about the Meridian's own elder dragon research on it, and who knows what sort of insights such a civilization had? The walls surrounding the Heart could change our way of dealing with elder dragons forever!"

"Really?" Leon asked skeptically.

"Erm… perhaps not. Admittedly it might just be some already-known biological data or inconsequential ponderings about Lost culture, which is admittedly rather redundant these days. But maybe I'll get lucky."

"So you might not find anything at all?" Sonia asked.

"Unfortunately, no. This could be a dangerous wild goose chase. Still, it could also lead to an archeological goldmine, so I believe it's worth the risk. And hopefully, worth what I'm paying you."

"'Less we actually run into an elder, thinking you gonna be fine, hey?" Logan chuckled.

"Well, that's a relief… I think."

Hours passed as the hunters continued north, but travel was surprisingly slow. The foliage was thick in this part of the Everwood, and more often than not the hunters were forced to find their ways around large inclines or drops, skirting cliff faces and weaving through the heavy underbrush. Even if the four of them had climbing training, Thatch didn't, and the group was forced to take the safer paths.

Local monsters certainly didn't make travel easier, as several packs of Ioprey and Congas forced the hunters to either avoid them or fight through them. They'd hoped to stop and take a break upon coming across a small clearing, but several oddly-shaped rock formations made Sonia and Leon skittish about the possibility of a submerged Basarios. Sonia was eager at the prospect of trying their chances against the monster now that Bram had a charge blade with him, but Logan forced her on, pushing the hunters in search of a safer place to rest.

Sonia didn't mind the slow pace, surprisingly enough. Since leaving Dundorma, she'd gained some of Tuli's habits, and as they continued through the Everwood her eyes would dart between the bushes and flowers in search of the nectars she needed for Franky. Her search would sometimes drive the hunters to a halt for a minute or two as she scrounged her way through a cluster of flowers, collecting whatever she could. The huntress soon had a growing collection of clinking bottles rattling around in her pouch, though each stop she had to put more effort into keeping Franky from eating the Amritas before she could even collect them.

Soon enough, noon had come and gone, leading into late afternoon and approaching evening. The sunlight was just beginning to shift from its vibrant yellow to a slight orange tint as they finally crested a hill and spotted their destination in the distance.

Logan had to admit the name was fitting. Ancient steel columns and crossbeams rose up from the earth a few miles ahead, rusted and stained yellow-orange and brown in stark contrast to the green foliage around it, breaking through the surrounding canopy. The trees of the Everwood weren't exactly small, yet these steel beams still rose above them, twisted and curved under the weight of gravity, and time had certainly deformed their shape, bending them to the point where it seemed as though several of them would surely collapse under their own weight. Yet they still stood, twisted in on themselves to the point where it was akin to a giant ribcage. The Iron Heart.

"I don't think we're getting back to the village today," Leon noted, glancing at the angle of the sun.

"Definitely not," Bram agreed. "And we're still at least a ways out. It might be nightfall before we even reach this place."

"I guess studying the ruins won't be easy at night, huh?" Sonia asked, glancing at Thatch.

"Oh, certainly not. Sunlight is preferable."

"Thought so. So should we just get to the place and camp there? We should be able to get there before the sun's under the horizon, so-"

"No. We can get a little closer, but we gonna camp a bit aways from the place," Logan replied. "Remember girlie, they's a Nerscylla 'round there. Don't need it jumping us when we sleeping, hey?"

"Oh, right. So a cave then?"

"Ja, something like that. We see what we find between here and there, and we take the first thing that looks safe."

The hunters pressed on, keeping an eye out for a decent place to make camp. Eventually they found a small hovel under a towering willow. The ancient tree was absolutely enormous compared to those around it, with a trunk two dozen yards wide and a canopy reaching higher than any other. At the base, however, a shadowed hollow had been dug out between the roots, offering a space wide enough for five travelers to settle in for the night, relatively out of sight.

"Wonder what lived here?" Bram muttered, brushing his fingers against the floor. A few old bones and sticks were scattered about, giving the impression of what was once a nest, but the remains looked as though they'd been there for a long time. The hollow had probably been abandoned for years.

"Who knows?" Leon sighed. "Pack animals wouldn't claim such a small place, so not any Dromes or Congas. Maybe a Kut-Ku, or a Tigrex."

"Is it safe here?" Thatch asked nervously.

"Ja, we gonna be fine," Logan replied. "Ain't nothing lived here for a long time." In the center of the room, Sonia and Bram were making a fire pit while Leon worked to clear some space to sleep. Logan brushed his foot across the dirt; it looked like there was some soot mixed in with the bones and branches. "Might be they's other hunters that used this place for a sleep too, hey?"

"I suppose that's somewhat encouraging."

"Thought you'd be used to this by now, if you been out searching for ruins all this time."

"Yes, well, I may have gotten in better shape over the years, but I'm no hunter. Just because I can travel further and can carry more equipment on my research expeditions, doesn't mean I won't be eaten by a pack of Jaggis just as quickly as before. I am stronger, but I still have no combat ability. Call me skittish if you want, but I'll remain wary when it comes to my odds of being eaten."

"Nah, that's fair," Logan chuckled. "Hoy, Bram, go look 'round and see if you can find anything to eat. See if they's any Bullfangos or Gargwa you can get us for dinner, hey?"

"Yeah, sure," the hunter nodded, striding out of the cave and heading towards the treeline.

"Shouldn't we rely on our rations instead?" Leon spoke up, a touch of distaste in his voice. "It isn't necessary for us to kill something when we have an adequate substitute."

"Ja, I know, Clanky, but we only got so many rations. Looking like we probably not getting back to the village 'til tomorrow night or the next morning, hey?"

"Even so, we have the food we need, so why-"

"'Cause they healthy and last forever. They's fine if you just gonna be gone a day or something, and you ain't gonna wanna waste you time hunting for something more filling, but for times like this, is always better to kill and eat what you can, hey? We pretty far from the village right now. If something goes wrong, you gonna wanna have those rations with all they preservatives and stuff; keeps real good for a few weeks." Leon frowned, crossing his arms and staring at the floor. Logan sighed and patted his shoulder. "Calm down, Clanky. It ain't like we killing anything for fun or nothing. Looking like we gonna be here for tomorrow too, maybe the morning after, too. We getting food from the deal, probably 'nuff for breakfast tomorrow and maybe lunch too, depending on how big whatever Bram finds is."

"Alright, fine… as long as we don't act wasteful."

"Jeez, I still don't know how you keep up this whole Way of the Shield thing," Sonia sighed from the center of the cave. She'd manage to dig out a small depression in the dirt, and had managed to encircle half of it with some fist-sized stones she'd found scattered around. "I mean, me and Bram and Logan already have almost ten hunts on our Guild cards already, but you're only at four. Aren't you worried?"

The lancer shook his head solemnly. "I came to terms with that a long time ago, that the Way of the Shield is going to put my hunting career in the slow lane."

"Still, aren't you worried that you'll… um… I mean… never mind."

"Worried that I'll be left behind? Worried that the rest of you will get too far ahead of me while my ethics slow me down?" Sonia winced and nodded apologetically, but the lancer shook his head with a downcast expression. "Don't worry, I'm already… I mean, Vi's already high-ranked, and I've only got four hunts to my Guild card. Hell of a gap for two hunters who were raised together and trained together, huh?" Leon crossed his arms in front of him and sighed, before turning towards the exit. "I… I'm going to go try and find some firewood."

"Wait, Leon, I didn't-" Sonia stared at the lancer's back as he sulked out of the hollow, and the huntress expression grew doleful as she returned to digging out a fire pit. Thatch looked towards Logan in confusion, but the hunter could only shake his head and shrug before setting his great sword aside and helping to clean out some places so they'd be able to lay down and rest once night fell.

Evening passed uneventfully. Leon eventually returned with a couple bundles of dry branches under each arm, setting down to start a fire. Bram returned soon after, dragging the carcass of an impaled Gargwa behind him, giving Sonia something to do as she and the charge blade user flayed the corpse. Meanwhile, Logan set up a collapsible spit he had with him, Leon did circles around the hollow to keep watch for possible threats following the smell of dead Gargwa, and Thatch busied himself with his notes. Night fell, dinner was cooked and eaten, and soon the group was preparing for the night, with Leon volunteering for first watch.

"Wake me up 'round midnight, I'll take second watch, hey?"

"Got it," the lancer replied, marching out of the hollow. Looking back into the nook, Thatch has curled himself up at the farthest end inside the deepest shadows of the cave, trying his best to hide himself away, while Sonia and Bram were huddled up next to each other, the huntress snoring slightly as she rested her head against Bram's shoulder, with Franky nestled up comfortably in her arms. Their weapons were laying in the corner next to them, the glaive buried under the bulky charge blade.

Content that things were fine, Logan lay back against the curve of the tree trunk, closing his eyes and dozing off.

* * *

Darkness. Nothing but darkness. A small sound, an echo, growing clearer through the murk. A small pressure, a weight on the mind. Small ripples, shadows and hazy illusions flickering through the black.

 _Hungry… Need to find food._

…

 _Can smell something. Little thing of feathers and meat. It's close…_

…

 _There! Heard it… Many of them, gathered together. Noisy. Must be careful, get closer. Pouce, catch them off guard. Can nearly sense them… small dust will show them._

…

 _There. Only their feet, but can tell their location. Closer, closer, just enough to pounce… Go! Run run run run SMASH! Break bones smell blood no more noise! Another? Another! Run run run run GRAB BITE TEAR SHAKE BREAK! Neck snaps hanging limp dead now. Both of them dead, others gone running, can smell them. Hear them, feel them far away, little ripples. Find them later. Maybe the ripple spreads. They live, they die, they live again. Now eat. Take and hide and eat._

…

 _Is it safe…? It's quiet. It's safe. Now to eat. Pull feathers, tear flesh, eat insides. Be quick, don't want them getting up…_

 _...What_ is _this?_

 _Hmm? A noise? Where is it?_

 _Is I dreaming…? The hell is all this?_

 _Noise! Voice! Words? Dust! Where are you?!_

 _The hell is this thing talking about?_

' _This thing'? What are YOU talking about? Where are you? Stop hiding!_

 _You can hear me…?_

 _Voice with words, so noisy! I will find you! Where where WHERE WHERE?_

 _Ugh, my head… I is not hiding! Can't see you, hey? Can't see anything here-_

 _Liar! What is 'see'?! Liar! Can't find you! No ripples! Can't smell you! Can hear you! STOP HIDING! I will crush you, break you!_

 _I isn't hiding damn it! I don't even know what's going on! Where is you?_

 _No! No… no no… Where… where are you… Voice echoes, echoes in my head._

 _You head? What that supposed to mean?_

 _In my head… My head. MY head. Get out! My mind, my body, my control! Nobody else!_

 _I don't know - agh, don't… my head hurts, you yelling so loud! I don't know what you talking 'bout! I ain't- Ugh… Why… why is-_

 _No! No, get out! Out of my head! MY head! Out out out OUT OUT OUT! DON'T LIKE YOU GET_ _ **OUT NOW! MY HEAD MINE MINE MINE MINE!**_

Logan bolted upright, gasping for air. A cold sweat chilled the skin on his face, bringing him close to shivers despite the warm air. He reached up, pressing a hand against his forehead as a deep ache pressed against his skull, not so much a pain as an intense _pressure_ as though he was deep underwater. Everything felt muted and dull, his vision was swimming, and he didn't feel entirely _there…_ The feeling was fading, thankfully, vanishing from his skull like he was coming up for air. The cold sweat lingered, however, clinging to his flesh and chilling him, but even that was slowly disappearing as he stared down at the dimly-glowing cinders of the fire.

"You alright?" Logan looked up to see Leon staring at him from the entrance to the hollow.

"Ja… Ja, I is fine…" Logan replied, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Just a nightmare, hey?"

"Sounds like it was a bad one."

"Maybe…" Logan pushed to his feet, staggering towards the entrance and savoring the feeling of the soft breeze passing through the trees. The night air was warm, and soon the cold sweat on his body disappeared. However, even as the chills subsided, he found himself wide awake. It was still late at night, and the position of the moon told him it was a long time before morning…

"I'll take over watch," Logan sighed, stepping out of the small hollow leaning against a gnarled root.

"What? You sure? You can't have gotten more than a couple hours at most…"

"I'll be fine, hey? 'Sides, don't think I got it in me to sleep right now. Ain't no sense in both of us being tired."

Leon nodded slowly, pushing to his feet with a grunt and stretching. However, he gave Logan another concerned look. "Anything about the dream you want to talk about?"

"Huh? Oh, nah, ain't nothing to say. Just a dream that gave me the jibblies, and now I is too wired up to get back to sleep."

"Ah… Well, if you say so. Just wake me up if those… _jibblies_ wear off and you need some sleep."

"Ja, thanks," Logan sighed as the lancer walked into the hovel. Logan waited for a little while, listening to the sound of Leon trying to keep his armor from clanking too loudly as he nestled down to sleep. Eventually it was quiet, and either Leon had fallen asleep, or he was well on his way to doing so.

Logan groaned, clutching the side of his head. The pressure from before was gone now, but the memory of it still clung to him. What had that dream been all about? Nothing but darkness, and a strange voice coming from nowhere talking about killing and dust. Snapping necks, tearing, biting, breaking… It was just so strange. Logan knew well enough that dreams rarely had any sort of bearing on reality; certain food and drink could lead to the strangest visions at night. The speartuna tacos he'd tried in Tanzia once a couple years back had presented him with mad delusions at night which haunted him for a few days straight. Still, no matter how strange it was, they were only dreams.

But dreams were vague, and just waking up usually erased them from his memory. Even the details of the curse wrought by the speartuna were forgotten a couple minutes after waking, with Logan only certain in the knowledge that the dreams had been WEIRD. This dream, however… nothing but darkness and a voice, but Logan remembered it all clearly. And the pressure in his skull, and how it had lingered even after he'd woken up… he'd never had dreams like that before, or at least, none he remembered.

Something about the feeling felt familiar. He couldn't place how or why, but the pressure tugged at his memory for some reason.

"What the hell…" he muttered to himself. "What the hell…"

* * *

"Wow, you look like crap," Sonia told him as they broke camp the next morning.

"Gee thanks, girlie…" Logan muttered sourly. She was probably right though. The dream had kept him awake until the wee hours of the morning, and it wasn't until about four or five in the morning before he figured he'd need to at least _try_ and sleep, smacking Bram awake for the last couple hours and falling into a fitful rest before dawn. "I'll just try and take a nap or something while this guy does his research or whatever…"

"How professional."

"Man, you take what you can get, girlie."

"Right, right…"

It took them just over an hour to cover the last few miles to the Iron Heart. Finally, the thick foliage opened up in front of them, and the crunch of their boots against the dirt shifted to clacking as they found themselves standing upon white stone instead. As the passed the last trees, the group paused as they found themselves a few steps away from the edge of a ten yard drop.

Before them lay a massive basin, not a valley or ravine; this depression in the earth was _artificially_ made. It was perfectly circular, at least a quarter mile across, with tall walls constructed of white Meridian stone, rising up at least ten yards high at the lowest and enclosing the area completely. The forest around the pit seemed to be held back by the white stone, with tree branches hanging over the lip as gnarled roots and vines crawled down the wall into the basin, but not deep enough to reach the earth below.

Within the core of the enclosure, were the large collection of rusted steel beams and girders rising out of the earth that they'd seen on their approach. But now that they were close, Logan could see that they all rose so high. Logan had seen the tall buildings being constructed in Orage Dell and Loc Lac, and in the furthest recesses of his memory he could vaguely recall how tall the Loc Lac Tower had been when it was still standing. Some of these steel columns rose taller than anything in Orage, however, and they must have been much taller before time had broken them down. Some of these towers might have risen taller than the Loc Lac Tower once had! Thousands of years had bent even the greatest structures down over the ages though, and even the tallest buildings had collapsed, falling onto the smaller buildings below. The result left the lower ruins a tangled mess of twisted metal wrapped around each other, fallen into a mess of crisscrossed steel.

However, though the enclosure was set apart from the forest around it, there were signs that life had found a way inside… very obvious and _dangerous_ signs. At the center of the ruin, a couple of the taller structures had been overrun with long and intricate webs, massive white strings tapered between the rusted beams, creating a massive white construction separate from the Meridian stone. Even from this distance, Logan could make out large, bulbous shapes hanging from a few of the crossbeams, some of them with limbs or tails sticking out; Logan felt his stomach turn over at the sight.

"Well, I suppose it's no mystery where the Nerscylla's nest is, now is it?" Bram noted.

"It is a rather obvious sort of location," Thatch agreed.

"You know, when we were told that you were planning to investigate a ruin within a Nerscylla's territory, I don't believe we were expecting it to within spitting distance of the creature's nest."

"Well, neither did I."

"This does rather change the conditions for the hunt, you know. Our odds of having to deal with this spider has jumped up from a possibility to nearly an inevitability."

"Oh, I am aware. Rather unfortunate. I admit, I am rather annoyed at this turn of events, but it was a part of the mission request that you may be required to challenge one. Good thing I'm paying so well, yes?"

"Hmm, yes… And I imagine the sight of it doesn't dissuade you from continuing this research expedition…"

"Of course not!"

"Thought you was supposed to be _skittish_?" Logan asked, giving the man a sideways glance.

"Oh. Yes. Still am. But, well, I'd very much like to translate this wall. We're, ah, still quite a ways away from the nest itself, right? And… besides…" The researcher smiled nervously. "Isn't, ah, isn't the pursuit of knowledge like this worth… a little fear and danger?"

Logan stared at Thatch for a long moment before rolling his eyes. "What's with you crazy researchers? Thought I got away from you nutty folks while I was here in Gahiji…"

"Kinda glad it's centralized, though," Sonia muttered, reaching up and stroking Franky's head. "Don't need this fatso getting stuck in any of the webbing…"

Still, to be put off just by catching sight of the webbing would be a waste of a lot of time… and a pretty decent payment. Thatch had a point: the Nerscylla's 'nest' was located at the center of the pit, and there was a good two hundred yards or so between it and the wall. All those steel beams and rubble would offer them a lot of cover as well.

"You don't need nothing from inside the city, right? Just the walls?"

"Oh. Yes, all that rusted Lost junk is, ah, is useless. To me. Me personally. I just need to copy the Meridian writing."

"I don't think the Nerscylla's here, anyway," Sonia spoke up. There was a touch of disappointment in her voice, but her gaze was fixated on the nest. "I haven't seen anything moving in the nest - except the wind making its, uh, its food wave around a little - so it might not be here. Maybe it's out hunting for dinner?" Another uncomfortable glance towards the hanging carcasses. "Second dinner?"

"It is early in the day," Bram noted, "and it probably has a few web traps set up to catch prey. This is just the nest, after all. If it's the dominant Nerscylla in the area, its territory is probably-"

"Good five to ten mile radius, hey? Ja ja, I know. That's a lotta space to cover… and is morning, so it probably out checking them all for meals right now."

"Really?" Thatch asked. "That's, uh… You all knew that? Im… Impressive. I never knew hunters were so learned."

"Well, we…" Logan paused as the wheels in his head spun. He could see small glimmers of realization growing in the other hunters' eyes as well, and almost simultaneously the four of them groaned in dismay. "Oh, dammit, I've actually retained all that stupid information the Bug Girl's blabbed about!"

"I… what? A bug girl?"

"It's Tuulikki's fault," Sonia groaned, rubbing the brim of her nose in frustration.

"And… Tuulikki is…?"

"A friend of ours who likes Neopterons and Temnocerans… and really, _really_ likes to talk about them," Leon sighed.

"Just don't think 'bout it," Logan grumbled. He did _not_ like the idea that he was memorizing information about giant bugs. "So, the spider ain't gonna be here for a while, hopefully. Good. Means we might be able to do this without even seeing the damn bug, hey? Is a big hole, and they's a lotta space between here and there. Even if the thing shows up, we can hide in the columns and get out."

"Hmph. That's such a waste though," Sonia sighed. "If we're this close anyway, we should try and take it down while we're here. I've heard the weapons you can make from their parts are really good!"

"We ain't gonna fight if we don't gotta, girlie," Logan growled, and Leon glared at the huntress as well. "'Specially when we got somebody we gotta protect. Long as we got Thatch here with us, we ain't gonna fight nothing we can't avoid, hey?"

"Oh, alright…"

"So, how are we getting down?" Leon asked.

"Erm… good question," Logan muttered, leaning over the edge a little. It was a thirty foot drop, and even their mobility training wouldn't lessen the pain jumping would cause them, and the carvings were far too shallow to provide handholds. Some vines hung over the edge, but none of them dropped all the way to the floor, and Logan couldn't be sure how much weight they'd be able to carry anyway; he and Leon would both be pretty heavy loads… "Don't suppose anyone got any rope in they pouch?"

"I, ah, have some, actually, but not nearly enough to get us to the bottom…" Thatch muttered. "Maybe… maybe about fifteen feet? I had heard the Heart was in a depression, but I didn't believe it would be, ah, _quite_ this deep."

"Eh, ja, that'll only wrap around a tree once…"

"I saw some ivy vines while I was scrounging for nectars," Sonia spoke up. "That stuff's pretty strong, so maybe we could find a long string of it and use that to get down?"

"Hmm… yeah, that'd work, I think? Hokay, fine, Sonia and Bram, go find the longest stretches of ivy you can find, least forty feet long if you can. More than one if possible so we can tie them together, hey? Me and Leon gonna keep watch here, make sure the Nerscylla don't scuttle back home… assuming it ain't here already."

Despite finally arriving at their destination, the hunters were forced to wait another thirty minutes for Sonia and Bram to scrounge around for ivy. Logan and Leon kept an eye on the Nerscylla's nest, but no motion could be seen within the webbing, giving Logan more confidence that the creature was out and about. He'd keep an eye open though; there was no certainties in their line of work. Thatch, despite his nervous demeanor, looked determined to get down there and study the walls.

Eventually the two others returned, carrying a surprising amount of wound-up ivy over their shoulders. They'd managed to find a good haul, each of them having an exceptional length of it. A few more minutes were spent braiding the ivy together and wrapping them around a tree, before tossing the line over the side. Logan rappelled down first, figuring he would be the heaviest, and got to the bottom without feeling any flimsiness or fraying in the vine; apparently Bram and Sonia had a good eye for good ivy. The others rappelled down after him, and almost the moment his feet touched the ground, Thatch had pulled out a notebook and was fervently copying down the images on the wall.

"Keep your eyes open," Leon told the others. "We haven't seen the Nerscyalla yet, but it could still be hiding or come back at any time."

However, with all the hunters only keeping watch and ready for the Nerscylla to show up, there was little they could do to speed things along. Thatch was concentrating on his work, scribbling into his notebook and following the wall clockwise around the basin. But each passing minute took them further from the ivy rope, and Logan didn't like getting further and further away from their escape route… but this was their job, and they would see to it, despite the risk.

Hours passed, however, as Thatch continued his slow march around the circumference, methodically copying the carvings. But there was no sign of the Nerscylla. Lunch came and went, with the group stopping to eat the their leftover Gargwa meat from the previous night, and the sun completed its rise into the sky and began descending toward the west. Yet the Nerscylla never showed up. Soon enough they'd traveled halfway around the circle, and were looping back around towards the ivy rope. The sun continued on in its tireless march across the sky, and soon it was approaching early evening. They were well over three-quarters done, and only the last two hundred yards or so of wall remained.

"Well, this has been an efficient day," Bram said eventually. Despite his mild interest in Thatch's work, even he was getting restless after so many hours sitting around, watching and waiting.

"Woulda thought the Nerscylla'd be back by now," Sonia groaned, digging through the rubble and picking up some small rocks, tossing them at one of the nearby beams and sending echoing _clangs_ through the area. "This is really boring…"

"It's better that way," Leon replied. "If it means we can get this job done and keep Thatch safe, it's for the best if we never even see the thing." Though he said that, the fatigue in his his voice was just as clear as everyone else's.

" _Uuuugh…_ " The huntress goraned, flopping onto her back. "Are we sure this is actually the Nerscylla's nest? I mean, maybe that sounds like a stupid question…"

"I wouldn't say that," Bram grinned. "I'm sure the webbing would hang around for a while - no pun intended, I assure you - if the Nerscylla ever chose to move somewhere else. But judging by how, ah, _fresh_ some of those bodies hanging up there look… I imagine it still considers this home."

"But we haven't seen it all day… maybe another group of hunters killed it or something."

"I wouldn't put too much faith in that, hey?" Logan replied. "Just cause we ain't seen it today don't mean it ain't around no more. After all, when was the last time you was in you wagon, girlie?"

"Uh, yesterday morning I guess… Ah, I get it."

"Heh, figure if humans can be away from they homes for a while, monsters will too, hey?" Logan grinned. He glanced towards Thatch as the man pushed upright, snapping his notebook shut and marching further on, allowing the hunters to follow behind. "May not be exciting, but just imagine how bored you'd be if it _was_ here? If the thing was in its nest, we'da never climbed down, hey? Walking 'round like this ain't fun, but at least we ain't sitting up top doing _nothing_."

" _Whooph_ , okay, point taken," Sonia grumbled. "Still… I'm getting bored out of my mind here. I don't get any fun out of reading the writings on these walls or anything. If I'd known it'd be like this I woulda brought a book."

"Then you's outta luck, 'less they's something 'bout these ruins that strike you interest."

Sonia muttered sourly under her breath, tapping her foot restlessly against the dirt. After a moment of thought her eyes lit up, looking eagerly into the ruins and scanning around. "Actually, now that I think of it… maybe there is something I could do to pass the time."

"What's that?" Bram asked.

"The, uh, the… what're they called? The 'cars'? Mom and Dad used to say they drove these big machines to get around back in their time. I've always wanted to see one myself… you think it'd be too much to ask to go into the ruins and see if we can find one?"

"Ah… I think after all this time, there may not be much left of any cars… aside from twisted metal."

"Still, it's better than sitting around! I'm not planning on scouring the entire ruins or anything, I just wanna scout the nearby blocks and see if there's anything lying around that I can look at."

Logan pondered the idea, shrugged, and pushed to his feet. "Ja, that's fine. I'll go with you. Stretch these aching bones of mine."

"Old-timer."

"Heh, shut up, girlie. You two gonna be fine sticking here?"

"I'll be fine," Bram shrugged, and Leon nodded stalwartly.

"Alright, we be back in a bit."

Sonia giggled with glee, perking up a little and looking around the area as she and Logan walked down the nearest street into the first few rows of ruins. "I always heard stories from my parents about their old cities… It's kinda cool seeing one of them in person, even if it is a ruin. Wonder if there's anything interesting lying around?"

Within the twisted and rusted columns, there was far more to the ruins than Logan had been able to see from above. While the steel pillars were certainly the most prominent sight here in the Heart, hidden in the shadows of the twisted metal were collections of old… things. Metal boxes and concrete structures abounded, toppled road signs and collapsed pipes. However, Logan felt a chill as he stepped through the dilapidated buildings. There was nothing overtly _familiar_ about the decaying structures, but at one point in his life he'd actually been _alive_ when these towers had stood tall and undamaged. As a toddler he might've looked up at these very buildings in their prime, iron and concrete and glass rising up towards the sun, scraping the sky like their names implied. But now they were old and withered, falling apart under the weight of time, and Logan was still doing fine.

Just outside one building's foundations, Sonia was eyeballing a twisted mess of metal so old and decayed that it had practically melted into the concrete underneath it, while Franky skittered across the rusted roof of it. It was in better condition than most of the other ruins around them, but Logan still couldn't guess the object's purpose at a glance. However, some exploration from the huntress had her yanking a large sheet of metal off one side of it, revealing a tangle of old machinery which Logan feared might turn to dust as soon as Sonia touched it. But the huntress began tinkering with the machinery without a thought, tossing aside bits and pieces of metal as she examined the interior of the steel mess.

"Yep, it's some kind of vehicle!" she announced with a delighted squeal a couple minutes later. "I'm pretty sure this is some kind of engine… it's actually in pretty good condition for what it's worth."

"You sure?" Logan muttered, approaching the object and looking inside. "Can barely tell one bit from another."

"Sure thing. I mean, it's never gonna work again, but this is pretty clearly a combustion engine of some kind. Probably one of those 'cars', or some other type of machine Mom and Dad said the Lost used to use to drive around. A, uh, bus or trolley or taxi or truck or… tractor? Rickshaw? Or, you know, what's left of one. Though this one looks a lot more intricate than the ones you see on the airships…"

"Was the result of the Lost's industry at its peak, I guess. Gonna be a lot nicer than anything we can make by hand these days, hey?"

"I guess so…" Sonia sighed wistfully. "Wish I could've seen these things running at their peak. Maybe Art and the other engineers at Rising Dawn can get to this level of technology within my lifetime."

"Maybe so," Logan shrugged, turning around as Sonia leaned back over the engine and continued to pick at the little pieces.

A small _clink_ echoed up from under his boot as he stepped into a small grassy clump between buildings. A glitter in the sunlight caught his eye as he looked down, and he realized the grass was growing up through small brittle chunks of dark, colored stone. Reaching down, he plucked one of the rocks up, raising it up to investigate. It wasn't rock, Logan realized, or at least not one he recognized. It was somewhat like a gemstone, but closer to glass in terms of texture and composition, with a shape akin to a skipping stone, moderately translucent but opaque enough that he couldn't see straight through it.

Raising it to the sky and shining the light of the sun through the rock, the core contained a hidden azure color. The hue felt so… eerily familiar, tugging at something in the back of Logan's mind. The great sword user frowned, rolling the stone around in his palm a couple times before reaching down, gathering a few more of the stones, and walking back towards Sonia.

"Hoy, girlie. You mind if I have one of them nectars you found out in the woods?"

"Uh, sure I guess," she shrugged, looking up from the engine. "For what?"

"Curious 'bout something. Just wanna see if I is right."

"Uh, yeah, sure," the huntress replied, reaching for her pouch. Franky immediately skittered across the vehicle to nip at her hand, hoping for a meal, forcing the huntress to push him away. "You need anything in particular? I grabbed a lot of different types, so-"

"You gots any dragon element nectar?"

Sonia frowned, giving Logan a curious and slightly wary look, before pulling out a small bottle of viscous blood-red nectar and handing it over. "Uh… yeah. I found a couple of those on the way here. Why specifically dragon element?"

"'Cause if this what I think it is, then dragon element's gonna be what lets me know for certain."

The hunter sat down and uncorked the bottle, took one of the longer and thinner stones, and dipped the stone into the nectar. There wasn't a reaction at first, so he eventually just let the stone go, allowing it to submerge completely in the dark fluid and sending a small dribble sliding over the lip of the bottle. Franky was scrambling to try and get at the free-flowing fluid, and Sonia was forced to hold the large Kinsect back. Still, nothing seemed to be happening, and Logan frowned in disappointment. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but he'd been hoping for something visible… Finally, with a sigh, he fished the blue stone from out of the nectar.

Logan nearly missed in at first glance, but as the nectar slid off the sides of the stone, the blue rock _had_ changed a little. The interior of the stone was a little brighter than before, the internal azure color more vibrant, and there was a subtle glow shining out from the interior. The surface of the stone wasn't as smooth and sleek as before either, and seemed a touch rough to the touch, and slightly sticky… though maybe sticky wasn't the correct word to use; clingy, perhaps, as though the stone was clinging to his glove with little burs. The effect didn't last long; the dim glow faded after a few seconds, and the clinging sensation vanished. It was as he'd found it before, though the sides of the stone were no longer smooth.

"Hmm… Thought so."

"What is it?" Sonia asked, craning over him and staring wide-eyed at the stone.

"Lost crystal," the great sword user muttered, looking back out over the ruins. "Found it inside the building. They really _was_ a buncha Lost here, once upon a time."

"What?! But… you and Thatch both said that there weren't any stories about Lost showing up in the area! If there'd been an awakening, people would've heard about it, one way or another, and this place wouldn't just be the 'Iron Heart'. It's not too far to the village-" The huntress looked up. "-and it's open sky. Dad said you could see the glow of Lost crystals from dozens of miles away. There's no way an awakening would've been missed unless… um… unless the Lost woke up…"

"Ja?"

"...Unless the Lost woke up so long ago that nobody remembers it."

"Ja, that's what I was thinking," Logan agreed, rolling the stone around in his palm. "The jittery fella says the Meridians put old Lost structures in these enclosures, hey? Maybe when they enclosed this one, they was still some Lost crystals around?"

Sonia frowned, crossing her arms and leaning against the old broken vehicle. "I've heard the Lost have been waking up sporadically for decades now. Most of them woke up between twenty and thirty years ago, like you and my parents, but I've heard that the Guild thinks the Lost have been waking up in small groups for upwards of a hundred years now. Mom said there are Lost who have been awake for over sixty years now, maybe even longer…"

"And they's still some waking up these days. You hear 'bout another 'wakening every few years or so. But they's getting further apart. They was a lot of them back when I was little, one every few months, but these days it's 'bout five or six years between 'wakenings. Folks is thinking they's gonna be 'wakenings popping up for maybe another century or more."

"What, the average time they last was up to around 30 years ago? That's where the top of the bell curve is, and now we're sliding down the other side?"

"Ja, thinking so. That's when the most 'wakenings gonna be, but they's still gonna be some in smaller numbers in the future… and they was a lotta them before then too, just not as many, and not as often. And if the Guild's saying they was a few 'wakenings up to a hundred years ago-" Logan motioned to the ruins in front of them "-then maybe they was at least one or two back during the Meridian's time, hey? Back at the very start of that bell curve, eh girlie?"

"Wow…" Sonia gasped, looking around the ruins with a new light in her eyes. "You really think that's what happened here?"

"Eh, I ain't a scientist, girlie. Just guessin'," Logan muttered, pushing back to his feet. "Maybe they's another explanation, but would explain why they's melted crystals 'round here, but none of the locals remember hearing 'bout any Lost waking up here. Hmph… wonder how the Meridians treated us compared to the way things was in Loc Lac…"

"Bram's dad figures that the Lost were looked down on by the Meridians… not sure why though."

"Hmm… Well, let's show this to Thatch, hey? See what he thinks."

Sonia nodded, and the two of them made their way back to the wall. Thatch had made some distance since they'd left, and now there really wasn't much wall left. Bram was actively looking over the man's shoulder and commenting on what was being written, until Logan strode up to the pair of them.

"Hoy, Thatch. Look at this."

The researcher looked up and Logan tossed him a couple of the shards. "Oh! Ah, hmm… I told you, I'm not interested, ah, not that interested in the Lost structures themselves, more- Wait. This is… some kind of stone? No, closer to glass I think. No, obsidian? This texture isn't, isn't anything I've felt in a long time, like a, a marble? But rougher? What… I'm sorry, young man, but geology, ah, geology isn't my specialty, so I can't- can't really help you if you want me to-" However, as the man raised the shards into the air like Logan had, looking at the color within the stone, he stiffened. "I… this color. I _know_ this color. It's so _familiar_. What… what is this?"

"You one the Lost, hey? Like me?" Logan asked.

"Well, yes, yes I am, but why would that- Ah! Is this…?"

"A Lost crystal, ja. Found it over in one of the buildings, hey?" For the next few minutes, he and Sonia shared what they'd discovered and speculated about, much to the researcher's interest.

"I see… I see! Interesting. That explains the walls…"

"What's on the walls?" Sonia asked.

"Not information on elder dragons, like I'd hoped, unfortunately. Rather, they seem to indicate something about evolution, or adaptation. A study of the human genome, I believe."

"Human… genome?"

"Yes," Thatch nodded, motioning to the wall. "From what I found here, there's a lot of notes on the Meridians' speculations on the Lost and their culture… and their failings. According to these writings, they believe the Lost to be an inherently flawed and weak ancestor to them, to such a point that they nearly believed themselves to be a different and _superior_ species."

"A different species? How?" Bram asked. "I'm fairly certain they weren't _that_ different from the Lost. I mean, the Lost can certainly have children with _non-Lost_ well enough-"

"Oh, I'm aware. I did say the Meridians only _nearly_ believed it, but they weren't so proud that they believed themselves to be inhuman. Mixed-blood children couldn't exist if we weren't the same species at our core… though that _does_ raise questions about human-Wyverian relationships." The man paused, frowning thoughtfully for a few moments of silence before shaking his head. "But that's not my area of expertise.

"As for the Meridians, according to these walls they believed the Lost to be inherently _flawed_. They accused the Lost of being too weak, too easily overrun when the Alatreon and other monsters destroyed our civilization. They believed humanity could be, ah, could be _better_ , and set out to… to make themselves stronger, faster, wiser than before. Trying to… _improve_ humanity, to stand against the Alatreon, against all the other monsters that the Alatreon had summoned into the world."

"Is that…" Leon paused in his thoughts, a strained expression in his eyes. "Is that why the people of this time are so much stronger than the Lost? Is that why there's such a big difference in power and durability?"

"I assume so," Thatch nodded. "The Meridians did what they could to make humanity stronger, to match the monsters roaming the earth, essentially molding our species into more natural warriors. The progenitors of modern 'hunters', I suppose. I can't say how much they managed to accomplish before their culling at the hands - or claws, I suppose - of the Alatreon, but it would seem they did well, considering the physical prowess the current breed of humans have. Modern humans are certainly a level or two above the Lost in terms of physical quality… though most agree that the Lost are greater in intelligence and ingenuity. I wonder why? If the Meridians spent effort making men wiser in their time, why do the Lost have advantage, if they do not have it in strength? Why…"

Thatch furrowed his brow, crossing his arms and muttering to himself as he pondered for a minute or two in silence, rolling the dark blue stone Logan had given him in his palm. Finally he scoffed, shaking his head once more. "What am I doing? This isn't my field! Never mind all this thinking, I'll leave it to those who are paid to think about it. My pay is for thinking about elder dragons, and I'll keep my mind on that… that and translating the rest of this damn wall."

"I kinda wanted to hear about it…" Bram muttered.

"I'll give you a copy of these walls once I'm done translating. Which I should still be doing, actually."

"You still interested?" Logan asked. "If this is all stuff 'bout making humans stronger, means you don't need it, hey? If you's looking for elder dragon info?"

"Perhaps… But there's still a few dozen yards of stone to go! Who knows what else I'll find? Now if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work. Time enough to ponder implications later, once I've made a copy of all this… Soon I'll be done, and we can be on our-"

 _Thump._

Thatch stopped, blinking in surprise and looking up at the sound which echoed from above them. Logan frowned and followed his gaze. Something large and heavy had hit the ground over the lip of the pit they were in. Not a boulder or tree either… something fleshy. A wave of screeches tore through the air a moment later as a small flock of birds burst into the sky over the ruins, tearing out of the trees they'd been perched within and shooting over the hunters' heads. Logan cursed, grabbing Thatch by the coat and pulling him away from the wall, throwing him behind a tilted concrete structure. At the same time, Sonia, Bram, and Leon all scampered behind cover of their own.

Silence followed for several long seconds, and no other sounds echoed down from above the wall, or at least nothing which they could differentiate from the normal sounds of the forest. Thatch was frozen in uncertain fear, his eyes darting back and forth following the curve of the pit in search of whatever unknown threat he was imagining would come crawling over the edge. However, nothing was coming, and soon Sonia slowly crept out from behind the severed I-beam she'd been pressed up against and darted towards a collection of old stone pillars further away from the wall, craning her neck to try and get a better view.

"I don't see anything!" she hissed a few moments later. "I mean, I can't see over the wall, but-"

"Just stay out of sight!" Bram called back, and Sonia sank a little further behind the pillar.

"Shoulda kept a couple of us up on the top to keep watch," Logan chided himself, glancing towards the rope they'd rappelled down with. Could Bram or Sonia shimmy up it quietly enough to take a look around…? Better not risk it if there was a chance of something big waiting up there, and they'd be easy to spot climbing up with the white Meridian stone as a backdrop; if it was the Nerscylla, it would outmaneuver all of them on a vertical surface. If it wasn't the Nerscylla… it might be something with a ranged attack, like a Rathian, and they'd just be a moving target. "Keep quiet and stay where you is!"

The five of them descended into silence again, staying still and listening patiently for more motion. Nothing could be heard above them, but that didn't mean there wasn't anything there. However, a couple minutes passed in silence, and Logan relaxed… until a large, bulbous shape launched over the edge of the wall several dozen yards away and plummeted towards the earth.

Logan tensed, shoving Thatch further into the dirt as the object landed with a crash against the ground nearly fifty yards away from the base of the wall, almost impaling itself onto a crooked steel beam sticking up from the earth. But whatever it was, it hadn't been a graceful, or even intentional fall, as it didn't so much land as splattered against the ground with a wet _crunch_ , sending gouts of blood and other body fluids spraying across the grass and cobblestone, its shape practically melting into a blob as it settled. Logan twisted his head to look over the wall he hid behind, and he didn't recognize the shape of whatever had hit the ground nearby, though it was about the size of a Slagtoth. However, he did recognize the cocoon of white webbing wrapped around the creature's body. Whatever it was, it was now the Nerscylla's next meal, and the creature itself wouldn't be too far behind. The question was, though… how had the spider sent its prey flying through the air?

Sure enough, a moment later a skittering shape appeared at the edge of the wall as the Nerscylla appeared. Its eyes spun down to find the location of the cocoon it had brought home, and spotting its dinner the Temnoceron wiggled its abdomen, shooting a string of web into the side of a nearby tree before leaning over the edge and rappelling down to the base of the ruins. The webbing snapped free as it reached the bottom, waving free in the wind as its maker forgot about it and scurried over to the cocoon and inspected it.

"It's small," Sonia whispered. Logan raised an eyebrow at the assertion.

"That thing is _small_?" It was at least a dozen times larger than a Seltas, and one of those was easily twice Logan's size, even at the smallest.

"Well, smaller than the one I fought in the arena. About… hmm… maybe three-quarters the size of the one I fought in exam?"

"Hoy… Maybe you is lucky you only got that beauty mark on your face 'stead of losing you head, girlie."

Sonia turned and scowled at Logan from her position, but the hunter ignored her, focusing on the giant Temnoceron as it continued to exam its meal. Next to him, Thatch was fidgeting nervously, apparently having finally realized the true danger of the situation.

"D-do we run?" he gasped. "Are y-you gonna kill it?"

"Yeah, are we?" Sonia asked.

"Not if we can help it," Leon said intently.

"Agreed," Logan replied. "Lessee what it does, hey? Hopefully it gonna drag that thing it brought into its nest and keep its eyes off us. When its back's turned, we make for the ivy. You got any problem with that?"

"N-no, not at all," the researcher yelped, scrambling to shove his notebooks back into his satchel. "I think, uh, I think I'd be perfectly fine saving the last bit of wall for when the Nerscylla is, ah, is gone."

"That might take a while, though," Bram noted. "It's not exactly close to its webbing right now, and given the size of its… meal, it'll take a while to drag it to where it wants it. We might be stuck here a while…"

"Ja, I know, but…"

Logan paused, however, as the Nerscylla leaned over its prey, rolling the creature around and applying a new layer of webbing around the body, spinning and rolling the corpse into a rounder shape. It wasn't going to be a perfect sphere, but the Temnoceron was doing a pretty good job. However, Logan expected the creature to pick up and carry its prey, but instead the Nerscylla stood tall, looking off towards the maze of webbing it had created in the center of the ruins. The creature skittered to the left and right, aligning itself with something before pausing. With a twist it shot a long string of webbing out to stick against the top of a tall concrete structure a few dozen yards away, hooking the other end of the tether under one claw before firing off a second round towards another beam rising up to the right of the first one. With both lines in hand (or rather, in claw), the Nerscylla wrapped them around the corpse it had returned with. It carried the body a little bit to the left, took several steps backwards, and let go.

With the speed of a rocket, the cocoon shot through the air, sailing over the rubble and ruined buildings in a flash. The cocoon shot past the concrete building the webbing had been attached to, and as the line went taut, it snapped, allowing the corpse to sail through the air until it smacked into the enormous wall of webbing hanging between the buildings at the center of the ruins. The webbing stretched wildly as the body stuck to it, but held firm, wobbling back and forth in the air for several moments before drawing to a halt, with the carcass hanging firmly in the air like all the others.

The Nerscylla stared at its work for a moment longer before apparently nodding in satisfaction, and with a slightly spring in its step the creature lifted its abdomen and shot a long line of webbing towards the same tall beam as before. The white line struck true, and the creature leapt several yards backwards and lifted its legs, allowing the webbing to slingshot it through the air as well, sailing up and over the wall of webbing and out of sight. A moment later the entire nest shivered as the Nerscylla apparently landed somewhere within, before slowly going still once more. From a distance, it seemed the same as before, but now, every so often, a small shiver would vibrate through the massive webs as the Nerscylla went about its business within.

"Well… now what?" Bram asked, looking to Logan.

Logan frowned, looking towards the line of ivy they'd strung down the side of the wall. Assuming the Nerscylla was busy with its own work within the webbing, they could probably make a break for the line and climb back up to relative safety. It would take a couple minutes for them all to shimmy up though… could they do it quickly? The Nerscylla's nest was a good couple hundred yards from the wall of the pit, with numerous ruins between here and there to use as cover. They could probably climb up before the creature could catch them.

"Let's get outta here," he replied. "We ain't gonna try and tussle with the spider. Be quick but quiet, hey? Don't need that thing spotting us 'fore we outta here."

The others nodded, and the five of them marched through the ruins towards the ivy rope, carefully darting between bits of cover to avoid being seen by the Nerscylla. They were forced to cut to a halt when the sight of the Temnoceron's tall purple spikes crested the top of the webbing, keeping hidden until it vanished out of sight again and they were able to move on. Still, there was a good hundred yards between them and their way out.

"Are we going to be able to return?" Thatch asked as they walked, looking wistfully at the last stretch of wall they were passing by.

"Depends on the spider," Leon replied. "I doubt it'll be safe to be in the pit when it's around, so we probably need to wait for it to leave again before finishing up the last section. We'll have to keep watch on it in case it ventures off again this evening."

"We've still got an extra day before we need to start walking back to the village," Sonia supplied as the group approached a street. "We have a little bit of time before we need to leave." The huntress turned, scanning the top of the nest before motioning to the others. "Clear! Let's go!" she told them, and the group scurried across the broken concrete. "Maybe we'll have enough time to try and- oh, hell, it's there!"

Logan nearly tripped at the shout, his eyes darting to the nest. He didn't see the Nerscylla at first, until he caught sight of a narrow gap in the thick webbing, just barely bigger than he was as far as he could tell from this distance. However, staring through the small gap was the spider, its eight eyes locked onto them.

"Damn!" Leon hissed, grabbing Thatch and swinging the both of them behind some rubble, and the others were close behind. "When the hell did it get there?"

"I don't know!" Sonia snapped. "It wasn't there before we crossed!"

"What gave us away? We've been keeping hidden!"

"Just stay down!" Bram told them, looking back to Logan. "Is it still looking our way?"

"Not sure…" Logan replied, yanking off his helmet and just barely peeking around the edge of a crossbeam. The Nerscylla hadn't moved, however, and was simply staring in their direction. A moment later it vanished, reappearing at the top of its nest and skittering around a little, perhaps trying to get sight of them from a better angle, but the humans remained hidden. Eventually, the creature seemed to grow bored, and vanished back into the webbing to continue whatever work it needed to. "Think it's gone… maybe. It ain't coming for us, at least."

"It saw us," Leon muttered. "I _know_ it did. But it's not attacking?"

"Guess not," Logan replied. "We in its territory though, and monsters is pretty picky 'bout defending they nests…"

"Maybe it isn't threatened by us? Not all monsters will attack on sight. Maybe its 'nest' is just that webby bit in the center, and as long as we keep a safe distance, it'll leave us be. Maybe it's got all the food it needs already and doesn't want to waste any time on us."

"That's a bit of a gamble, hey?"

"We could go distract it or something," Sonia suggested eagerly. "Send three of us off to go get the thing's attention and fight it, while someone else gets Thatch out of the ruins."

"No. We ain't gonna aggravate it if we don't gotta."

"We should keep moving," Bram suggested. "Standing around won't do us any good, and if it comes looking for us it'll come here first. Just keep a weather eye out in case it tries to sneak up on us."

"Think that won't be too much of a problem," Logan scoffed. "The bug may not be as big as the one girlie fought, but we gonna see those purple spikes coming a long way away, hey?" A glance around the next corner, and no sign of the Nerscylla in sight. "Come on, let's go!"

A lot of the caution they'd had before was discarded this time as the five of them dashed between the ruins, pausing occasionally behind cover to steal glances towards the nest. Logan expected the Nerscylla to be on edge after sighting them, but they never so much as caught a glimpse of it again as they covered ground. Had the creature chosen to ignore them? Or had it just not actually seen them in the first place? Either way, the hunters soon found themselves on the final stretch, with only fifty yards to go.

"Bram goes up first!" Leon shouted. "Thatch'll follow him up! Make sure you protect him if the spider follows you!"

"Got it!" Bram replied. "Any sign of the spider?"

"Nothing yet!" Sonia called out. "Far as I can tell it's still in its nest, and it's not circling us or anything!"

"Good! Thatch, I hope you're quick at climbing!"

"In times like this I very well will be!" the researcher gasped. He was nearing the end of his stamina, but fear was driving him on. "Today is the day I make up for - _gasp_ \- for my failures to climb the ropes in physical education! Up in two shakes of a lamb's tail! Or… what're they called, Moofahs?"

"Don't really matter, buddy!" Logan snapped.

"I suppose - _gasp_ \- suppose not… but either way I- _Ohsweetsh-_!"

The researcher's squawk of horror slammed the group to a screeching halt, and several of them echoed his string of curses as two hooked claws swung over the roof of a toppled building ahead and to the right of them. The peaks of several purple spikes rose into the air as though they were coming over the horizon, and a moment later the Nerscylla itself pulled itself into view directly in front of them. The creature wasn't facing their direction yet, but its eyes were already darting around in search of them, allowing enough time for the five of them to dive to the side and through the door of the nearest ruined building.

They collectively slid up against the wall, pushing themselves under the windows and out of sight. The sound of heavy, skittering feet echoed in from outside, and the sunlight coming in through the windows was blotted out as something large eclipsed it. The scraping of claws against stone could be heard, alongside the subtle clicking and chittering of mandibles right outside the window. Squares of sunlight on the floor of the building lit up and darkened as the creature skittered back and forth, and Logan could imagine the creature's small head stopping in front of each window and peeking through in search of them. Logan could feel Thatch shivering next to him as he clutched the man's shoulder, and the shaking only grew worse as one of the creature's hooked claws slid through one of the windows and scratched a little at the frame, sending some dust down onto the ground between Bram and Leon. There was some agitated clicking as the claw pulled back out of the building, and the creature skittered down the street in search of them.

"Damn it! How'd it sneak up on us?" Bram hissed. "I thought we'd be able to see it coming!"

"Can it burrow?" Sonia asked. "I remember Tuulikki said something about the Nerscylla burrowing… Maybe it dug underground and-"

"That's the desert variant," Leon corrected. "This version can't dig! Or, it's not _supposed_ to…"

"Heh… heheheh… Maybe, ah, maybe it took the subway…" Thatch muttered, giggling nervously.

Logan paused, registering the words but not understanding them. "The what?"

"The subway," the man repeated, as though the meaning was obvious. "Took the blue line from downtown, ha!"

"...And what's a subway?"

Thatch turned, staring at Logan for a moment before realization lit his face. "Oh… right. No, I mean a tunnel. An underground road for trams."

"They's tunnels under this city?" Logan asked.

"Erm… Possibly? I haven't really been looking. That's not what I'm here for. Several large cities _did_ have them."

"Damn, just our luck…" the great sword user growled. He paused, listening for the Nerscylla's footsteps, but couldn't hear anything at the moment. He cautiously pushed to his feet and leaned his head out the window, but there was no sight of the creature in sight. "Alright, let's go, quick 'fore the thing comes back. Someone keep a flash bomb or something ready, hey?"

"I got it," Sonia replied, pulling a steel cylinder from her pouch and keeping it in her hands. The hunters slipped out from the ruin, scanning up and down the street before darting across; again the spider had vanished, but they knew it was close by…

As they were running, however, movement to the right caught their attention as the Nerscylla slid around the corner of a building two blocks away from them. The spider paused at the intersection, glancing both ways before catching sight of them. It didn't charge them, however, observing them for a moment before climbing onto the nearest building and skittering across the rooftops parallel to their path, as though it was giving them a wide berth.

As the hunters slid into the nearest alleyway, however, and the Nerscylla disappeared from their line of sight, they could hear the spider chittering. The sound of sharp footsteps echoed from the rooftops above them as the creature tailed them, before shifting ahead of them and to the right. As the hunters burst out into the next street, Thatch cried out in horror to find the Nerscylla only a dozen yards to their right, out in the middle of the street and beginning to climb up the next row of buildings. At the researcher's shout, the spider actually shivered in surpise, taking a couple shocked steps backwards as they appeared, its eyes darting between them rapidly.

"Close your eyes!" Sonia shouted, pulling the pin on the flash bomb and hurling it skyward. The spider watched it rise, and Logan covered his eyes a moment before it burst. With his eyes closed, all he could hear was a shocked screech from the creature… as well as a horrified yelp from right next to him.

"Oh, mercy, my eyes!" Thatch wailed.

"Oh, dammit! Bram, get him outta here!" the huntress snapped, and the charge blade user grabbed Thatch, pulling the researcher into a half-collapsed building as the man bemoaned the loss of his vision. However, rather than following, the huntress leapt forward, swinging her glaive from its sheath as she charged the Nerscylla, waving its claws over its eyes in dismay.

The spider was stumbling backwards and bumping into the buildings and steel beams around it. With a flick of her arm, Sonia sent Franky flying low over the ground, not aiming for the creature itself but sliding directly under the Nerscylla. The spider cocked its head nervously, tilting its head down to follow the sound of the kinsect's buzzing wings and swinging its claws out to clack off the concrete floor. However, by doing so, the creature brought its head within striking range just as Sonia caught up to it.

"Take this!" she snapped, swinging her glaive towards the spider's numerous eyes. The weapon clipped slightly as it struck the beast's hard exoskeleton, but Sonia's swing held firm enough that her hooked blade tore up the Nerscylla's face and straight through the largest left eye.

The Nerscylla shrieked, swinging its claws at the huntress wildly as it reared back, trying to get away from her, but Sonia darted under it, slicing her blade into the spider's softer underside. The creature hissed in agony again, and a spray of webbing jetted out from its abdomen, splattering against the ground in front of her and forcing the huntress back a few steps.

"Move, girlie!" Logan shouted as he caught up a moment later, swinging out his great sword and striking one of the creature's legs. The Zinogre blade splintered the hard exoskeleton, sending fractures up the appendage as the spider shrieked again. Sonia ducked out of the way, sliding out from under the Nerscylla a moment before it collapsed, before leaping forward and charging its face once more.

This time the creature heard her footsteps and lashed out wildly with its claws as it struggled to get its feet back under it. Sonia yelped in shock as the hooked edges pierced the road in front of her, and the creature followed the sound of her shout, pulling itself forward and swiping at the sound of her armor clacking together and frustrated curses.

"Look out!" Leon shouted, leaping in front of her as one swing got too close, catching the tip of the claw with his shield. The blow knocked him back into her, forcing her to catch him to keep them from falling, and he nodded thankfully before slamming the base of his shield into the ground. He struck the ground several more times, shuffling sideways as the blinded Nerscylla's head bobbed along, following the noise and swinging its claws after him while Sonia slid the other direction.

As Sonia circled the creature to meet back up with Logan, the great sword user glanced over towards Bram and Thatch. The researcher seemed to have recovered some of his vision by now, and Bram was leading him towards the ivy rope. But if Thatch's vision was returning… "Hoy! Look out, Leon!"

The lancer glanced his way for a moment before looking sharply back at the creature's face. Sure enough the Nerscylla's eyes were swiveling slightly, before centering back on him. But it took a step back, pulling away from the lancer and right towards Sonia and Logan.

"Gotcha!" Sonia grinned, charging up from behind, but a jolt leapt through the spider's body at the sound of her boots, and in a flash the creature had spun around, spotting the two behind it in an instant and abruptly backpedalling once more to get away from them, before spinning around to run full-tilt. "Wh- Hey, get back here, dammit!"

The lancer was still planted in the creature's path, however, bracing himself for attack, but the spider drew itself up short at the sight of him. For a moment Leon prepared to attack, but instead he hesitated, staring up at the Nerscylla as the creature took a step away from him. Leon hesitated a moment longer, glancing over his shoulder, towards the creature's nest almost directly behind him, before stepping to the side, pressing himself up against the wall of a nearby building and out of the Nerscylla's way. The spider tilted its head warily for a moment before taking the chance and shooting past him, crawling over the buildings and back towards its nest.

"Hey, get back here!" Sonia snapped, giving chase, but as she passed, Leon reached out and grabbed the shaft of her glaive, making her snap to a halt. With a growl she spun around, glaring at the lancer. "What the hell are you doing?! It's still a threat and you're letting it get away!"

"Let it go!" the lancer shouted. "If we don't need to fight it-"

"Just because _you_ don't want to, doesn't mean-!"

"Shut up! We done here!" Logan bellowed, grabbing Sonia and yanking her back to her feet. "Spider wants to run, so will we!"

"What about the Nerscylla?!"

" _Not now_ , girlie! For now we get outta here, before it decides to come back!"

"Ugh… fine!" Sonia groaned, sheathing her glaive and following after the others.

Logan froze for a moment as a large, dark shadow passed over them. The hunter immediately spun, looking up. He'd been expecting the Nerscylla but was shocked when he instead found a spiralling, rusted steel beam sailing through the air over them. The steel rod smashed into the cobble walkway only a dozen yards or so ahead of them, the head of it shattering several small chunks of concrete as the metal beam toppled end over end for several more yards before crashing into a stone pillar at the end of the road.

"Holy-! Where the hell did that come from?!" Leon gasped.

"It… look at it!" Sonia shouted.

A second glance at the beam made the blood drain from Logan's face; the center of the steel beam had been completely wrapped in thick spider webs. Even now the silky, sticky substance had stuck the beam to the stone column it had struck, slightly stretching under its own weight.

"You can't… you can't be serious," Leon muttered, looking back towards where the Nerscylla had fled. Logan followed his gaze, spotting the spider's telltale purple spikes poking up over the tops of the ruins, and from two steel columns nearby hung a two long stretches of webbing. The creature raised itself up, spotting them from its higher vantage point before grabbing the two lines of webbing and vanishing into the dilapidated buildings again. A few seconds passed, and the two lines of webbing stretched taut a moment before a broad chunk of stone rocketed into the sky like a slingshot, sailing through the air towards them.

"Aw, hell… move!"

The three hunters darted away from where they'd been standing, sprinting towards the ivy vines they'd climbed down into the pit. A second later, a thunderous crash rumbled behind them, and Logan looked back for a moment, where sure enough, the stone slab had smashed into the earth almost exactly where they'd all been standing. Across the ruins, the Nerscylla was scouting them out again, getting another bead on their location before ducking down and launching another steel beam at them. A couple seconds later the beam smashed through the roof of a building on the right side of the road, toppling over and crunching to the ground only a few yards behind them.

For the next minute, all the hunters could do was run towards their escape route as large chunks of debris rained down around them. Despite the ever-growing distance between themselves and the Nerscylla, and despite them ducking through alleys and between buildings, the spider's aim was uncanny, and each shot struck less than a dozen yards away from them each time. Each impact shook the earth around them, pressing them on to run ever faster to avoid being caught under the Nerscylla's catapulted ammunition. More than once Logan winced as a shard of shrapnel clashed off the great sword slung across his back as he ran, until they finally reached their ivy rope. Bram and Thatch were already at the top, staring wide-eyed as large metal box smashed through the roof of one of the buildings, collapsing it in on itself.

"Sonia, go!"

"I… right!" the huntress yelped, leaping forward and hauling herself up the side of the wall, shooting up the white stone. Logan winced as another shadow passed over them, and a large slab of concrete exploded across the stone several yards below and to the right of where Sonia was climbing. The huntress yelped in shock, losing her footing for a moment, but managed to keep a grip on the rope, scrambling up the last few yards to the top and pulling herself over.

Leon was sent up next, slower than Sonia before him but still with the speed of fear. Every fifteen seconds or so, another chunk of concrete of steel beam would sail through the air and crash into the earth or against the wall, each shot getting closer and closer to hitting its mark. Logan winced fearfully as an I-beam struck against the wall at the narrow end, clanging wildly off the impenetrable Meridian stone and wobbling through the air, crashing down only a few yards behind him and collapsing a small stone hut.

"Logan, c'mon!" Sonia shouted down at him as Leon pulled himself over the lip. The great sword user nodded, grabbing the ivy and hauling himself up towards the top. Thirty feet, twenty-five, twenty, fifteen- " _Logan, look out_!"

"GO LEFT!" Leon bellowed.

Logan pushed himself to the side, swinging left along the wall a few yards, and not a moment too soon. A second later, a large heap of metal (which Logan realized was an object similar to the vehicle Sonia had been inspecting earlier) smashed into the Meridian stone, twisting apart and sending bits of metal flying. Logan winced as a few nuts and bolts pinged off of his armor, and the screech of metal against stone grated through his skull as the mass of rusted metal slid to the ground, grinding against the wall the whole way down before smashing against the rocky soil below. Logan gasped in relief before reaching up and pulling himself the rest of the way up the ivy, with both Sonia and Bram reaching down to grab his armor and pull him over the lip.

"Are you alright?" Bram asked.

"Ja, I is fine, let's-"

The younger hunter glanced over his shoulder, and his eyes widened before he grabbed Logan's shoulder and yanked him backwards into the treeline. Logan stumbled forward and threw himself to the ground as a thunderous crack sounded behind him, and the earth under him shivered. As he pushed himself up, he looked behind him and winced at the sight of another steel beam which had been thrown at them sideways. Both ends of the beam had slammed into a pair of trees against the edge of the pit, splintering the wood and embedding itself into the trunks. With a groan the I-beam fell free, clattering onto the stone lip of the pit. Looking over the beam, Logan could see the distant points of the Nerscylla's spikes as it craned its head, eyeballing them from more than a hundred yards away.

"Come on, let's go before it shoots anything else!" Leon shouted from further into the woods where he had a hand on Thatch's arm.

Logan nodded, pushing to his feet and joining Sonia and Bram in running away from the Iron Heart. When they were roughly fifty yards in, there was one last crash of something heavy hitting the forest, but it was far behind them, and the hunters knew they were finally out of range, but kept running despite it all. They didn't stop until they'd returned to the small hollow they'd stayed in the night before.

"What the hell… what the hell!" Leon gasped. "I didn't… I didn't know it could do that! Mercy, Tuli's going to have a field day when she hears about this…"

"Guessing that ain't normal for the spiders?"

"Not that I've ever heard… but I guess-" Leon paused at the sound of boots stomping in his direction, and turned to find Sonia marching up to him, yanking off her mask and revealing a livid look on her face.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Sonia hissed at him, shoving him over. "Why the hell did you let it go?! You nearly got us all _killed_ , you moron!"

"I… It was running away!" Leon snapped back, pushing back to his feet.

"It wasn't running away, it was getting into firing range!"

"How was I supposed to know that?! I've never heard of a Nerscylla doing that before! I've never seen _anything_ like that before… _You_ wouldn't have thought it could do that either, don't try to pretend you would! And why are you blaming _me_ for this? _You're_ the one who agravated it!"

"I was the- It was _attacking us_!"

"It was keeping its distance from us until you threw the flash bomb! Didn't you see how skittish it was? Nerscylla are _ambush predators_! They wouldn't attack head on, they'd try to sneak up on us!"

"You don't know that!"

"I've been friends with Tuli for almost ten years, and she _won't shut up_ about insectoids! I know more about Nerscyllas than almost any other monster on the planet!"

"You didn't know about that slingshot though!" Sonia snapped, and Leon faltered. "If you didn't know that, how do you know it wouldn't attack us, just because it's an _ambush predator_? You can't predict what a monster will do just because of what Tuli says!"

"It… maybe not, but if it wanted us dead, why sneak up on us in the first place? If it could hit us from range in the first place, why didn't it just smash us to pieces without getting close?"

"I don't know, but you can't just assume it's gonna be all buddy-buddy! I'm not gonna just sit back and _hope_ a monster doesn't try to _snap my face off again_ just because it _might_ look a little jittery!"

"And I'm not going to try and butcher a monster just because you think it should die!" Leon growled crossing his arms. "If I'd known it would start launching things at us, maybe I wouldn't have let it go. But I didn't know. I _couldn't_ have known! So I let it run, and I'm _not sorry_ I did! I'm not going to kill a monster if I don't have to-"

"Shut the hell up with your worthless _'ethics'_! Because of you stupid Shield _bullshit_ , you almost got all of us buried under steel beams, you freaking moron!"

"You- Don't you dare insult the Way of the Shield!" the lancer roared. "Just because one of us actually thinks the Nerscylla _doesn't_ have to be butchered instead of chased off-"

" _I don't give a damn about the Nerscylla_!" Sonia shrieked at him. "I don't care if you think the Nerscylla is this holy creature that deserves to be all but worshiped! I don't care if you thought it was running away! Those are your idiotic ethics, not mine, and because of them you almost got us squished! No matter what you say, the Nerscylla is just another damn monster, that is all it ever will be, I'm _not_ going to risk my life just so you can piss and moan over its damn 'right to live', squawking like a cuckoo clock every time we do something that twinges your damn ethics! The only thing in the world that I care about less than that damn spider's life is your _stupid Shield-code_!"

"Sonia, calm down…" Bram muttered, putting his hand on her shoulder, but the huntress swatted it away.

"No, I will not calm down! I'm sick of him treating us like we're barbarous, bloodthirsty lunatics just because we don't treat monsters the same way his stuck-up ass does! He's just a weakling and a coward!" Leon tensed at the words, his expression growing wooden, and Sonia turned on him with a dark sneer. "Don't like that? Well, that's what I think! You're just using this stupid 'Way of the Shield' garbage as an excuse! You're too weak or too cowardly to be a _real_ hunter, so you hide behind your stupid ethics so you don't have to fight monsters that _you're_ too afraid to challenge!"

Leon was quiet for a long moment before speaking, his voice dark and poisonous. "I may be weak. I may not be as skilled as other hunters. But I am _not_ a coward, and if nothing else I'm doing my best to get stronger. And, no matter how badly you think of it, my ethics are _real and honest_ , and I'm trying to live up to the legacy I've chosen to follow to the best of my abilities, no matter how much it may hamper me or endanger me… But that's more than I can say for _you_."

Sonia stared at him for a moment, her sneer faltering as she registered his words. "Excuse me?"

"Isn't that what you're doing, Sonia? Trying to live up to a legacy? Your _parents'_ legacy?"

Immediately the huntress' face twisted with rage, and her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists. "Don't you _dare_ try to insult my family!"

"Of course not," Leon scoffed. "I'm not about to insult someone's family. I don't think badly of your parents at all; rather, I admire them! The Alatreon was a scourge on humanity for ten thousand years or more, and your parents ended all that. They saved _countless_ lives by putting that dragon down. _That's_ a legacy to admire.

"But _you_ , Sonia… if you're trying to match that legacy the way you are now, trying to live up to that heroic namesake of yours, then you're doing a piss-poor job of it. Treating monsters as little more than points to tally on your Guild card, treating your role as a hunter as a ' _barbarous, bloodthirsty lunatic_ '... If _that's_ really what it takes to live up to that legacy, than it's worth less than dirt. Hmph, and maybe that's a fitting legacy for someone like _you_."

" _You_ _son of a bitch_!" Sonia screeched. Before she could lunge at the lancer, however, Bram stepped in again, this time throwing his arms around her waist and holding her back. Leon didn't even move, standing his ground as the huntress flung curses and threats at him, trying to break free of Bram's grip.

"Hoy, that's enough!" Logan snapped, finally stepping in. He'd been too stunned by the shouting match to intervene at first, but now he pushed between them. He shoved a finger at Leon's chest. "You. Go… keep watch or something, make sure the spider ain't following us."

"Fine," the lancer replied dourly, marching out of the hovel. Thatch was scrunched up near the entrance, his eyes wide and fearful as Leon passed.

As Leon vanished around the corner, Logan turned towards Sonia, right as the huntress wriggled free of Bram's grip. She got two steps before Logan got in front of her, and his dark expression brought her up short. The huntress paused, her grip squeezing tightly around the 'jaw' of her facemask, before releasing a howl of rage and frustration as she hurled her mask at the wall with such force that half of one horn broke off, and the mask clattered across the room before sliding to a halt on the floor. The huntress was breathing heavily, staring at the ground with her fists clenched at her sides.

"Hoy, Sonia…"

The huntress' head snapped up, and her face was a contortion of dozens of emotions, though most prominent was clearly anger. Her voice came out in a low and restrained growl. "I… am _done_ with him."

That was all she said before whirling around and stalking to the far end of the hovel, finding the smallest, darkest corner and planting herself down in it, burying her face in her knees. A few moments later, Bram followed, sitting down cautiously next to her but not speaking. Logan frowned, scratching his head uncomfortably in the silence.

"Great… Just great…"

* * *

"Hey! Welcome back!" Vi cheered eagerly as the hunters walked back into the circle of Stellazzio's wagons.

It was late afternoon of the third day since they'd left for the Iron Heart, and the group had finally returned to the caravan, where a few straggling villagers were still lounging around in search of goods to buy. Thatch had branched off to return to his room at the inn, and to inform the Guild about the 'success' of the mission. As for the hunters, however…

"How did everything go? Looks like everyone's safe and sound… Oh, man, I can't wait to tell you what happened on the Conga hunt! It was-"

"Not now, Vi," Leon growled. "I'll… I'm not in the mood."

The horn player blinked in surprise as the lancer stalked past her. A moment later, Sonia simply huffed in disdain, not saying a word before turning and stomping back to her own wagon as well. Vi looked nervously between the two of them as the pair vanished into their wagons, slamming the doors behind them.

"What… what happened?"

"They got into another fight," Bram replied solemnly.

"Oh no… again? What happened this time?"

The archer sighed and recounted their hunt and their 'battle' with the Nerscylla, from the creature's arrival at the Heart to chasing them away with catapulted rubble. Vi and Tuli's eyes were wide from the story, but soon after the glaive user had a dour expression on her face.

"It sounds as though she attacked it unnecessarily."

"Maybe," Logan shrugged. "Hindsight's clear as day, sure, but the thing got real close to us, and if they's any one of us gonna be jumpy 'round one of them spiders, gonna be the girl lost a bit of her face to one, hey? Ain't a stretch thinking it's gonna try something. I done the same before, attacking a monster 'fore it can attack me. Probably woulda done the same as her here too. Girlie ain't a lancer or nothing, so I ain't gonna fault her for a 'best defense is a good offense' mindset, hey? Can't blame Leon for letting it run though. Couldn'ta known the thing was a deadshot with using its webs like a slingshot. Sonia blamed him for it though, nearly getting us squished under steel beams." The great sword user rolled his shoulder uncomfortably. "The arguing afterwards didn't help none."

"What did she say?" Vi asked.

"Things got… heated. I'm sure he'll tell you about it, hey?" Logan sighed again. "Gotta talk to her once she's cooled off. The two of them was fuming the entire walk back, barely get a word in edgewise, hey?"

"I'll go speak with her in a few minutes," Bram said, giving Logan a wry smile. "I'm sure I can calm her down somewhat."

"Hope so, Pinkie," Logan replied, before turning back to the two huntresses. "Any news 'bout Dundorma yet?"

"Not as of yet," Tuli sighed. "We've been waiting for letters since we returned from our hunt, but nothing has arrived."

"I heard a ruckus in town about an hour ago," Vi said, "but we haven't had a chance to head in to ask for news… And considering the situation with Leon and Sonia, that might have to wait until tomorrow… Aw, I'll just ask Steward about it later. He usually keeps his ears to the ground with things like this."

"Indeed. Perhaps he could- Oh, speak of the devil."

From across the caravan, the four of them spotted Steward marching quickly their way. The old sword strapped to his belt clattered about at his pace, and as he neared, Logan realized the man had a fearful look on his face, his eyes snapping to Bram.

"Ah. You… you have returned safely. Excellent. Excellent…"

"Uh… yes," Bram replied nervously, catching the man's expression. "There were some issues on the latter end of the hunt but… we've all come back in one piece. Is, ah, is something wrong, Steward?"

"No, it…" The man paused, pursing his lips and staring at the young hunter - more specifically, Logan realized, he was staring at the charge blade on Bram's back - before shaking his head. "No, I must be honest. There is trouble brewing in the village. Young Bram, I know this may seem an odd request, but I must ask you to go into your wagon and _stay there_ until further notice… and also, perhaps you should take your switch axe down from where it is hanging and take that inside as well."

"I…" Bram looked worriedly at Logan, but the great sword user could only share a bewildered look. "I… I can do that, certainly, but why? What's happened?"

"I… I will explain later, but please: go to your wagon. I do not want you out and… _visible_ right now, not when- Oh no."

Steward's eyes darted towards the gate into town, and Logan followed them, catching sight of a small collection of six men and women clustered together and heading towards the wagons. Hunters, if Logan had to guess, and there was an oppressive air about them as they approached. Logan didn't feel like these were shoppers coming to barter for trade goods; they were heading this way with purpose… and Logan didn't much care to find out what their purpose was.

"Get outta here," Logan muttered, smacking Bram's shoulder. The hunter nodded, nearly stumbling as he spun to head for his wagon and immediately working to free the straps keeping his switch axe latched to the side. He was too slow, however, and before he could get the weapon free, one of the hunters spotted him and pointed him out to the others.

"Hey! Hold it right there you piece of shit!" the woman in the front snapped. Bram winced, his hands dropping down to his side as he turned to face the approaching gang.

"Ah, can I, uh, be of some assistance?" he asked nervously, though the words only agitated the group further.

"Help? You want to _help us_ , huh? That's rich…" one of the others growled. Before they could get closer, however, Logan stepped in front of them, and Vi and Tuli weren't far behind.

"Thinking if you ain't looking for help, you can _leave_ , hey? Don't look like you here to do any _shopping_."

"Move it, buddy," another man snapped. "We ain't got any business with you."

"If you walk up looking like you's planning on starting something with my friend, we's gonna _have_ business, hey? I don't think I ever seen you before… you know these guys or something, Bram?"

"I… no, not at all. I… _may_ have seen them around the village at one point or another, but I don't think I've interacted with any of them…"

"Huh… Hokay, why you acting like you got a problem with my buddy here, hey?"

"Why? 'Cause he's a damn Progressive, that's why!" the woman in front snapped.

Logan blinked, staring at the group expectantly. "And?"

"And that's all the reason we need! And if you try to stop us, then you've got a problem too! Now _move_!" she bellowed, grabbing at Logan's shoulder, but the hunter caught her hand and twisted it sideways, making her yelp in pain.

"That is… Now, hold on a moment!" Tuli spoke up. "Just because he is a Progressive does _not-_ "

Her words were drowned out, however, when the woman snarled in rage, kicking at Logan's chest. The hunter was able to dodge easily, but the others in the group took the moment to swarm around her, lunging towards Bram. Logan managed to grab another one by the shirt, and both Tuli and Vi scrambled to halt a couple more, but another three got past them and charged the younger hunter. Bram panicked, freezing up for a moment before desperately reaching one hand for the hilt of his charge blade's sword and the other for his carving knife, but the men were upon him before he could draw either. He managed to slide out of the way of the first man's fist, but the next one caught him by the helmet and slammed his head into the side of the wagon, making him cry out in pain and topple to the ground.

" _Bram_!" Logan bellowed. "Hoy, you get 'way from him or I swear I'll-"

" _You great damn fools_!"

The locals winced and froze where they stood as a sharp hiss pierced through the scuffle. The fighting stopped, and the men and women turned; Logan looked behind them to find a wiry man standing shuffling up to them. He was no man of battle, that was obvious. He didn't have any great strength in him labeling him a warrior, but there was an intensity in him which Logan couldn't ignore; strength of spirit if nothing else.

"Let. Them. Go," the man growled. Logan felt a shiver rush through his assailant's body, and the man pulled away, and the others attacking Vi, Tuli, and Bram pulled back just as quickly, hanging their heads like chastised children under the man's withering glare. "What do you violent _asses_ think you're doing, assaulting a caravan guard? Since when do you braindead layabouts make fun out of assaulting travelers?"

"We… but Boss-" The man's eyes snapped to the huntress who spoke, and the flame in his gaze sealed her lips into a fearful crease. "He… he has a charge blade…"

"I can see that just fine. I'm not _blind_. What I'm asking is, what makes you think it's your right to act as self-imposed arbiters of justice, or whatever nonsense you think justifies your actions?"

"What?! But Boss, it's because of inconsiderate assholes like this brat here that… that Simon…"

The man scowled at the huntress, but it lacked the fire in it from before, and carried a weary and mournful weight to it. "I am perfectly aware. But lashing out against random travelers like this will not change the past."

He shook his head, stepping between the assailants, who parted with his passing as he approached Stellazzio's hunters. "Allow me to apologize on behalf of my friends here, though I won't ask you to forgive them or anything like that. They don't usually cause trouble like this, but they're a stupid and sensitive bunch, and recent events have made them feel vindictive. I suppose they simply lashed out like children at the first thing they could find to vent their anger at."

"You say that as if it was an obvious decision they made, but it was still no less than assault!" Tuli growled, stepping in front of Bram and glowering up at the man. "What is the meaning of all this?! I do not approve of Progressive weapons any more than any other Purist, but to lash out at a hunter for simply possessing one of them is madness! You cannot just assault Progressives without reason!"

The thugs turned, staring at the huntress incredulously. "A _reason_?" one of them hissed. "You think we _don't_ have a reason to beat any Progressive we see into a sticky red-"

The boss raised his hand sharply, clenching it into a fist and cutting off the speech immediately as he stepped closer to Tuli, studying her intently. The huntress was a touch nervous, but stood her ground.

"You're a Purist, are you?"

"...I am."

"Really. You say my friends here have no reason to act the way they do? Have you not heard of what happened in Dundorma?"

Tuulikki frowned uncomfortably, looking around at the agitated people. "Not much," she admitted. "We've received word that there was an… accident of some kind, an explosion on the west side of the city. We have not gotten any more details, however. Is that what you are talking about?"

"It is," the man replied, scowling darkly. "An _accident…_ one which killed over two hundred and maimed even more. Untold destruction, on par with an elder dragon attack. And do you know what _caused_ that accident, miss _Purist_?"

Tuulikki grew terse, her lips creased into a pinched line. She glanced over her shoulder at Bram, who still sat pressed against the wall of the wagon, eyes looking nervously between the men surrounding the huntress. "What?" she whispered.

"A charge blade caused it. Word from the city arrived this morning, announcing that the detonation occurred during a Troverian exhibition. One of their weapons… malfunctioned, apparently, and many dozens of innocent men and women paid the price for their carelessness."

Tuli's eyes were wide for a moment, but there was little surprise in the expression. A moment later it shifted to a terse look of contained anger. "I had… I had my suspicions that one of their creations had been the cause, but…"

"Well, you can confirm those suspicions now, if it brings you any pleasure." The man tensed, looking towards his feet solemnly. "It brings me none. The blast took my brother."

"It did?" Bram asked, shifting uncomfortably under the withering looks from the local hunters.

"It did indeed. Just got a fine letter of condolence from the city yesterday, letting me know that they'd found… what was left of him to be identified. Suppose I should be happy there was enough of him left for his friends to figure out it was him… Cremation is the typical fare for our village, maybe I should be thankful the Troverians did half the job for us." The boss smiled, a wry and humorless expression. "I never liked the idea of those Progressive weapons myself. Tried to convince him to use something safer, something more tried and true. But those Troverian contraptions always filled his eyes with stars… right to the end."

He motioned to the men and women around him, who had all grown melancholy. "I won't say these fools here were right to confront you with only violence and not explaining themselves, but they loved my brother almost as much as I do, and the loss pains them. It doesn't justify their actions, but I hope you at least understand why they lashed out in the way they did. They want justice against someone, and those who caused the blast in Dundorma are likely all dead; they heard there was some unfortunate lad in the caravan who possessed one of the weapons which took Simon from us and… well, it's easy to aim your ire somewhere close when it's convenient, and your grief blinds you to logic."

Stellazzio's hunters were quiet. Tuli was staring at the ground, her expression tense and strained. Logan and Vi hadn't moved from where they'd planted themselves to protect Bram, and both of them were simply staring in shock. Bram himself had gone pale and gaunt, and his fingers were brushing nervously against the curve of the weapon strapped to his back. The boss of the locals sighed and shook his head.

"I won't try and argue with you about Progressive weapons here and now; I'm in no mood for confrontation, and I doubt I'll be acting much better than my friends if I get too fired up. It's not my place to tell a person what risks they should take or weapons they should carry. But know this: I lost a brother to one of those damn weapons. If I were you, I'd ask yourselves what _you're_ willing to lose to one of them, if you choose to wield one of those damn things or stay close to someone who does.

"Now, I think we've wasted enough of your time. I bid you all good day. I wish you good fortune… especially in times like these." He turned, waving his hand towards the hunters around him. A few of them hesitated uncertainly, but followed after him, leaving Stellazzio behind as they returned to the village. Silence surrounded Stellazzio's hunters for a while, until Tuli finally spoke.

"Bram." The younger hunter looked up as Tuli quietly spoke his name. "I do not… want to act callously towards you. I do not wish to lash out at you for your choices. I like you, and I wish to remain on good terms with you. So please, I ask you, for the sake of our relationship if nothing else: do not _ever_ use any Progressive weapons in my presence again. _Especially_ your charge blade."

The huntress spun, stalking back towards her wagon, vanishing inside and closing the door behind her. With a hazy expression on his face, Bram pulled the weapon off his back and laid it across his lap, staring down at his new weapon with a look of uncertainty and distrust.

"Is this… Was that why you wanted Bram to hide earlier?" Vi asked, looking at Steward.

"It… yes, it was. We heard the news only an hour or so before you four returned from your mission, and we felt it might be… _prudent_ to keep young Bram's weapon preferences out of sight. I feared there would be trouble with the local Purists once word spread. Forgive me, I was not quick enough to avoid an altercation…"

"Coulda gone worse," Logan muttered.

"Not much worse," Vi sighed.

"Well, I ain't having to add another notch to my fistfight tally here in Gahiji, hey?" Logan shook his head, kneeling down and patting Bram on the shoulder. "Come on, Pinky, let's get you stuff inside the wagon. Don't wanna wait and see if they's any _other_ locals ready to start trouble, hey?"

The younger hunter nodded uncertainly, looking up towards the gate with a moment of fear, as though he expected more men and women to appear in search of his blood. But he nodded, standing up to help unhook his switch axe from its mount on the side of the wagon. "I don't… I don't understand. I studied the charge blade's design. I discussed the safety mechanisms with the Troverian I bought mine from in-depth. They shouldn't just… blow up!"

"Well, obviously one of them did," Logan replied, hoisting the weapon up. He glanced at Vi as they made their way to the door of the wagon. "So… how bad you think this gonna be?"

"I don't know," the huntress replied, shaking her head. "Worse than this, probably."

"Great, one thing after another ain't it…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a not-so-itsy-bitsy spider!**

 **I feel like I could have a Homestar Runner reference in every single chapter from here to eternity and I'd never feel bad about it. I'd never run out of them either.**

 **It took a little while for me to properly visualize this chapter and get the sizes for everything good and accurate. For reference, the Iron Heart is a pit that's roughly ¼ mile wide (i.e. 1320 feet, 440 yards). That means the outer wall that Thatch wanted to copy is roughly 4146 feet long, ¾ of a mile. I had to figure out how far they'd really be from the center of the ruins, as well as the time it would take to travel the distance around the circle while giving Thatch time to copy the images. It helps that the Nerscylla nest was pegged at being roughly 660 feet away, giving them some room to believe they wouldn't be seen immediately.**

 **As always, I really enjoy giving my monsters unique traits or battle tactics that differentiate them from the standard monsters you see in the story, or using the terrain they're familiar with to their advantage. The idea spawned from the sight of a Nerscylla using a web line to 'pull' itself across the arena like a slingshot, and I thought 'what if it did that to other objects'? So I gave it the ability to use its webs to slingshot debris from the ruins around it from a safe distance rather than attacking directly, until it used its ability more like a catapult than anything else. It's a monster that's relatively passive and not much of a threat to humans, but in its nest where it has a lot of 'ammunition', it's quite deadly.**

 **Also, I've given this Nerscylla a name. It's called Springald. I doubt he'll have the same impact in the story as Goliath ever did, but if I find a place for it, I've at least prepared for it.**

 **Finally, if you have a Switch and want to hit me up with a friend code, here's my ID: SW-6819-6591-5298. I'm playing Splatoon 2 these days, so we can actually play together if you're into that kind of game!**

 **Playing: LOZ: Breath of the Wild, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Splatoon 2 Testfire, Nier Automata, Shovel Knight, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, Mario Kart 8, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Splatoon 2  
Reading:** _ **Mahoutsukai no Yome**_ **by Yamazaki Kore,** _ **Ane Naru Mono**_ **by Iida Pochi  
Listening: LOZ: Breath of the Wild OST, The Adventure Zone podcast, Jonsi, CatHatFiddle, The Strokes, My Chemical Romance**


	30. Specialists

Specialists

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

The setting sun colored the ocean a brilliant orange hue as it slowly sank over the horizon to the west of Orage Dell. Kim sat lazily on a bench near the docks, watching the ships coming in as night fell. Several fishing vessels were docking, and she could easily tell how good of a haul the men aboard had managed to gather that day based on their gaits and the looks on their faces as they tromped down the gangplank. One ship floated heavy in the water, and Kim could already see the mounds of seafood their haul brought in; fish of all shapes and sizes, crabs, starfish, narwhals… quite a haul indeed.

Kim wasn't waiting on the seafaring vessels though, not today. Her eyes drifted over towards the north side of the harbor, where docks of a different sort were set up, towering structures to receive and dock airships. Several ships bobbed slightly above the ground around those terminals, and though most were allowing their blimps to deflate for the night, a few were still preparing to take off on one of the 'red-eye' flights which Rising Dawn offered.

Kim scanned the skies to the south, however; there was supposed to be a ship arriving this evening, but there was always some fluctuation when it came to landing times. It depended on the weather, the state of the engines, and whether a Rath got a little aggressive with them, which would throw off any preconceived timetables.

Still, even now she could just make out a small speck approaching the city from the southeast, slowly drifting lower towards the earth as it neared. A small part of her still half-expected to be able to hear the engines, even from this distance; she still remembered the noisy guzzlers which flew through the skies a quarter-century ago. There was no noise from this one, however, not until it became more distinct. As the ship became more defined, she could see it was one of the 'clipper' types, thin and sleek and built for speed and distance. Considering the distance it had traveled, such a ship was required; this one had come from the complete opposite side of the country in a single voyage.

Kim pushed to her feet as the vessel's engines ground down in power, and the ship slowed, spiraling down towards the docks. It took several minutes for the ship to land, allowing Kim to walk her way over at her own pace, finding herself right nearby as the mooring ropes were thrown down and tied to the dock. A few others stood nearby as well, friends and family of those aboard. Finally a whistle sounded from the deck, and a pair of dock workers shoved a long, rolling gangplank across the gravel towards the ship's hull, sliding it into place with practiced precision right where it needed to be. A second passed, and passengers filed off the ship, some of them comfortable with the walk down to earth, some of them a little wobbly, unaccustomed to air travel and glad to be back on terra firma. Those who looked used to it appeared unsteady as well though, which might be expected; this was pretty much a non-stop flight from the other side of the country, a two-day journey at best, so even frequent flyers might take some time to find their land legs again. Several civilians marched off the airship before the person she was waiting for appeared over the railing.

He was a man of average height, actually a couple inches shorter than Kim, putting him an inch or two below six feet tall. A glance was all it took to gauge him as a hunter made for mobility, while also being exceptionally durable at the same time, with strong, toned arms and legs. Fitting, considering his dossier stated that he specialized with the sword and shield; if nothing else, it explained why his right arm had a good dozen nicks and burn wounds crisscrossing his flesh, and his left arm was relatively untouched. His face was oddly youthful for someone his age, and Kim might have pegged him as a man ten years younger than he was, even with the touch of pepper color sliding through his blonde hair at his temples. The hair on top of his head was well-kept and trimmed relatively short, but a long ponytail hung down to between his shoulder blades. His blue eyes looked nervous and uncomfortable as he stared around the harbor, but as he looked around, the light of comfortable nostalgia lit up in his eyes while he walked down the plank.

The hunter had his item chest clattering along behind him, the massive box taking up most of the gangplank as it rattled down, likely the reason why he'd waited to be one of the last off the ship. As he reached the ground and the clattering box dropped from wood onto stone, he finally met eyes with Kim, recognizing that she was here to meet him, and the two strode purposefully towards each other.

"Desig Remier?" she asked.

"Ah… yeah, that's me," the man replied, scratching his cheek and grinning nervously. "Kimberly Trine, I assume?"

"That's right. I appreciate you getting here as soon as you could. I realize it must've been a long flight from Yukumo."

"It's no problem," Desig told her. "Sure as hell beats walking or taking a boat. Never imagined someone would call me out for a special mission on the other side of the country, though. Figured you'd have called for someone… closer, I guess."

"Well, we required a certain level of expertise, and your reputation certainly fit the bill," Kim replied, motioning to the city gate. Desig nodded, adjusting his grip on his item box before tailing after her. "I hope I didn't pull you away from personal matters though. The request _was_ sent rather suddenly."

"Oh, that's no problem. Life's been a little slow in Yukumo these days, at least for me. The only trouble you raised was that my wife was _pissed_ when she found out I was selected for this mission and she wasn't," Desig chuckled. "Me and her have always been a bit competitive about our reputations, and getting requested for a 'secret mission' or whatever all this is when she wasn't had her pouting for days."

"You're competitive? I thought most of your hunts were done together."

"They are. Me and Erin have done about… ninety-five percent of our hunts as a team since we met at the hunter's exam."

"So… how would your reputations be any different at all?"

"Honestly, the difference is minimal, but back when we were still rookies, the first time she broke her leg and had to take time off to recover, I went on a Royal Ludroth hunt with a few other friends. When I got back, I joked about having one more hunt on record than she did, and… well, like I said, she's really competitive. Few weeks later I was out of commission due to a few broken ribs, and she went off and killed a Royal _and_ a Great Jaggi before I was back on my feet, then came back and said she was in the lead." The hunter chuckled to himself. "After that it became sort of a game to see who could accomplish the most when the other couldn't hunt or didn't get invited. The monsters we've hunted while the other's out of commission has flip-flopped, but at the moment, she's in the lead after hunting a Green Nargacuga when I caught a cold. But if this mission is as vital as the missive made it out to be, it'll put me in the lead by a good margin."

"I see… Well, if it makes her feel better, she _was_ on my list of potential choices," Kim replied. "I think we would've taken both of you if we could've, but… I was told she wasn't available due to-"

"Pregnancy? Ha, yeah, that's true." Desig smirked. "At least a year of time for me to stack as many points in my favor as possible, that's what she sees it as."

"...What about your child?"

"Oh, make no mistake, we both wanted children, but she's just frustrated that twenty-five years of competition is being shifted drastically in my favor. I'll make it up to her though. I plan on keeping the hunting to a minimum during her pregnancy, and I'll probably be taking care of our kid about two-thirds the time until our ranks even out again."

"How generous."

"I think so. But don't tell her about it. She'll get miffed if she thinks I'm going easy on her." The hunter looked up, admiring the towering gateway leading from the docks into the city proper. "That wasn't here the last time I was in town… Hmm. Oh, yeah, have the other members of the team arrived? Am I the last?"

"The other two are here already. They're waiting for us at an inn so we can go over the mission plan."

"Alright then. Ah… hmm, if you don't mind me asking, which inn?"

"Uh, it's not far from here. Just a small place about a quarter mile inside the wall. Why?"

"Oh, it's not the distance I'm worried about. It's just… some of my buddies back in Yukumo are a part of this… uh, sort of… underground fist-fighting club, and they said the club's reigning champ or something lived here in Orage, and-"

"Lynn," Kim sighed. "You mean Lynn. That'd be her place, and no, that's not where we going. Her place is just a bar anyway. No rooms or anything."

"Oh, so you're familiar with it? Are you a member too?"

"Not myself. I try maintain some distance from that. I know the club is supposed to be legal, but it hovers a little too close to the edge for me to be comfortable with it. Plausible deniability and all that."

"Ah. Yeah, okay, that makes sense."

"Besides, I'm fairly certain she just hosts the club these days, not participate. Someone beat her in the ring and she retired. You can ask her about it yourself if you're curious."

"I'm not _that_ eager…"

"I meant you could ask her successor about it."

"She had a successor?"

"Someone had to claim the title of 'champ' once she lost. Retired. Whatever. She's going to be one of the hunters that'll be joining us on this mission."

"Really? I might do just that…"

Kim lead Desig through the streets of the city for a few more minutes before they finally arrived at their destination, a small, out-of-the-way inn tucked behind a few smithies and sundry shops on the northern thoroughfare of the city. The smells of food mixed with the scents of the forge, creating an odd sort of dichotomy in the narrow road leading up to the doors of the building. Stepping inside, the interior was actually quite nice, considering the location. The floors were clean, the silverware old but well-kept, the tables worn down but well-cared for, and the patrons were all well-behaved and politely enjoying their meals. Definitely a far cry from the typical atmosphere you'd find at hunter bars.

As they approached the bar, the old barkeep looked up from behind the counter, recognizing Kim and shuffling around to meet her. "Ah, welcome back miss. Your friends are waiting in the back room for you."

"Great. Thanks, Calem."

"Will you be wanting me to bring dinner for you all, or-"

"No… not yet at least. All we need is privacy."

"I understand. I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

"Thanks again."

The man allowed Desig to store his hunting chest in a room behind the bar before leading the two hunters down a small side hallway towards the back of the inn. Upon reaching the last door of the hall, Calem opened it and held it open, allowing Kim and Desig to pass inside before closing and latching the door behind them. It was a snug but comfortable room, consisting of a medium-sized table in the center of the room and a fireplace in the corner, which was lit and crackling warmly. There were two other hunters sitting in the back room already, a huntress and a hunter. The huntress was waving her arms excitedly as she regaled some wild story to the hunter, who sat watching her intently as she continued her tale.

The huntress was Rena Blackwater, a tall woman, the tallest Kim had ever seen aside from Lynn, with dark brown skin and shining grey eyes. She possessed a powerful and muscular physique, as would be expected from a great sword user, though not seen often among huntresses. Her round face held a cat-like smile which seemed perpetually present on her person. Her skin was smattered with old scars, including a notable one over her right eye, dozens crisscrossing over her arms, and a few electrical burns creeping across her hands and up from under her shirt.

And then there were the… accessories. Rena was what some of the older folks in Orage referred to as a Lost Nut, someone who had taken an over-enthusiastic enjoyment to Lost culture. Sure, most people were interested in various aspects of culture which the Lost had brought with them when they'd awakened in the world, like technology, music, artwork, fashion, and so on. Kim herself was actually fond of a band that a few tenants in her apartment block had started up, which had been getting pretty popular the last five years. Lost Nuts were on a different level, however, reveling in almost every aspect in Lost culture… to the point where even Lost might think it was overdone.

And Rena was definitely one of those people. First was her haircut: her head had been buzz cut around her whole skull up to about an inch over her ears, leaving a stretch of combed-back hair on top of her head which was pulled into a short ponytail at the back of her skull, and to top it all off it had been dyed to a bright _magenta_ color. Then there were the piercings: the woman had her ears pierced at least six times each, had two piercings in her lower lip, and had others in her nose, her right eyebrow, and a glitter in her mouth when she talked indicated her tongue was pierced too (and if what Kim had heard from her Lost friends were true, it was possible the huntress had piercings in other places which wouldn't normally see the light of day). Finally were her tattoos, and they were _everywhere_ except her face from what Kim could see: an Ivory Lagiacrus design spiraled around her right arm, a pale-blue Nargacuga had been inked into the left, and pink and azure coloration on her shoulders hinted at tattoos of the Rathian and Rathalos subspecies across her back, and who knew what else hidden under her clothes. Some of the ink had dimmed over time, while others had been 'damaged' by scars the huntress had received after having the tattoos inked.

The only relatively normal accessory the huntress wore was the wedding band on her left ring finger, but even that gave credence to a rather impressive quality: Rena was married and had three children. While that wasn't too spectacular on its own, for a huntress of Rena's age and standing it was quite something. Pregnancies tended to knock huntresses out of commission for up to a year and a half for maternity leave, and while most huntresses could get away with one pregnancy without giving up their line of work, the more children they had, the harder it was to stay a hunter. Rena had given birth three times, and was still going strong, which proved her dedication and perseverance as a huntress.

The hunter sitting at the table was named Theo Drake. He was a tall man, not nearly as large as the huntress, but he was still well over six feet tall. However, he appeared much more powerful, with thick, muscular arms and legs, and a broad chest, though he had made an effort to maintain a body mass allowing him to move and dodge effectively without giving up too much power. Even so, just looking at him, a person could simply _sense_ his obscene physical prowess, and it would be easy to assume he was the strongest person in the room. From what Kim had seen in his Guild records, it wouldn't be a far cry to label him as the strongest man in the city… and perhaps even the entire country.

His face was square and rugged, the work of his trade having made his skin thicker. Several scars crisscrossed his nose, mouth, and cheeks, a prominent burn wound trailing down from his left eye to his chin, and both his hands and forearms had prominent lightning burns spider-webbing across them. His brown hair was cut short and prim, his chin growing a couple days' worth of stubble, and his expression appeared hard and stoic. However, despite his stern face, his eyes were intently focused on the huntress, shining in interest as she told her story.

"-so as the Azure comes in to try and get me with its claws, me and Abby run past each other. The Pink that's chasing her sees the two of us and thinks that's its best opportunity and pulls into a backflip, _right_ as the Azure shoots in front of it. But me and Abby are out of the way already, and _smack_ , it nails its mate right in the jaw with all those barbs on its tail! The Azure drops out of the sky like a rock, and once the Pink's finished its flip she realizes it's messed up, but before it can do anything, Razz and Cait hit it with arrows and darts right in the face, and the girl drops right on top of the Azure! So now the two of them are all tangled up in each other, so that's our chance to-"

Kim pointedly cleared her throat, and Rena sputtered to a halt, her eyes refocusing as she pulled herself out of storytelling mode and back to the present. "Oh, hey Miss Trine. Didn't see you come in."

The hunter at the table frowned, apparently disappointed at the abrupt stop to the story, but straightened up to face the two who had entered, taking a moment to study Desig. "Is this the last of us?"

"It is. Allow me to introduce you all," Kim said as the two of them took a seat at the table. "This is Desig Remier, a Guild enforcer for the Yukumo region. He and his wife are two of the more decorated G-ranked hunters in the city, and they both work to stop poaching and bandit activities in the area. I suppose they might be more well-known for saving the city from the Earthbreaker eleven years ago."

"Woah, what?!" Rena gasped. "You guys fought Earthbreaker Mount Boros and _lived_?"

"Clearly," the man next to her smirked.

"Apparently it didn't make me as well-known as you think," Desig said, and Kim shrugged. "To be fair, saying we 'fought' it is kind of generous, like saying a bunch of Jaggis could fight a Deviljho. We didn't kill it or anything, just pestered it for a while until it got tired of us and wandered off."

"And managed to not get caught underfoot in the process," Kim replied. "That's something worth noting. And you did stop it from laying waste to Yukumo in the process."

"Yeah, jeez, no kidding," Rena sighed. "I saw the Earthbreaker from overhead on an airship once, and… holy crap, no wonder they call it 'Mount' Boros. The thing's so big it could probably flatten half of Orage in a single sweep if it got riled up."

"Which is why he and his wife received such acclaim simply for repelling it. Honestly, we would've asked for her on this mission as well, but she couldn't make it for personal reasons." Kim motioned to the other huntress next. "That's Rena Blackwater. She's one of the Guild's specialists when it comes to subspecies hunts, and a top-tier G-ranked hunter working for those madboys in the Compound."

"Blackwater… I think I've heard of you," Desig stated, getting a curious look from Rena. "If I'm not mistaken, weren't you one of the hunters who took down that… _invisible_ Nargacuga terrorizing the roads a few years ago?"

"Oh, the Lucent? Yeah, that was me and the team I was on. Nasty thing was a master of stealth, and could vanish into the shadows like smoke. And that was just in the shadows of the forest. We thought we had caught a break when we managed to chase it out into an open field, but under the full moon, we learned it could turn invisible too! Something to do with the way its fur works, that's what the researchers that dissected it said. We were really caught off guard, and had to-"

"Save the stories for later, please, Miss Blackwater," Kim cut in, getting a sheepish look from the other huntress.

"Oh… right. Sorry."

"It's fine. Now, lastly," Kim said, motioning to the black-haired hunter, "we have-"

"Hey, hold on, what about Cait?" Rena chirped, motioning over her shoulder.

Kim blinked and looked around the huntress to spot a large furry lump pressed up near the fireplace. It took her a moment to realize it was a curled up calico Felyne contentedly enjoying the warmth of the fire. The creature had been snoring slightly as he slept soundly in his position, but the sound of his name roused him from sleep, and the creature peeled an eye open to glance up at the hunters with a look of mild disdain.

While Rena had been the only one who had been called on this mission, she'd insisted on bringing Cait along with her as part of the group, and though it was Guild custom not to allow any more than four hunters in a group, Kim had weaseled her way through the red tape; though the 'official' papers would say something different, the team wasn't hunting a monster, and thus the four-man party system didn't technically apply.

"C'mere buddy, we're introducing ourselves," Rena grinned. Cait frowned but pushed himself up and stretched before waddling over to the table and leaping up to flop himself over Rena's shoulder. The huntress had tilted her head slightly, clearly used to this as the Felyne settled into a comfortable position.

"Name's Cait," the Felyne said simply. "Been Rena's partner for 'bout twenty years, nya…"

The Felyne tilted his head, deciding whether or not to elaborate further, before deciding it apparently wasn't worth the effort and closing his eyes. In moments he was dozing again. Rena rolled her eyes but scratched his head affectionately. "Eh, despite this little show, he's really reliable in the field. He's just a bit lazy when he's not working. I'll fill him in later."

"...Very well. Now then, our last hunter here is Theo Drake. Maybe you haven't heard of him all the way out in Yukumo, Desig, but he's a local hero in Orage and Tanzia, and one of the youngest hunters to be awarded a G-rank license."

Theo simply nodded at his introduction, but Rena's eyes widened slightly. "Theo Drake…? Hey, weren't you the guy who took down that nasty Ivory raising hell along the coast a few years back? The 'Cruel' whatever it was called?"

"The Cruel King of the Sea. And I was a part of the team that managed to slay it, yes," the hunter replied with a shrug.

"It's the hunt which elevated him to G-rank so early in his career," Kim noted.

"A team?" Rena asked. "All the stories say you took it down single-handedly!"

"Those stories are just exaggerations," Theo replied sternly, but Kim smirked slightly.

"I've read the Guild reports myself, you know. If the stories are exaggerations, they're not exaggerating by much. Your teammates' tales were all rather glowing of you; your report was the only odd one out."

Theo frowned slightly and crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Believe what you want."

Across the table, Desig was leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms, his face scrunched up in thought. "Drake… Where have I heard… Oh, right! Uh, sorry if this is coming out of nowhere, but are you by chance related to a man named Marshall?"

Theo nodded sharply. "My grandfather."

"Really? Jeez, that explains it. He's the guy who killed the World Eater twenty-five years back, wasn't he?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I thought so. I passed through Boma Village a few months after the battle and got a look at what was left of it. Missed my chance to listen to the story from the man himself, but you don't forget a corpse like that, or the reputation of the man who managed to kill it. Suppose you wouldn't have been much more than a child back them. Still, it was a hell of an accomplishment, bringing down that monstrosity."

"Coming from the man who fought the Earthbreaker?" Theo asked. "I'm fairly certain the Duramboros was larger."

"Well, sure. I mean, my wife and I went up against Mount Boros, but we sure as hell didn't _kill_ it. Honestly we barely did more than keep its attention until it got bored, and the thing wasn't even hostile, just passing through the area. And despite the danger it posed, Mount Boros was still just a normally docile Duramboros, not a freaking _Savage Deviljho_. I _distracted_ Mount Boros; your gramps _killed_ the World Eater. Big difference. But hell, if you're half the hunter that guy was, this team's in good hands."

"Thank you," Theo replied, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, now that we're acquainted, let's go over our mission," Kim told them. "Now… how much has the Guild told you all about this mission?"

"Not much," Rena replied. "Poachers or smugglers or something."

"The Guild didn't provide any concrete data," Theo agreed. "Just a basic synopsis and orders to maintain secrecy, under the guise of a 'hunt'."

"Good. If this plan is to work, we need to maintain a solid cover for as long as we can. Here's the short of it: an unknown person or persons has been selling barrel bombs under the counter out of a village to the south of here, Cobi. We believe these bombs are finding their way into the hands of an organization of poachers. Our mission is to find these bomb smugglers and any of their accomplices, and wring them for information on this poaching organization to bring them all down."

"Sounds simple enough," Desig said. "But how large of a poaching organization are we talking about?"

"It's unknown. What we do know is that they're well-organized and seem to have decent funding. That's why we're trying to be subtle about this. Until we have a greater grasp on the strength of this group, we'll need to proceed with caution to keep them from going to ground."

"By taking down the bomb producers?" Theo noted. "Wouldn't that warn them before anything else?"

"We won't take down the bomb producers immediately, or bust in and arrest everyone on sight. We'll need to spend some time at first just finding out who the explosive runners are, where their facility is, etcetera. It's also a possibility that some of the villagers are making these bombs under duress, so we can't rush into this carelessly and risk the lives of potential hostages. We need to know, first of all, whether any innocent lives are at stake before making our move on the culprits themselves.

"Even if there aren't hostages involved, and someone is producing these bombs in secret for no other reason than personal gain, we still can't rush in. The first bit of this mission will require more covert work than anything else, searching through papers and finding letters and payments, gathering intel on who their contacts, finding out who's visiting them and where they're going, are as well as anyone else involved. We'll send what we find back to the Guild until we've gathered as much data as we can about their network. The Guild will send out other teams from there to investigate the contacts we send them. Once we have everything we can possibly get, _then_ we break in and take everyone down."

"This sounds like it'll take a long time…" Rena muttered.

"Several weeks at least," Kim shrugged. "This will take a while, as long as we don't get found out, or unless the bomb producers are stupid enough to leave a notepad with all their clients in it, but we can't rely on luck."

"I doubt a group of four well-known and respected hunters can walk around in a small village without arousing suspicion, though," Theo spoke up. "We'll need some sort of pretext for being there in the first place, or any criminals will be on guard the second we step into town."

"We already have one. Our cover is relatively simple: there's a group of researchers on an island about a mile off the coast studying some old, mostly underwater Meridian ruins. They spend several days on the island, then return to Cobi to restock and send reports on their findings back to the Compound. They've been doing that for several months now, and the villagers are already used to them. We've been in contact with them, and sometime within the next couple days they will return to Cobi and 'report' that an unknown monster has been sighted in the depths of the ruins, and we'll be 'called in' to handle it. We'll split into two groups, one to 'protect' the researchers and one to 'protect' the village in case the alleged monster attacks, giving us reason to have two hunters constantly in the village."

"What monster?" Rena asked eagerly.

"You've heard rumors about the new oceanic subspecies, haven't you? The deep-sea species?"

"Yeah… like that Lagiacrus that's supposed to create whirlpools?"

"There are also rumors of a Ceadeus colored gold instead of white," Theo added.

"Exactly," Kim nodded. "While their existence is not proven, the Guild has been classifying their reports and sightings with the titles of 'Abyssal Lagiacrus' and 'Goldbeard Ceadeus', respectively. But these are just rumors. We have no real evidence to prove their existence aside from happenstance."

"But the rumors are growing more common," Desig interjected. " _I've_ heard these rumors and I live in Yukumo, on the complete other side of the country."

"Which is why we're using one of these monsters as an excuse to investigate the area. There won't really be a monster there, but we'll use the chance to appear at Cobi with minimal suspicion. After all, such an unknown and deadly monster would require hunters of a certain level of skill and renown to face it, right?"

"Alright… but still, what monster are they _saying_ we'll be going after?" Rena asked.

"They'll be going with the Lagiacrus, if only to avoid an elder dragon scare. We're trying to throw off the suspicions of the bomb runners in Cobi, but we're not trying to terrify all the villagers. Anyway, this excuse is part of the reason I'm using you three in particular for this mission."

"What do you mean?" Desig asked, and Kim motioned to him.

"We have you, a G-ranked hunter for Yukumo, who managed to protect a city from one of the largest, most dangerous monsters in the country. We have Rena, western Theron's subspecies specialist and a respected huntress in her own right. We have Theo, a local hero who's taken down one of the nastiest Lagiacrus that have shown up in recent years. If a rare Lagi subspecies were to _really_ show up and cause trouble, I can't think of a better team to send out than you three. If the Guild says we're sending you three out to hunt an 'Abyssal', the public will believe it. Even any poachers or criminals will be hard-pressed to suspect anything out of the ordinary.

"And at the same time, you'll also be useful for our real mission, which we'll be investigating under the pretense of the hunt. Desig, you're a Guild enforcer, and you've managed to take down dozens of poaching groups in the Misty Peaks, both small and big-time. Theo has some experience with poachers in this area, though no organized groups, but he also has a lot of experience dealing with pirates and bandits. Rena has the least experience with poachers, but has a rather long list of accolades for protecting caravans from bandits and raiders, with only minimal loss of life on either side and a _lot_ of captured criminals. And records state she has a… _surprising_ amount of skill at stealth-"

"Oh, that's Cait," Rena grinned, reaching up and scratching the Felyne behind the ears and pulling a purr from the creature. "He's good at the sneaky stuff."

"Hmm… I see. Needless to say, this is just about the perfect team for this mission."

"What about you, Miss Trine?" Theo asked. "You talk about our reputations aiding us, but yours is… well, I don't leave Boma too often, but I've heard enough about you to know that what you're most well-known for isn't hunting, but catching and incarcerating criminals… rather harshly at that. If your name is anywhere _near_ this mission, any group we're after will go into hiding the second word gets to them."

"I am well aware," Kim sighed. "I'll be using a false identity to pass myself off. I've gotten permission from a huntress named Ruby to use her name. She's been getting some renown down near the southern fortress these days, so it might add to the effect. Just in case, I'll be keeping my face covered for the most part, just to avoid detection, and staying on the island. That means I'll need to rely on the three- _four_ of you to do most of the fieldwork so we don't give ourselves away."

"Leave it to us," Rena nodded.

"Anything else we need to know?" Desig asked.

"Hmm… You'll want to keep an eye on what the villagers are doing with the fish they catch. I hear some of the local fish is one of the secret ingredients in their bombs, so maybe keep an ear out for complaints about fish disappearing from the hauls."

"I suppose I can probably strike up a conversation. I spent a few years as a sailor back in the day, so I know my way around fishing vessels. Can probably still speak the lingo if I put my mind to it."

"Whatever you think will work. Any other questions?"

The hunters were silent for a moment before Rena leaned forward. "What kind of stuff are the researchers at the Meridian ruin studying? What kind of… _things_ are they looking for, or hoping to find?"

"Ah, well… actually, I'm not too sure," Kim admitted. "Why?"

The huntress scoffed and leaned back, a terse look on her face. "I work at the _Compound_. I know personally that you can find some crazy stuff in those old ruins. If we're going to be hanging out near some, I'd like to know if we're going to be camping out near rooms full of weird machines, ancient experiments or anything like that."

"Not that I'm aware of…" the lancer muttered, pulling open her dossier and skimming through it. "The ruins are mostly underwater, lots of caves and open spaces. The researchers suspect it might have been a submerged dock or storage facility. I've heard the Lost have been trying to build ships which can travel deep underwater, perhaps they're hoping to find a Meridian 'submersible'."

Rena's head bobbed back and forth a few times before nodding in acceptance. "Alright, that actually sounds kind of cool. I might have to ask them about it."

"If you like. You'll certainly have time to strike up a conversation with them while you're on the island. Any other questions?"

"I've got one," Theo said, leaning forward.

"Go ahead."

"What happens if we really _do_ find something in those ruins? An Abyssal Lagi or Goldbeard Ceadeus?"

Kim was silent for a moment before responding. "Then we deal with it. We are hunters, after all."

Theo nodded, leaning back again. "Fair enough."

"Anything else?" Kim asked, but silence was the only response. "Well, I think that covers just about everything," she sighed, pushing to her feet and stretching. "If there's any other information we need to go over, we'll have time to discuss it on the voyage south. Cobi isn't within any airship lanes, so we'll need to take a Guild vessel by sea, and we'll be leaving around sunrise tomorrow morning. Now then, is anyone up for dinner? The Guild has allowed us a stipend of funds to see to this mission, including meals."

"Nah, don't worry about me," Rena replied, pushing to her feet as well. "Cait and I are actually Orage natives, so we're planning on bunking at my parents' place. My husband and girls actually tagged along to visit Mom and Pop too, so I'm going to spend tonight with them before we leave tomorrow."

"They're not staying in town for the whole mission, are they?"

"Nah, Heine and the girls are heading back home in a couple days; I just figured this'd be a good excuse to visit the grandparents. Anyway, I'm off. I'll meet you at the docks tomorrow!"

"Don't be late," Kim said. Rena nodded, making sure Cait (who was still sleeping) was secure on her shoulder before pushing out the door. "What about you two?"

"I'll pass as well," Theo replied. "I have some friends and colleagues I'd like to visit while I'm in town, if you don't mind. And I'd like to try and speak to the Guildmaster. I don't leave Boma too frequently, so I'd like to take this chance while it's available."

"As you like."

"See you in the morning then," the hunter nodded politely, seeing himself out the door as well. Finally she looked over at Desig. "Anybody you want to see while you're in town too?"

"Well… yeah, truth be told," the hunter replied sheepishly. "I said I was a sailor back in the day, and I want to look around and see if any of my old crewmates are ashore. They're a rough bunch of bastards, but they were my closest friends for two years, so I wanna find them and catch up if I can. I think I saw the old ship still tugging along in the harbor, so…"

"That's fine. Just ask Calem for a room key and you should be settled for the night. Just try not to get too rowdy with your friends, and be at the dock first thing in the morning, alright? I've lived in Orage all my life, so I know how sailors can get."

"Jeez, you sound like my wife…" Desig chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll be there on time. I know how sailors can get too. I've been on the receiving end of their pranks enough times to watch how much I drink when I'm with them. I'll see you in the morning, Miss Trine."

"Please, just Kim is fine… Actually, it might be better if you started referring to me as Ruby to acclimate yourself to that. We don't need any slip-ups once we arrive in Cobi."

"Heh, alright then, 'Ruby'. See you in the morning."

"See you then."

* * *

Kim sighed as she opened the door to her apartment and stepped inside, latching the door behind her. She glanced to the side into the corner of her living room; she'd dragged her Agnaktor armor and her Barioth lance out of her storage locker, as well as a chest of materials she'd stockpiled in preparation for their mission. She knew jobs like this could go south, and she'd learned how to prepare for such contingencies.

As she turned to walk towards her kitchen, however, she paused in surprise when she spotted Troika sitting in her easy chair, curled up and dozing. A small novel had fallen out of her grasp to the floor, and had been there a while judging by how smooth the new creases in the pages were. Kim tried her best to be quiet as she plucked the book from the floor to smooth out the pages and return it to the coffee table, but a deep sigh from Troika signaled that she'd been unsuccessful as the Guild worker stirred from her slumber, peeking an eye open and stretching.

"Hmm… You're back."

"I am."

"Earlier than I thought. Did you eat with the others?"

"No… they all went out to visit friends or family they have in town. I stopped by a food stall on the way back though."

"Which one?"

"That, uh, that- what's it called? That taco place? Tay-co? I just grabbed something to go and ate on the way home."

"Sounds nice," Troika replied, pushing to her feet and walking towards the bedroom. "I just ate some leftover casserole."

"I would've brought you some if I'd known you'd be here," Kim said, following her.

"It's fine. Do you think there'll be any problems with your team?"

"No, I don't think so," Kim sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed as Troika approached their dressing table, pulling the clips and bands out of her hair and letting it hang loose. Nat stared past her, looking at her own reflection, frowning at the unruly mop of bright red hair. She pushed it back in frustration, glowering at the mirror and meeting her reflection's matching green eyes. Troika turned, smirking at her. "Is that an attempt at trying to make yourself up? That might be a first."

"Oh, shush," Kim sighed, dropping her hand and letting her hair fall loose. She could see the tip of it shadowing her upper vision though. "Just thinking I'm getting a little shaggy."

"Shaggy, she says, when it can barely be a few inches long. Want me to cut it for you?"

"Hmm… Yeah, sure. Might as well trim up before I set out tomorrow."

Troika nodded, pulling out a towel and motioning for Kim to sit on a chair in the corner, before scooting behind her with a pair of small scissors and snipping away. "So, your teammates?"

"Hmm…" Kim sighed. She always found it relaxing to have Troika cutting her hair. The sounds of blades sliding against each other was generally not a sound she found comfort in, but here with Troika, for some reason it was different. "They're a decent bunch from what I've seen. Our only issue will be to make sure we don't tip off the bomb runners in Cobi."

"Well, that's good to hear. Our department's finished tying up all the loose ends so we can keep in contact with your team while you're down in Cobi. We have several trained falcons going down with you, the fastest we have available. We'll have a relay station and backup team ready at the Moga observation outpost. They're not _that_ close, but they'll be your reinforcements if things go sour."

"I heard something about airship support?"

"Right. Chaldan arranged it so there's a skipper stationed at Moga as well. The Guild's experimenting with using smaller airships for quick-response emergency aid, called 'jumpers'. If the situation in Cobi goes bottoms-up with a hostage situation, the airship in Moga should be able to cover the distance between the island and Cobi within an hour… though that doesn't take the time for the falcon to deliver the message into account. At best, you could have a team dropping in to help about… eight to twelve hours after sending a message?"

"That's… that's really good actually."

"Mmhmm. Chaldan wants to buy them en masse, but Nedra doesn't want Silas to think we're too eager and bump up the price. Neither does Elhart, from what I've heard. They're playing hard to get, looking the ships over with a fine-tooth comb and delaying signing any agreements in hopes that Rising Dawn will give us a better arrangement."

"Are they that good?"

"They're that _fast_. I haven't seen the numbers myself, but anything that can fly from Moga to Cobi in an hour would be a huge boon. Problem is that speed makes them a little rickety. Apparently their name is short for 'helljumpers', since they're made for speed their hulls aren't as sturdy as some of the others, and they run the engines really hot. The reports I've seen say they actually break the engines sometimes, and aren't in good enough condition to make a round-trip."

"...They don't crash, do they?"

"The company says they don't, but the landings aren't always clean. How's that look?"

Kim blinked, not even realizing that Troika had finished her work. She stood, looking into the mirror and fluffing her hair, now cut to a scant couple inches long. "Yeah, that'll work."

Troika scoffed as she began cleaning up the trimmings from the floor. "'That'll work', she says. Not 'it looks wonderful' or 'I'm like a new woman', or anything complimentary."

"Do you really think the same haircut you've given me for over a decade is gonna make someone like me a new woman?"

"Alright, maybe that's a stretch, but still…"

"I think it looks nice. Thank you."

"Hmm… well, that'll work."

"Peh, now look who's talking," Kim grinned, sitting back down on the bed as Troika vanished into the closet to change out of her uniform. "What were you saying about the ship's landings?"

"Oh, yes… Some of the reports we've seen say the hulls of returning ships look pretty battered."

"Yeesh. Helljumpers indeed."

"Indeed. But at least it won't be you and your team using them," Troika replied, emerging from the closet in a nightgown. She grinned, sauntering over to the bed and plopping down next to Kim. "You will write, won't you? And I mean _real_ letters, not mission updates."

"I'll do what I can. I suppose it'll endear us to the locals if they see us sending letters to our families, and-" Troika's eyes narrowed dangerously. "...By which I mean I would like nothing more than to keep in contact with you, love. I'll miss you dearly… right?"

"Close enough," Troika sighed, rolling her eyes. The woman huffed, leaning over and resting her head against Kim's shoulder. "It just figures, doesn't it? The first time in nearly a decade that you and I are working together again and Nedra's shunting you a hundred miles down the coast."

"Well, I suppose that's the difference between field work and clerical work," Kim replied. "Hunters and rangers aren't as useful behind a desk as they are out in the wilds, fully armored and equipped for battle. But... I don't know, maybe it's better that way."

"Better? What do you mean?"

Kim groaned, falling onto her back and laying across the mattress. "Love, I know what kind of woman I am. I know I'm cold, callous, short-tempered. And I know what the very _idea_ of poachers and their ilk do to me. I know I'm… not a pleasant person when it comes to them. I didn't want to subject you to that. I didn't… I didn't want you to see me at my worst."

"But that's a part of what a relationship is, Kim," Troika replied, leaning down and lying next to her, curling her body against Kim's side. "I know you're not… _pleasant_ when it comes to poachers. I know what's happened to you in the past still bothers you. But even so, I want to know about it. Even if it drives you to your worst, I want to be there with you when you reach those points, so I can help you through it." Kim didn't reply, sitting in silence with her gaze locked onto the ceiling, and Troika sighed. "You're a hard woman to love sometimes, Kim."

"I know. I warned you before we started dating, love."

"You did, you did… but even so I can't help but love you, despite the difficulties."

"I don't want to trouble you…"

"Honestly Kim, the most trouble you've given me is this damn stubborn decision of yours to draw out our engagement due to some unfounded fear of reprisal on my part."

"It's not unfounded-"

"Yes it is!" Troika groaned, sitting up a little and glaring down at Kim's face, jabbing her finger against Kim's nose. "And even if it wasn't, I think I've learned enough from you these last fourteen years that even if someone tries to raise a fuss, I can shut them down just as easily as anything. I'm not the meek little secretary you hired back when I was seventeen. I have power and influence now, Kim, and I can raise hell with the best of them."

Kim smiled slightly. "Troika the Terrible, hellion of the Investigatory Squad."

"Give me time, and I'm sure some people really will think of me like that. You only laugh because you've seen my softer side. Other people don't get that pleasure."

"I should hope not," Kim purred, sliding her fingers up Troika's side, only for the other woman to swat them away gently.

" _Not tonight_. You're leaving early in the morning, and you've got a long boat ride ahead of you. The last thing you need is to not get enough rest and oversleep." Kim nodded meekly, and Troika sighed in frustration. After a moment's thought, she rolled a little closer, allowing Kim to wrap her arms around her and pull her close. "But honestly, if you don't want to 'trouble' me, you can shorten our engagement. Maybe we can get hitched tomorrow, bright and early before your boat sets sail. I doubt Nat would mind waking up early to take part. Marie can get a little dress and be a flower girl. Your team can act as witnesses…"

Kim sighed and nearly released the same argument she'd let loose a thousand times the last three years, but this time she paused. Nedra had all but told her that Troika's relationship to Kim didn't matter to her, didn't she? There were still others of course, people who would try to use their relationship against Troika, try and build a scandal around their relationship, try and tear down Troika's accomplishments, but…

Kim squeezed her eyes shut, resting her head against Troika's neck. "Alright."

Troika almost didn't hear her, still idly throwing out half-baked ideas for an abrupt wedding. "-and we'll have to take photos to send to my parents, though Mom might want a 'real' wedding that she can help plan and attend, even if she's not… not… What did you say?"

"I said alright," Kim whispered, squeezing Troika tighter. "I don't… I don't want to trouble you any more than I have already, love. No more five-year engagement."

There was a moment's hesitation before Troika spun around in her arms, pulling Kim's head close so they were eye-to-eye, a desperate and hopeful look in her eyes. "You… you're serious?"

"I am," Kim nodded. "I mean, maybe not _tomorrow morning_. That's kinda quick, and I need to have my mind on the mission, but… I promise, as soon as this mission is done and I'm back in Orage, we can be married as soon as you want us to be. We can even have the ceremony on the dock if-"

Kim didn't finish, as she found her words muffled by Troika's mouth as the other woman pulled her into a kiss, smothering her in affection. Troika pulled back a few moments later, leaving Kim seeing stars as the other woman swung her arms around her neck and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Took you long enough, you stubborn girl."

"Not much of a girl anymore, love. And I'm older than you on top of that."

"Oh shush, don't try to pretend my assertion was wrong."

"...Fair enough. I really have been stubborn, haven't I?"

" _Incredibly_ stubborn. But I suppose that's just one of the many reasons I love you… even if it does come back to bite me in the ass in the form of over-extended engagements." Despite the falsely frustrated tone in Troika's voice, the woman's face was plastered with a deliriously happy smile. She curled up, resting her head against Kim's chest as she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. However, a few moments later the smile on her face faded away, and Kim watched her eyebrows furrow in agitation. "Though, now that you've said it, I really do need to plan a real wedding, don't I?"

"You don't have to do it immediately-"

"Oh yes I do! I just got permission to shave two years off our engagement, and I'm sure as hell not going to give you a chance to change your mind! I'm getting started as soon as possible! I'll need to ask around about flowers and a cake… nothing fancy, but I want it to be decorations for a _wedding_. Two apartments won't be necessary anymore… do you mind if I cancel your lease, or should I move in here instead? Oh, never mind, I'll drop my place and move my stuff here until after the wedding. We can probably find a bigger apartment to share, maybe a townhome in the southwestern district…"

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, love."

"Please, I'm just getting _started_. Should we go on a honeymoon? Someplace like Yukumo, or would you prefer somewhere cooler? Skiing in the north? Maybe we'll have to delay it… work's kind of busy these days on my end, and who knows what you'll have to do one you bring those bomb runners in. I'll need to send my family a letter, and our friends… though I'm sure you're going to want to tell Nat yourself, but you've got to leave in the morning."

"I'll stop by on the way to the docks and tell her before I leave."

"That doesn't seem like much of a reveal, especially after all this time."

"I suppose that's just one of my many flaws aside from my stubbornness: I have no flair for the dramatic."

"Hmph. Well, I think I can forgive you for that," Troika sighed. For a moment the two lay together in contented silence, until Troika reached over to the glowstone on the bedside table and covered it with a dimming canvas, blanketing the bedroom in darkness.

"Come home soon," Troika whispered, wrapping her arms around Kim once more. "Don't hurry; I don't want you getting reckless or getting hurt, but… try and come home soon. I don't want to wait on this any longer than I have to."

"I will," Kim replied. "As soon as I can, I promise."

"Good… take care of yourself out there, Kim. And know that I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, love," Kim whispered, and the two of them descended into silence, drifting to sleep.

 _._

Nine! Nine, can you hear me?

Hmm…? Your voice… Well, well, if it isn't the young general.

Don't call me that! I'm not a soldier anymore, Nine… I can barely stand the memory of it. And I'm not so young anymore, either. They call me 'Elder' these days.

Do they? Hmm… I suppose they would. So, why have you contacted me? I'm in the middle of my research.

You've been in the middle of your research for _decades_. But I need information, and I'm hoping you have it.

Ah, the general… apologies, the _Elder_ seeks knowledge. How wonderful. However, I won't give you information for free…

Yes, yes, I've heard how you work. Tell me what you know, and you can call in a 'favor' from me.

Splendid. That saves me time and trouble. Very well, what information interests you?

I need to know if your research has uncovered any information about… something dangerous.

...It has. Many dangerous things, in fact. Could you be more specific?

Something that might be buried. Hidden. Something waiting to wake up.

Waiting to 'wake up'? Is that literal or metaphorical?

I don't know! Awoken, activated, equipped, armed, aimed. Something dormant or unused that could be unearthed and used to bring destruction!

Hmm… again, so vague. Can you give me anything else to work with? I cannot make bricks without clay.

I don't _have_ more information! This is… I've had some visions of the future recently. Something terrible is on the horizon, and poses a great danger to this country.

…A vision, you say? Ah. I don't put my faith in such things.

You and Ten both, damn it. But I know something approaches, or is waiting to appear! It is something ancient and powerful, the visions have made that much clear, but… I simply don't have enough information as it is! Don't you have _anything_? Some _hint_ of a threat your translations have uncovered?

Hmm… I have much information, not-so-young Wyverian. Every day I uncover a new mystery, and I have no shortage of great and terrible threats which have been revealed to me. Each of them could fit your description of 'ancient and powerful', and many of them might be 'buried, hidden, and waiting to wake up'. But you give me too little to work with, General. You ask me to find you a single needle within a stack of needles. I could sent you flying from one end of the continent to the other with what information I have, chasing countless leads to carry you off to dead ends and false flags. Offer me more information, and I can help you with greater accuracy. Or would you like for me to recite the entire archive of research I've uncovered over these many years, and you can pick your favorite?

Ugh, I'd rather not.

I'm actually planning on sending my latest manuscript of translations to Orage for printing here soon. You could purchase a copy for perusal.

I'm not exactly one for light reading, Nine. I carry only what I can on my back.

I wouldn't call it light reading, exactly. It's my thesis of study from decades of work!

All the more reason to refuse then. Surely there must be something you can give me though! Even the smallest hint! I can feel it… there will be many lives lost if I don't do _something_.

Then find me a starting point and I can search for something from there.

Damn it, don't you care?! People are going to _die_!

I care little for the goings-on in the world, General. Lives are lost frequently, and one phantom disaster conjured from the shadows of your claimed clairvoyance mean next to nothing in the grand scheme of things. I have watched more men die in my life than this ancient threat you fear could _possibly_ cause.

And if it _is_ something terrible, Nine? Something _calamitous_? Something you _will have wished_ you had tried to stop?

Then maybe it will find a place in the next historical record I write. Don't try to place these lives you pretend to care about on my head, General. I cannot conjure information from the aether like you claim you can. I deal in facts and knowledge, and I have no small amount of either, but I cannot tell you what you want to hear with no direction. Return to me when you have something for me to work with. I have more research to do.

Damn it, Nine, you can't just-!

Good day, General. Ah, I apologize. Good day, _Veggie Elder_.

* * *

 _Ruby wasn't really in this chapter properly, but the name is a shoutout to the character belonging to Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about a team of hunters making a plan!**

 **In the original drafts of this chapter, Desig and Rena weren't going to be involved with the story at all. Originally the roles were supposed to be taken up by Richard Jr. and one of his apprentices (another submitted OC whose name I have since forgotten). However, I changed my mind when I realized that I'd made a note of keeping reader-submitted OCs out of the story except in minor roles, and no matter how impactful a role Richard Jr. had in the last story, he was still a submitted OC. So, at the last moment, I decided to strike him from the story and replace him with Desig (which required me having to conjure up a new backstory for him as well).**

 **Besides, putting Richard into the story would probably mean the return of the Tenebra longsword and God knows I don't have it in me to try and explain away that physics-breaking abomination. Nice weapon back in Tri but I'm never going to create a feasible explanation for that damn black hole.**

 **I've been playing Nier: Automata while writing this chapter, and I've gotta say that the plight of some of the machines in the game sort of follows a few themes that I hope to replicate later in Kim's story, as well as SOP's greater scope.**

 **Playing: Horizon: Zero Dawn, Splatoon 2 Testfire, Nier Automata, MHGen, Shovel Knight  
Listening: Shawn Wasabi, The Adventure Zone, Crit Juice, Nier Automata OST, Shovel Knight OST  
Reading:** _ **The Rising of the Shield Hero**_ **by Aneko Yusagi**


	31. Curse

Curse

 _Disclaimer: Monster Hunter is copyright Capcom. All the characters in this story are mine, unless otherwise noted._

 _Edited by: Hoenn Master96 and Thomas A. Hawk_

* * *

"Logan. Calm down a little. If you keep straining yourself like that, you're going to burst a blood vessel."

"That an official medical opinion, Pinky?"

"It could be."

Logan kept his gaze forward, scanning the encircled wagons. His eyes were tense and focused, more than he thought they'd ever been in his life. His eyes narrowed as he tried to find what he was looking for, and he felt like if he just… focused a little bit more…

"Boo," a voice whispered in his ear. Logan's heart skipped a beat, and he spun to find Vi leaning down next to him, grinning as he groaned in dismay.

"Damn it, Music Girl, almost had you," Logan huffed stubbornly, shaking his head and leaning against a barrel.

"Heh, did you now?" the girl smirked, plopping to the ground next to him. "Seems to me like you were looking in the _completely_ wrong direction."

"I'm not sure why you're so intent on learning how to see Violetta when she's hiding," Bram noted. "You're not going to find her, no matter how hard you stare. Tuulikki and Leon have known her for _years_ , and they've never been able to spot her when she was hidden. I don't know how you expect to do so after only a few months. I'd just give up if I were you."

Logan gave Bram a disappointed look. "That's a defeatist sorta mindset for someone like you."

"I deal in chemicals and medicines and things I can actually experiment with. I have no desire to mess with… whatever she's doing to turn herself invisible, especially if Vi herself can't explain it to me."

"I can _so_ explain it!"

" _Sound effects_ don't qualify as a proper analysis."

"Says you."

"Well, I'll leave it to Logan's own brand of scientific analysis to try and figure out your trick."

"They's gotta be a way to see through the girlie's invisibility trick… just, y'know, need to figure out what that way is. Maybe I gotta… focus my eyes in just the right way, or turn my head at just the right angle. I think I can… _feel_ where she's supposed to be, so maybe I is onto something…" The hunter sighed. "Or maybe I's just fulla it, hey?"

Vi laughed. "Well, there's no harm in letting you try. I don't really use my trick too often outside of hunting, so it's kinda fun messing with you while you can't see me."

"Messing with me? What you mean? The hell you doing to me when I can't see you?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" the huntress replied slyly.

"I'd like to figure out how she does it as well," Bram said, returning his attention to his notepad in his lap, "but I think it's just something beyond our grasp."

"Well, I won't say it's _impossible_ ," Vi said, "but ever since I developed the ability, I've used it in front of hundreds of monsters and thousands of people, and not a single one has ever been able to see through it. So… I mean, it _could_ happen, but _statistically…_ "

"Ja, ja, no need to rub it in, girlie."

Nearby, there was the click of a latch as the door to Sonia's wagon popped open, but Tuli was the one who emerged from inside. The huntress looked somewhat tired as she dropped from the stoop and approached the three of them.

"How's Franky doing?" Bram asked, flipping to a blank page and looking at the huntress eagerly.

"He's _fine_ ," Tuli sighed, slumping down next to Vi and leaning against her friend wearily as the horn user wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "He's entered his chrysalis state, and will likely be pupating for the next week or so. Though, it's possible he'll be out even faster than that; his physical maturation rate is rather fast. Maybe if Sonia's lucky, his next stage of life will be much smaller than his current one."

"What? Shouldn't he pupate into a Pummeldrone like we planned?"

"That was the _plan_ , but Franky hasn't exactly been keeping to his diet," the huntress groaned, and Bram winced. "Sonia still hasn't trained him well enough to keep him from devouring everything he gets his pincers on, so who knows what he'll become? He could be a Foebeetle or Ladytarge… I suppose the only one out of the question is the Gullshad; he's far too fat to become a speed-based Kinsect."

"I don't know, bug's pretty quick when it's stealing food," Logan chuckled. "Thing'll snatch a meal right out of you hand if you ain't paying attention."

"Sounds a bit like his owner," Bram smirked. "Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Oh _really_?" Bram jolted slightly in surprise, finding Sonia standing behind him and giving him a flat look. "You got some complaints about me?"

"Nothing I haven't said before. You're a food thief. You've probably stolen enough off of my plate in the last eighteen years that I'm probably thirty pounds lighter than I should be."

"What? I'm not _that_ bad." Bram raised an eyebrow at the assertion, and Sonia tried to maintain her composure for a moment or two, before sighing in defeat and scooting in to sit next to him. "Well, I regret nothing. Food always tastes better when it's taken from someone else's plate anyway."

"I'll remember that."

"So, we still on track to arrive in, uh, Lyalli Village tomorrow afternoon?" Sonia asked, looking at the others.

"Seems so," Logan replied. "Daguerreo says he's probably gonna want you getting him more Kelbi horns when we get there. 'Parently they's a _lotta_ Kelbi in the area, hey?"

"Argh, really?" Sonia groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Doesn't he already have a stockpile?! I must've gathered more than a _thousand_ of those damn horns for him!"

"But you're just so _good_ at it," Bram smirked, earning an elbow to the ribs.

"I wanted to get some practice in with my new dual blades though… finally got the Gypceros materials I needed to upgrade them."

"You gonna have you chance," Logan replied. "Ain't nothing stopping you from using them whenever you ain't Kelbi-bopping. Speaking of Daguerreo, you ever get that potion he promised you?"

"Yeah, actually," Sonia replied. "It's kinda creepy though. I know it's supposed to be the 'best potion a hunter could ask for', but… I mean, it's the same color and consistency as _blood_."

"Ugh… that sounds vile," Tuli grimaced.

"Coming from the girl that relies on bug vomit during battle?" Logan asked.

"It's not-! Hmph, I'm going to _ignore_ that. Anyway, are you planning on bringing it with you on hunts?"

"I guess. I don't really know how good the 'best potion' really is though, so I'm not sure when to use it. Is it just a really effective potion or something better than that? Should I use it after a particularly bad hit, or save it for when I'm on _death's door_?"

"Hopefully it won't come to all that," Vi replied. "You should probably save it for an emergency, though. Or does it have an expiration date?"

"I hope not. I'd hate to keep it with me just to find out its past its prime when I need it most. I'll ask Daguerreo about it later. I don't wanna be this concerned about it only to find out that it's not really worth worrying about."

"If it _is_ worth keeping, however, it could be a boon if you find yourself in the direst of straights," Tuli noted. "The 'greatest potion' could very well save a life."

"Yeah, I guess. Or maybe I'll just panic about a superficial injury and waste it… like I did after that Qurupeco hunt back home."

"Oh, come on, Sonia, that was just stage fright," Bram grinned. "You've never overdone it like that since."

"What happened?" Tuli asked.

"I, uh… A few months after I started my apprenticeship, my dad asked to come along and observe a hunt, just to see how our training was coming along. I was… kinda stressed about it. I didn't want to disappoint him or anything."

"You think it was stressful for _you_ , girlie?" Logan grumbled. " _I_ thought he was gonna think I wasn't teaching you good enough or something like that."

"Right, well, I'll spare you the details, but we ended up igniting the Quru's mucus sac and blowing its head off, but Dad ended up getting his arm burned a little, and I kinda panicked and ended up covering the wound in way too much gauze and trying to make him drink like five potions-"

"I'd just pocket them when she wasn't looking."

"Right, but I still thought Dad would think I wasn't-"

"Wait. Wait wait wait…" Vi cut in. "You blew off a monster's _head_?"

"Uh.. yeah. A Qurupeco stores flammable mucus in a sac in its chest, and Bram pierced it with an explosive arrow, and since the mucus goes up a, uh, tube or whatever up to a secondary pouch near its head-"

"No, wait, back up. A wanna hear the whole story now!"

Sonia blinked, then grinned sheepishly. "Well, the fight's exciting, but it's a little embarrassing to tell…"

"All the better."

"Well, alright then. Like I said, it was only a couple months after we started training. Bram was still using that starting leather hunter Logan bought for us, but I'd already move onto the Hunter's Armor. We were at the bar, with… with a couple other apprentice friends of ours, when Dad walks in and-"

A sharp _click_ sounded behind them, and Sonia's mouth snapped shut, sealing into a jaw-clenched line as she looked down to glare at her hands. Logan sighed in exhaustion, looking behind her as Leon emerged from his wagon, adjusting his armor. He finished pulling on his gloves and turned, walking towards the group, and Sonia's shoulders grew tense with each crunch of boots. He looked between them all - almost them all - nodding politely, but Logan saw how he intentionally ignored looking at Sonia.

"Any trouble I need to look out for tonight?" he asked.

"Uh, no, not really," Vi replied wearily. "The road's been pretty quiet all day, so it should be an easy watch for you."

"Good to hear. Are you and Tuli planning on reading that new horror novel?"

"Vi is," Tuli muttered. "I have no intention of joining her."

"Whether she has any intention or not isn't gonna make a difference," the horn player smirked. "She'll be joining me even if I have to read it out loud."

"Heh, so maybe I should come and get one of you to take second watch," Leon grinned. "I'm sure at least _one_ of you is going to be wide awake after reading that nonsense. Maybe around midnight I should try and give you two a little scare…"

"Don't you dare!" Tuli snapped.

"Ha, you're only encouraging me! Last time I got you to jump nearly three feet in the air, maybe this time I can make you hit your head on the ceiling."

"Considering how small she is, that'd be an accomplishment," Vi laughed.

"Hey!"

"It sure would be. Though, Quale gave me an earful last time, when your scream woke him up, so I should probably abstain, if only to spare the _rest_ of the caravan a sleepless night."

"Right, right. Anyway, you should sit down for a while! Sonia was about to tell us a story from her apprenticeship."

"...Really."

"Yeah! You haven't missed anything yet. She was about to tell us about a hunt she fought against a Kooroo-something with her dad, and… and, um…"

"I'm going to bed," Sonia muttered, pushing to her feet and skulking back to her wagon.

Leon's jaw clenched tightly as she walked past him, refusing to look at her. Once she was nearly to his wagon he continued speaking again, his tone low. "I'm going to get something to eat. I'll talk to you guys later." Without waiting for a reply he turned and marched towards the food wagon.

A moment of silence passed before Bram groaned in frustration, a feeling shared by the other three. "Sorry…" Vi muttered. "I didn't really think that through…"

"Least you tried," Logan sighed. "Considering it was 'bout her family, was probably doomed from the start, hey?"

This had been the state of things for the last couple weeks. Sonia and Leon had done almost everything in their power to avoid speaking or interacting with each other, even going so far as to keep out of sight of each other when at all possible. They conversed with everyone else as though nothing was wrong, but when they had to be within close proximity, they both acted as though the other didn't exist.

Logan supposed it was better than them coming to blows or descending into shouting matches… but not much better. It was a close thing that kept them from each other's throats, but if things kept up like this, it was going to be a long few months before they reached Val Habar. The others had encouraged them to at least attempt to come to terms, but neither Sonia nor Leon were willing to even speak to the other, much less forgive or apologize. And when they _did_ meet, it soured their moods so badly that they were impossible for the others to deal with. It was like the mood back when they'd first become Tuli's apprentices had returned again…

"Do you think they'll be ever be able to make up?" Tuli asked. "They used to be… well, I wouldn't call them _close_ , but they were friends."

"Maybe?" Logan shrugged. "You and me wasn't exactly friendly back in Lintukoto, and we's alright with each other now, hey? Figure if _we_ can come to terms, those two could."

"...It took us over half a year to reach that point though."

"Didn't say it was gonna happen tomorrow, Short Stuff."

"And right when we'd all become friends, too…" Vi sighed.

"If they're going to make any headway, Leon's going to have to apologize first," Bram said. Both Vi and Tuli frowned, but nodded reluctantly.

"We've been trying to convince him to apologize," Tuli said, "but it's slow going. He's always been stubborn…"

"Well… do whatcha can," Logan sighed, pushing to his feet and looking up towards the stars above them. "Eh, I's gonna head to bed a little early, I think."

"Alright, have a good sleep," Vi replied.

Logan returned to his wagon, preparing to go to bed. A few minutes later, Bram returned as well, though he entered carrying a pair of ten-gallon liquor barrels from the food wagon.

"What's those for?" Logan asked.

"Something I've been working on," Bram replied. "I need a casing for something I want to build, but I can't afford to buy or make any, so Burmecia's giving me her spare barrels. She said she cleaned them out, but I'm worried that any alcohol that seeped into the grain of the wood might make things a little more flammable than I'd like-"

"You know what? Forget I asked, hey?" Logan groaned, rolling over and pulling up his covers. "Just don't blow us up or nothing, or I gonna come back and haunt you."

"I'll try my best not to," the archer chuckled, returning to his notes. "You mind if I do some research?"

"That's fine… I is used to it by now."

Logan wondered idly if he should just put out for a new wagon of his own or just risk the archer blowing him up in the next couple months, but he supposed being a Renfield's roommate was about as risky as being a hunter was. Still, he'd probably survive the night - he'd need to start worrying when Bram went beyond theory and actually started _tinkering_ \- so he allowed himself to be lulled to sleep by the sound of Bram's pencil scratching against the paper…

* * *

Logan was dreaming. He understood that immediately, which worried him.

He was surrounded by darkness, encompassing him on all sides. He could move, slightly, but it was like trying to swim through molasses. He looked down at his hands, and they were little more than shadows, vague shapes in front of his face. He could hear wind rustling through nearby trees, and running water coming from somewhere close by.

The world… _rippled_ a little. Logan could feel it in the air, a wave of energy that spread out into the darkness, and the world took shape. It was shadowy and black, like trying to see at midnight during a new moon, but he could just make out his surroundings. It was a cave, or at least the mouth of one. Pillars appeared and faded out of existence, crooked and bent. Trees, perhaps? It was impossible to tell.

 _Hmm… I'm hungry again._

A twinge of fear jumped through Logan's mind. He recognized the voice… deep and gravely, like boulders rumbling down a hill. He tried to pull away, to force himself awake, but he simply couldn't. All he could do was keep quiet; he didn't need this… _thing_ to catch wind of him again, to yell at him.

His awareness seemed to expand outwards into the darkness. Small flickers of light appeared in the distance, pulsing will-o-wisps on the horizon, some small, others larger. Logan felt himself moving, and he realized he was approaching a cluster of the smaller lights. It was like being pulled along on a chain, and the movements felt jerky and stiff.

Logan studied the surroundings, staring at the lights off in the distance. He wasn't sure what they meant, but his awareness shifted to one in particular. The light was dim, flickering like a candle about to go out, dimmer and dimmer until Logan wasn't sure if it was even there anymore. A moment later the light blazed back to life, burning brighter and more furiously than before. But it seemed… wrong. Angry. Tainted.

 _They fall, they rise, they fall again. I feel them cease to be. I feel the dust bring them back._

One of the lights that they were approaching was glowing brightly. It lit up like a flare, blinding for a moment… then seemed to _pop_ and flickered out. Logan waited, but this time the light didn't burst back to life, and the other lights nearby swarmed away. The burnt out light left behind what seemed like a corporeal shadow, but even that began to fade, until it vanished into the darkness as well.

There was a pause, followed a moment later by a twisted _snap_ and a meaty _crunch_. Logan shuddered in revulsion as the sound of tearing flesh echoed through his skull. Bones splintered, and he could feel the breaking reverberating through his body. He could almost _taste_ the blood in his mouth, imagine the texture of the raw meat sliding down his throat. He couldn't keep himself from gagging at the feeling. However, as he tried to muffle his cough (as best he could in a dream), the feeling of feeding faded away, but…

 _Noise! Heard it… close. Very close. Where is it? Where is it…_

It was listening, trying to find him. There was a flurry, panic and motion, but the voice didn't seem to notice his presence. Logan couldn't help it, and even in his dream he tried to curl up, make himself smaller, harder to find in the darkness, though with darkness everywhere he couldn't guess at how easily he could be found…

In the back of his mind, an old memory swelled up from the depths from when he was small and young. Lynn was cradling him, hugging him close after a nightmare - he remembered that he had those often as a child, with the worst of it coming before the Alatreon attack - and she was hushing him gently. "Don't worry," she said to him, "you dreams can never hurt you. You is _stronger_ than anything that's so weak that it can only come at you when you is _sleeping_ , hey?"

 _...What is I_ doing _?_

 _Voice! Heard you! Heard you! Where are you? I'll crush you, break you!_

 _This_ my _dream, ain't it? Why is I the one hiding? Shouldn't I be the one in control?_

 _Voice… voice in my head. Get out. Get out! My head! My control! Mine!_

 _No, it's MINE!_

Logan pushed against the pressure in his skull, trying to fight against the feeling. It was like trying to fight against the tide, but he could feel the intensity dimming as he forced it back. The voice on the other end wavered, whining in… fear? He was overpowering it, but he could feel the other entity swelling up, growing frustrated and angry. With a screech of rage the pressure came back strong, slamming against Logan's mind and nearly overwhelming him.

 _No! No more voices! Get out get out GET OUT GET OUT_ _ **GET OUT GET OUT GET-!**_

 _You… just, just shut up! Shut up and get out of my head!_

The voice suddenly went silent, fizzling to little more than a strained whine. The pressure warped and wavered to the point where it was nearly gone, and the sudden disappearance left Logan lightheaded and dizzy. Then a screeching pain tore through Logan's skull-

Needles! Drowning! A thousand scalpels digging into his brain, tearing it apart and stitching it back together! Pain like he'd never felt before! Chains and ropes wrapping around him and tying him down! Green light! Azure light! Orange stain! A man's face! Fire and flood! Stones cutting into his hands and feet! Painful heat, freezing cold!

A voice roared out through the darkness. It had no cadence, no tone, no timbre or inflection. Male or female, young or old, Logan couldn't tell at all. But the voice drove into his skull, clamping onto his brain like a vise.

 **YOU ARE** _ **MINE**_ **. YOU WILL OBEY** _ **MY**_ **COMMANDS. DO** _ **NOT**_ **RESIST.**

 **THIS. IS. YOUR.** _ **PURPOSE**_ **!**

* * *

" _Get away from me_!"

Logan snapped awake, sitting bolt upright in bed and gasping for air. His heart was pounding in his chest so hard it was as though it would burst out through his ribcage, and every breath he took was not enough, never enough to catch his breath. His whole body was covered in a cold sweat, and his head… his brain felt as though he was swimming through deep water, but someone had pulled a plug, slowly draining the pressure out of his brain, allowing his muddled mind to clear.

But the pain, or at least the memory of the pain, still lingered. Needles, fire, ice, blades and water… It had all felt so _real_. It had hurt _so much_. And the voice at the very end-

A loud clattering to his left made him jolt in fear, instinctively reaching for the carving knife on his bedpost. However, he realized it was just Bram. The young man was sprawled out on the floor in front of his desk, his legs hanging over the edge of a toppled stool. His eyes were wide open, but there was a delirious confusion in them that showed he wasn't entirely coherent. A wide mess of papers had been pulled sideways of the table, fluttering down onto the redhead's stomach as he blinked in confusion, looking around until his eyes landed on Logan. The great sword user relaxed slightly; Bram must've fallen asleep at his desk (it wouldn't be the first time), and his outburst had woken him up.

"You okay?"

"I… yes?" Bram replied, still a little out of it as he pushed himself up onto his elbows. "What… did something happen?"

"It… no. Get in you bed and got to sleep, hey?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Bram awkwardly pushed to his feet, stumbling over to his own mattress and flopping onto his bed fully-clothed.

Logan instead pushed to his feet, wiping the cooling sweat off his brow and making for the door. He heard Bram shift in his bed behind him, and found the younger hunter with one eye cracked open, looking at him curiously.

"Going… getting a drink of water," he muttered. Bram grunted sleepily, rolling over and falling back to sleep.

With that, Logan stepped out of the wagon into the night air. It was damp outside; a wet fog had rolled in, clouding the caravan in mist that to his skin. Holding he hand out from under the overhang, he could feel a few pattering drops of rain landing on his arm, and with a sigh he sat down on the stoop, resting his back against the door.

"What the hell… the hell's going on?"

He hadn't had another dream like that since their visit to the Iron Heart, and he'd hoped the first one would be the last. He had grown to assume that, strange and penetrating as the dream had been, it had really just been only a dream and nothing more. But for it to happen a second time? It couldn't be coincidence… could it? It had all been so clear. He could almost feel the pressure in his head, hear the gravelly voice echoing through his skull… feel the painful grip of the voice ordering him to obey, to not resist.

A cold, terrifying fear he'd held onto for years welled up from the back of his mind: the Lost Madness.

Everyone knew about the Madness these days, the terrible side effect caused by the millennia spent sleeping inside the Lost crystals that the Alatreon had trapped them all in, sleeping away thousands of years without aging in exchange for a damaged psyche. And the results could be bad or worse: some people had… compulsions, involuntary desires that couldn't be resisted without consequence, like kleptomania, obsessive compulsive disorder, incurable phobias, that kind of thing. Others were worse, racked with mental disorders that turned them into jabbering loons or violent psychopaths.

The worst of it had been during those first few years in Loc Lac. Logan had been too young at the time to really retain a lot of those first few years, but he still remembered some of it. Most of the more dangerously insane Lost in the city had been killed or died off in the first few years, cut down by a guard during one of their fits or killed by their own insanity. Those that survived beyond the exodus from the desert city had been the more stable ones, or those with better understanding of their own Madness.

The Lost were mostly accepted in Theron these days, but you'd still hear stories once or twice a year where one of the Lost would find something that tweaked them in just the wrong way and they would simply _snap_. It was half the reason some people back home still hated and feared the Lost: how long before one of them went crazy and started killing people? Sometimes even the Lost themselves weren't too sure what would or could happen under certain stresses, and those that were aware of what the Madness had done to them were careful to avoid anything that could set them off. The most important thing to one of the true Lost was to know what your Madness was, and how to avoid aggravating it.

And therein lay the root of Logan's terror: he was a true Lost, and yet his Madness had never appeared. At least, it hadn't appeared _yet_.

Some Lost were like that, not showing any symptoms of insanity even _years_ after they were awakened. But as Logan had witnessed time and time again, even if you couldn't see it, the crystals _always_ had an effect, and it was just a waiting game to see what would trigger them. Maybe if you were lucky it was something small or easily avoidable, but there were a reason that rumors about members of the Lost snapping spread like wildfire.

But Logan didn't know what his Madness was, and the fear of the inevitable terrified him to his core. He knew there was _something_ wrong with him, but he didn't know what it was. He was a time bomb, and even if it had been more than twenty-six years since he'd awakened, he knew that it was only a matter of time before something set him off.

Was this _voice_ in his dreams something to do with his Madness? He'd had strange dreams before, but this one felt different, less like a delusional fantasy conjured by his unconscious mind, and more… something else. Like something deep within his head was putting pressure on his mind. Multiple personalities wasn't an uncommon Madness to find in Lost, and if this voice in his head was trying to force him out, to make him obey, to do… whatever it wanted from him?

"I'm going mad…" he whimpered to himself. "I'm going mad…"

* * *

"Mercy, you're burning up… What were you thinking, Logan?"

"What happened to him?"

"I don't… I remember he left the wagon in the middle of the night - needed to use the restroom, perhaps, I don't remember - but when I woke up in the morning, he was still gone. I thought he'd just woken up before me, but then I found him… The door wasn't locked or anything, so I don't know why…"

Sonia frowned, kneeling down next to Logan's bed and staring at him worriedly. Bram didn't blame her; he hadn't expected to find Logan sitting right outside the door to their wagon, soaked to the bone and shivering, despite the warming air of the summer. The hunter was pale and delirious, running a fever and sweating badly, muttering to himself nonsensically and nearly passing out as Bram dragged him to his bed.

"I don't believe it's… anything too terrible," Bram assured Sonia. "Just a fever. I'm sure he'll recover quickly enough, as long as he gets some rest."

"But why was he out there in the first place? Why… why do this to himself?"

"I don't know." Bram had tried asking Logan why, but the great sword user hadn't been in any condition to reply, slipping in and out of consciousness for the last hour or so.

A gentle tap on the door sounded, and Bram walked over to open the door, revealing Tuulikki on the other side carrying a small tray of food, including a large insulated bowl. "Here we are. Burmecia was able to put together some soup for him, not many solids in it. It should stay hot for a while, so he… he'll be able to eat it whenever he wakes up."

"Thanks," the archer replied, taking the platter and setting it on the dresser on the other side of Logan's headboard.

"Vi said she'll keep an eye on him while we're guarding the caravan. We should be able to reach Lyalli before midafternoon, and if he's still not feeling better we can send him to the local clinic." The huntress sighed worriedly. "He'll be fine, I'm sure. He's a sturdy sort."

"Yeah…" Sonia nodded, making for the door. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Bram frowned, sparing another look down at the great sword user before following Sonia out of the wagon, passing Violetta at the door as she made her way inside to keep watch on Logan. A few minutes later the wagon train set off, making a steady pace to the east. Sonia and Bram walked in silence near the back of the train for a while, with Sonia idly hoisting her new Gypceros dual blades and swinging them around a little to get used to their weight. Eventually, however, she groaned in frustration, darting forward and approaching Selene's wagon.

"Oh, good morning!" the Wyverian said, smiling at them as they approached. At first it was a bright expression as she turned to Bram, but she seemed to recall Logan's sickness and it shifted to a more sympathetic smile. At the moment her arm was extended, allowing Steward's pet falcon to perch on her wrist as she pulled a tightly-wrapped scroll of paper from a pouch on its leg.

"Got your message from the village then?" Sonia asked, and the Wyverian nodded. "So what sort of fauna are we looking at in Lyalli? Anything new or interesting?"

"Well, we have already been in this area before, only a couple months ago, so there will not be any surprises. Plenty of Kelbi, as you may have heard already-"

"I've heard," Sonia groaned.

"My apologies. Let us see if there is anything of interest." A quick shake of her arm, and the falcon beat its wings, flying up to perch on the roof of the wagon. Sonia eyed the creature with interest as Selene read the missive, eventually turning to climb up onto the roof after it. Selene didn't look up from the paper, but muttered a rehearsed warning. "Do not pester him or he will bite."

"Right, right," Sonia replied nonchalantly, plopping herself next to the bird. The falcon eyed her warily, but when she didn't move to touch it, it quickly ignored her and began preening itself.

"It seems there are still excess Kut-Ku's remaining from the breeding season," Selene said as she read. "Or… Oh. Hmm…"

"Is something the matter?" Bram asked, tilting his head slightly to look over her shoulder.

"Oh, well… there seems to be a hold on some non-essential hunting in the region."

"How come?"

"It does not say…" the Wyverian frowned. The points of her ears dipped slightly as she scowled at the missive in frustration. "They do not give a reason, only to say that Guildmaster Yorha has approved of certain restrictions, and… It does not say more. I will need to speak to the local authority when we get there."

"Any ideas of what it could be?"

"A few things. Perhaps there are poaching issues, and the Guild is trying to lock down the culprits. Perhaps a miscalculation in monster counts, so they are trying to keep from overhunting. There are several possible causes for something like this."

"Does this mean we won't be able to go on hunts while we're in the area?" Sonia asked worriedly, looking down on them from the roof.

"It may very well be that way," the Guildie replied, and the huntress sighed dejectedly. "I will see what I can do when we arrive, but they may be reserving hunts to only local hunters, not travelers."

"Aw, pecker…"

Selene returned her attention to the missive, but before she could finish reading, the wagon shuddered to a halt, nearly making the Wyverian fall from her seat. She looked up in annoyance, but frowned in confusion when she saw that the entire caravan had ground to a halt.

"What is… going on?" she muttered. "Why did we stop?"

"Don't know," Sonia replied, kneeling over the edge and leaping down from the wagon's roof. Bram patted his quiver to make sure he was stocked and ready for battle. There weren't any screams or signs of danger coming from the front, but…

"We'll go check it out," he told Selene. "There might be trouble ahead."

"Erm… yes, of course," the Guildie replied nervously. "Be careful."

"Right," he nodded, turning and following Sonia up towards the front. As they neared, there didn't seem to be any danger, but there was an air of tension and worry among the drivers. Steward and a few others were standing in a circle just off the road, looking towards the south.

Leon was there too, as was Tuulikki, discussing something with Steward, and seeing him brought Sonia up short, dropping her expression to a dark scowl. Leon caught sight of them as well, fluctuating between a range of emotions before settling onto a stubborn frown. Bram rolled his eyes, pushing past the huntress and taking the lead. "Is something wrong? Why are we stopping?"

"No immediate threats, young Bram," Steward replied, motioning towards the south. "Or at least, I hope not."

Bram followed his motion, and at first nothing seemed out of place, until he stopped searching for large monsters and focused on the little things. A distance into the forest, he could make out a small clearing hidden between the towering trunks, and though nothing seemed amiss, he soon caught sight of several small blueish lumps lying on the ground one corner, hidden by the grass. Kelbis, he realized. He thought they were simply sleeping, but it was midday. Kelbis wouldn't sleep at this time of day, and they wouldn't sleep without at least one or two of them keeping watch. As far as Bram could see, none of them were standing…

"What are they doing? Are they…"

"I would like for you to investigate the bodies, if you would," Steward said abruptly. "This is not the first time we have seen this in the last couple days, and it worries me. I would suggest taking antidotes, or using some of those filters you brought with you. I cannot guess what you should expect, but…"

"We can do that," Bram replied. They only had a few more philters left these days, so they'd been saving them, but in a situation like this, it might be best to make an exception.

With philters strapped to their faces, Sonia and Bram made their way towards the Kelbis while the others kept their distance. The two of them moved slowly at first, looking around in search of some kind of trap, but as far as they could see there was nothing else about. The Kelbi didn't rise at their approach either, meaning they were either incapacitated or dead… and each passing moment seemed to push the odds towards the latter until they reached the closest body.

"Definitely dead," Bram muttered, kneeling down next to the carcass as Sonia circled around to approach another one.

"What… what happened to them all?" Sonia asked, looking out over the bodies.

"I'm not sure…" Bram muttered, scanning the scene. "Poison, maybe? They don't look injured in any way, not that I can see."

There weren't any wounds on the body, which concerned him. He'd been expecting at least a few small puncture wounds for poison injection, but the creature seemed immaculate. And it was still a little warm, dead for only a couple hours at the most. There wasn't any discoloration, no wounds that could've caused internal damage, no swelling or anything like that.

What disturbed him, however, was the creature's expression: the Kelbi's eyes were both wide open, even after death, with its tongue hanging out and pressing against the dirt. Its expression was… pained, wild, fearful? Bram wasn't sure.

"They're all the same," Sonia announced, worry and nervousness in her voice. "They aren't… aren't laying down. It's like they all collapsed…"

She was right, Bram realized. Weary or sick monsters might curl up and try to rest if they were sick or poisoned, but not a single one of the Kelbi looked like they'd died comfortably. To the last, young and old, they all looked as though they'd collapsed. They weren't attacked, not as far as Bram could tell, but something unnatural had certainly happened to them. Something had _killed_ them… without even harming them, or at least not in any way that he could see. Bram brushed his fingers against his philter, looking around nervously. Some kind of invisible poison or gas, maybe?

A wet sound came from the side, and Bram looked over to find Sonia plunging her carving knife into the side of a Kelbi's gut, spilling its innards out on the ground and poking through it. He came over and looked over her shoulder as she slit open the Kebli's stomach, picking through what she found within. Nothing really stood out to them though.

"Grass… herb leaves… scrubgrass… scatternuts? Didn't know those were edible. I don't see anything that bad," Sonia muttered. "I can't find anything wrong with it."

"Neither can I," Bram admitted. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with the blood either, no pus or venom-induced coagulation. "Check its lungs next, see if there's any - oh, sweet mercy!"

As Sonia had been peeling back the layers of the Kelbi's flesh, digging for the next organ to investigate, both of them recoiled back at an unnatural sight. They'd both been hunters long enough that they knew what parts of a Kelbi's corpse could be eaten or sold. The most prized possession from a dead Kelbi (since the horns were only good when carved while it was living) was the Kelbi's liver, a succulent slice of meat that was highly delicious and nutritious. Typically the Kelbi's liver was a pristine white color…

This one was stained black.

" _Blech_! What the hell!" Sonia gasped, recoiling back in revulsion. Bram couldn't help but shudder at the unnatural coloration as well, but he retained his courage, approaching the black liver.

"I think we've found what killed the Kelbis," he noted, puncturing it with his own knife. He'd expected something vile to ooze out; black pus, putrid slime, something nasty. He was surprised when little more than regular blood poured from the cut, a touch tinted with black coloration, but if he hadn't been expecting something he might not have noticed the discrepancy in the first place. The stain seemed condensed around the liver itself, but didn't spread any further… at least, not in any way that Bram could see. "Are the rest the same?"

Sonia frowned, marching over to another Kelbi and gutting it, and sure enough she shuddered in disgust after a few moments of work. "Yeah, this one's black and icky too."

Bram brushed the flat of his blade through the blood, raising it cautiously for inspection. There was… something in the blood, almost unnoticeable, little black spots like pollen or mushroom spores. He couldn't be sure without a microscope. "I think a flower might have caused this, or… or a mushroom?"

Sonia gasped out a curse, scrambling backwards; Bram didn't blame her, considering she'd been on the receiving end of one deadly mushroom already. But they hadn't found anything in the Kelbi's stomach that seemed unnatural. Was it inhaled? He was glad Steward had suggested philters if that was the case. As it was, however…

"We should head back; we're not equipped for this. Whatever this was, we need to report it to the Guild in Lyalli. They can call in people to deal with it."

"Yes. Yes, great idea. _Brilliant_ idea. Let's, uh, let's get away from the evil black nastiness from evil mushrooms."

The two made their way back to where the others were waiting; a few other caravaneers had joined up as well, looking out towards the ominous collection of Kelbis, including Selene.

"Did you find anything?" Steward asked.

"Something killed them," Bram replied, peeling off his philter and rubbing his jaw. "Some kind of poisonous pollen or mushroom spore, I'm not sure. I don't think we should stick around."

"Pollen, you say?" Tuulikki muttered. "There should not be any plants in the area that can kill an entire herd of Kelbi… or at least, none that Kelbi would know better than to eat. They may not be the most intelligent creatures, but they are wise enough not to eat toadstools or other toxic plants."

"It wasn't a typical poison," Bram replied, shaking his head. "It was… black and noxious, and seemed focused around the liver. I'm not sure what it did exactly, but it doesn't seem like the standard fare. Not a neurotoxin or coagulant, no signs of bad internal damage." He glanced in Selene's direction. "I've never heard of a toxin like that. Do you know anything?"

"I cannot say I have heard of any fauna that can do that," Selene replied regretfully. "The only things I can think of that might be possible would be the Verexiria or the Dokudzu, two plant-like monsters that once existed, but those two species went extinct a few hundred years ago."

"If we are dealing with an unknown, then we should not linger in this area any longer than we have," Steward spoke up, looking to the others. "Back to your wagons, we make double time to Lyalli! I do not wish to linger in a place with noxious gasses, or catch the attention of a creature that can release them."

Those around him nodded in agreement, and soon the caravan was gearing up to move again. A call went up and the Popos were kicked into gear, sending the wagons rattling down the path. Bram and Sonia remained against the side of the road as the wagons passed; the drivers all had a nervous air about them, putting bandanas over their mouths in hopes of blotting out whatever might have killed the Kelbi. Soon the last few were clattering along, and the two made ready to grab hold of the last wagon and catch a ride.

"Do you think we're alright?" Sonia asked nervously. The huntress had yet to remove her air philter, and had been adjusting it worriedly.

"I think we should be fine," Bram replied, though he knew his voice betrayed the truth, and Sonia hugged her shoulders uncomfortably. "Just… let me know if you start feeling strange. Don't jump at any placebo effects, though."

"Anything I should watch out for?"

Bram shrugged as the last wagon rolled past them, and the pair of them leapt up onto the rear stoop of the caboose. "Um… if it effects the liver: nausea, diarrhea, jaundice…"

"Ew. Those Kelbi didn't look that bad though."

"Well, I really don't know _what_ that was, so-"

Bram paused, however, as a commotion echoed up from the front of the wagon train, and the two of them spun, looking towards the head. Again, they could see the people ahead pointing towards the south, and Bram worried that they'd spotted another collection of carcasses in the foliage. However, a gasp from Sonia drew his attention a moment before a herd of Aptonoth burst through the trees, weaving between the trunks and running in a panicked stampede straight towards the head of the caravan. There were shouts from the front, and the lead wagons abruptly jumped forwards as the ones behind it tried to back away, opening up a gap between them for the herd to run through.

"Bram, c'mon!" Sonia shouted, leaping off the wagon to the ground.

"What are they running from?" he called out, tailing after her.

"I dunno! Obviously nothing good!"

Ahead of them, the head of the herd had reached the road, lumbering over the dirt path. It was a larger Aptonoth, big enough to be the alpha male or female of the group, and yet its eyes were wide and terrified, running full-tilt away from whatever pursued them. A curious voice in the back of Bram's head recalled that the herd leaders usually stayed behind to try and fight off assailants to the herd, or at least stood between the danger and their young; why was this one in the front, farthest from the threat? He shook his head, chasing away the thoughts. Now wasn't the time for such ponderings.

He and Sonia slid to a halt right at the gap between the wagons, where the herd was lumbering through. The wide core of the group was still approaching though, and the mid-sized Aptonoth on the edges were spread out enough that they would crash into the wagons if they didn't stop or turn aside, but given their frantic expression, it seemed collision was imminent. Bram cursed, pulling out his bow and an arrow, aiming towards a larger one. He loosed the arrow, sinking it into the hide just over the creature's right shoulder. It was a shallow wound, but the Aptonoth whined in pain, twisting its head to the side and slamming into the herbivore next to it; the impact forced both of them inward, eventually funneling the entire right side of the herd tighter towards the center. A few stragglers remained out on the wings, but Sonia darted towards them, pulling out her dual blades and waving them wildly; the smaller Aptonoth bayed in fear and scurried into the core of the herd, while the larger ones leaned into the herd, squeezing together to protect themselves.

It was a close thing, with several of the Aptonoth nearly charging headlong into the wagon at the front, but with Bram and Sonia forcing the herbivores to tighten up, and some deft Popo wrangling on Daguerreo's part, they managed to herd the herd safely through the gap, with only some minor jostling of the Popos.

"Come on, come on, funnel up!" Sonia shouted, chasing some of the younger Aptonoth that tried to split off and herding them back into the group. Half of the group was through now, and the bulkiest and most dangerous section was past.

A twisted crash and the splintering of wood thundered out of the forest to the south. Bram's attention turned that way as a flock of birds took to the skies, and far in the distance a smaller tree twisted and fell, collapsing from some unknown impact. The tail end of the herd was just emerging from the trees, and though they were the slowest of the group, Bram could see the frantic fear in their eyes; their physique kept them in the back, but their desperation pushed them forward with a terror Bram had rarely seen before.

A furious and _familiar_ roar thundered through the trees, and Bram felt himself pale as a massive shape appeared through the trees, storming through the foliage with wild abandon and toppling smaller fauna as it charged after the Aptonoth. A moment later it appeared: a Rathian, green and scaly, its wings tucked in close so it could pass safely through the trees. Still it clipped several of the smaller saplings and midsized trees, splintering and toppling them. The last of the Aptonoths was several dozen yards ahead of it, just passing between the wagons to the other side of the road, but the Rathian thundered after them, now free of the trees and able to pick up speed.

Bram pulled out another arrow, pointing it towards the charging wyvern, but to his surprise he found that the creature seemed to _ignore_ the caravan, or it hadn't seen them in the first place. Its gaze, wild and ravenous, was focused entirely on the fleeing herd before it. The Popos pulling the wagons were in a scramble now, and Daguerreo was doing his best to rein them in, but he could do little as the Rathian thundered between the wagons, closing in on the herd.

However, rather than running down a single herbivore, the Rathian crashed into the group as a whole, toppling them like dominoes. The creature lunged back and forth, sinking its teeth into the Aptonoths' necks and throwing them to the ground, before leaving them behind and attacking another member of the herd. Its tail snapped side to side, the long black spikes slicing jagged lines through the grey hides of the herbivores, releasing poison-tainted lines of blood as it moved on. In moments the Rathian had stormed its way into the center of the herd, trampling large and small Aptonoth alike and leaving a trail of dead or wounded in its wake.

"Wh… what is it _doing_?" Bram gasped, watching the carnage unfold. He'd done his research on Rathians, and he had some knowledge about how predatory monsters typically acted, but this… this was anathema to anything he'd read in his ecological books. Predators typically only killed one or two creatures of prey when they attacked, just enough to feed themselves as they needed. This Rathian, however… it was attacking _all_ the Aptonoth, any of them it got close enough to reach.

As soon as it reached the center of the group, the herd began to break apart and scatter, terror overwhelming their instincts to stick together. A few of the elder herbivores tried to keep with the young, or even just _their_ young, but most of the Aptonoth simply fled, trying to escape with their lives, the rest of the herd be damned. The Rathian continued its massacre, however, chasing down the closest of the Aptonoths and assaulting them, tearing them open or snapping their neck, only to leave the bodies behind and run down the next in line.

Bram didn't even realize that he was standing frozen, watching the massacre unfold, until a large object blotted out his vision. Daguerreo had managed to wrangle his Popos back into control, kicking the pack creatures into a fast march after the rest of the caravan. Bram cursed, waiting for the first wagon to pass before leaping through the gap between them, vaulting over the chain hitch and hitting the ground on the other side. Already he could see Tuulikki and Leon running in from the front of the caravan, positioning themselves in case the Rathian's attention turned towards them.

He looked back, however, to find that Sonia hadn't moved. She was frozen in place, her fists clenched white-knuckled on the hilts of her dual blades; Bram could see her legs shaking slightly, and she hardly blinked as her eyes remained locked on the Rathian from the far side of the train, her face coming into view between wagon gaps. He could see the fear in her eyes, he could see her legs shaking…

"Sonia, come on!" The huntress blinked lamely, looking dazedly between Bram and the Rathian for a few moments before nodding awkwardly and sliding between two wagons. Soon she stood next to him, but he could see how tense she was. Bram reached over, patting her arm. "I'm here with you. We're in this together."

"I… right," she nodded, a little life returning to her eyes.

Ahead of them, the Rathian had cut down or severely wounded over a dozen of the Aptonoths, and was snapping the neck of another unfortunate young that she'd managed to catch. Those that were still living were trying limp away, and those that had been quick enough had long since disappeared into the Everwood. The Rathian ripped the throat out of her latest prey, quickly swallowing her morsel and turning to seek out the next target of its aggression. Its gaze fell open one of the wounded Aptonoth as it stumbled into the trees, blood and poison dripping down from a tear in its hide, but though the wyvern prepared to charge, it paused and let out a strained whine. With a grumble it stepped forward, planting a foot onto the Aptonoth in front of it and preparing to eat, pausing to raise its neck in search for danger.

And it saw the caravan. Rather than ignoring it as it had before, this time its eyes bored in on the colorful wagons, and its head dipped threateningly as flames swelled in its gullet.

"Damn it! The rest of you, get back!" Tuulikki shouted, rushing towards the creature. Her arm snapped out, and Ketrak darted through the air, sweeping in front of the Rathian and pulling its attention sideways. However, the heavy clanking of Leon's armor sounded behind her and Leon charged after her, and the huntress spun to glare at him. "What are you doing?! You're not strong enough to-"

"And you're not doing this by yourself! I'm helping whether you like it or not!" the lancer snapped, throwing himself ahead of her towards the Rathian. The wvyern's head snapped his direction in a flash, jolting slightly at the sight of the shield's massive 'eye', but the creature dipped its head low and unleashed a gout of fire. The lancer dropped his shield, punching the pointed base into the dirt as the flames swirled around the orange and yellow metal. The flames burned through the stretched out Kecha hide coating the shield as well, sending blackened swaths of burning leather down onto the equally blackened grass, leaving behind only the metal core and a few scraps of orange. The lancer stared at the burnt materials in dismay, but the Rathian leapt towards him as soon as the fire died away, before the hunter had even pulled his shield free.

"Damn it!" Bram growled, drawing an arrow and launching it towards the wyvern's leg. The arrow sunk shallowly into the beast's hide in between its knee and ankle, and though the wound was superficial, the Rathian still winced and tilted to the right. Leon had pulled his shield free by now and hopped in the other direction, swinging his shield up to deflect the wyvern's wingtalons as it thundered past him, nearly sliding headlong into a tree.

Bram reached back to grab another arrow, when his gaze landed on Sonia next to him. The huntress had frozen again, staring wide-eyed at the wyvern. She was pale and tense, looking as though she would topple over with the barest push. Her knuckles were clenched tightly around the hilts of her blade, and there was a slight quiver to her stance. Bram frowned worried, before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Sonia, stay with the caravan." The huntress blinked slowly, looking at the archer in confusion.

"What…? But I-"

"If you're head's not in it, stick with the wagons! Go let Violetta know what's happening, and see if-"

" _Bram, Sonia, look out_!"

The two hunters snapped around to find the Rathian thundering towards them. Bram cursed, firing an arrow at the creature's face which glanced off the wyvern's frill. The Rathian flinched and he grabbed Sonia's arm to yank the huntress out of the way as the Rathian stampeded past them. It scrambled to turn around, but slipped on the gravel of the road and tumbled into a heap. Bram spared a glance towards the wyvern as it pushed itself back up, before looking worriedly back to Sonia. She had shaken out of her stasis, but the look in her eyes had shifted to something desperate and wild, her lips curled into a tight snarl as she pulled her blades from their sheaths.

"Sonia, wait-"

The Rathian had pushed back to its feet ahead of them, but it wasn't looking at them anymore, but up the road towards the vibrantly-painted caravan.

" _Stop it_!" Leon shouted desperately behind them, but Sonia was already charging in.

"Wait- Damn it!" Bram hissed, reaching for another arrow. The huntress was already on the wyvern, wildly swinging her battleaxes into the beast's green hide.

The Rathian yelped in pain, twisting its head around in search of its assailant, only for Sonia's left axe to meet its face, striking it across the snout. The wyvern reeled, and the huntress vaulted off the creature's knee, pulling both blades above her head and slamming them onto the wyvern's shoulder. There was a wet crunch as it shattered thin scales and tore muscle, releasing a small gush of blood as Sonia yanked the blades free.

The Rathian lurched sideways, awkwardly slamming its neck into the huntress and hurling her to the ground. It turned on her as she scrambled back to her feet, but Bram fired another arrow that punctured its neck, followed by a small black blur that shot in from the side as Ketrak smacked into the side of its face, tearing off a bit of flesh from it cheekbone and zipping away. The Rathian snapped feverishly at the bug, not noticing Tuulikki sliding around behind it until the huntress slipped underneath its tail and lashed out with her glaive, slicing several lines through the backs of the wyvern's thighs.

With a hiss of frustration the Rathian swung its tail around in a low sweep that smashed against the gravel road, but Tuulikki dashed out from under the wyvern's torso, raising her arm as Ketrak reappeared to latch to her bracer. Flames welled up in the wyvern's maw, and Leon shouted a warning, leaping in between them and blocking the jet of fire that roared forth.

Bram launched another two arrows, the first piercing the wing membrane but not tearing all the way through, and the second which clashed off the creature's hard spinal ridge. As he was drawing his third shot, however, the wyvern spun and launched a fireball towards him, but though Bram leapt away, the fireball detonated against the trunk of a tree behind him, throwing him into the dirt. The wyvern was on him before he could push to his feet, and Bram panicked as its fangs descended towards his head, thrusting the arrow in his hand up and plunging it into the creature's salivating tongue. The Rathian howled, pulling away and whipping its head around until the steel projectile flew free. Bram scrambled to his feet, but threw himself to the ground again as the wyvern abruptly swung its tail at him, nearly catching him with its tailspikes.

Before he could rise again, the Rathian clamped its fangs down on his quiver, and Bram gasped in pain as the Rathian's long, protruding chin-spike punched through the Kut-Ku armor around his waist, tearing a gash through his side. The wyvern yanked him into the air and shook its head wildly, giving the archer no time to focus or try to cut himself free.

" _Let him go_!"

Sonia's shriek made the Rathian pause, letting Bram waggle to a halt in the air, dangling dazed with his heels scraping across the dirt and his bow long since tossed who-knew-where. His head was spinning as blades clashed against hard plating, before the Rathian released him and gravity pulled him onto a cluster of his own arrows, thrown loose from his own quiver. A howl of rage echoed over him as he pushed to his knees, wincing as a flash of pain drew one hand to his side, feeling a dribble of warm blood wash over his glove. Superficial; he could tell already, it would be easy to patch it up and keep fighting… but _damn_ it still hurt. He could still hear Sonia shrieking in rage, and the Rathian bellowed in a fury of its own. A sharp cry from Sonia was his only warning before the huntress slammed into his legs, throwing his feet out from under him and onto his back.

A loud _clang_ , and a grunt of pain, followed by a bark of effort. "Sonia!" Leon's voice. "Stop fighting and get Bram out of here!"

"Shut up!" the huntress snapped back, but a moment later she appeared over him, her eyes wide with worry. A thin trail of blood crawled around her right eye and down past the edges of her mouth. As the huntress helped him back to his feet, there was another loud clang and a droning buzz. Ketrak, perhaps? The sound of a staff spinning through the air; that was Tuulikki.

"Take them both! Leon, go with them and-"

"I'm not going to leave you behind to fight this thing alone!" Leon bellowed. A gurgling noise sounded, and Bram turned to find the creature looking towards him and Sonia, flames welling up in its maw. Sonia swung Bram behind her to protect him, but Leon jumped in the way, letting the flames smash into his shield and breaking it left and right to incinerate the grass around them. "Just _go_ , dammit!"

Sonia growled sourly, but swung an arm around Bram's waist and yanked him towards the tree line, scampering a couple dozen yards into the forest before swinging him around the far side of a tree.

"Are you okay?" she asked desperately, fearfully. "There's blood…"

"I'm fine," Bram muttered, though the wound on his waist pulsed in disagreement. "Can you-?" Sonia didn't need him to finish, already pulling out a potion and sticky bandage, uncorking the former and shoving it into Bram's hands and unpeeling the wrapping on the latter. "Ah. Thanks. Alright, I'll pull the chainmail aside, and you…"

Bram did so, inhaling sharply as the huntress smacked the bandage over the wound. There was more pain as the disinfectants seeped across the wound and Sonia rubbed her hands around the edges to make sure the adhesive stuck, before letting the chainmail fall back into place. He quickly downed the potion, tossing the bottle aside as the numbing effects slowly spread out from his stomach.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be okay. I can still fight… um… Assuming I can find my bow…"

Sonia glanced around the edge of the tree. "Stay here," she said, before darting around the side. There was a scramble on the other side of the tree, a howl from the Rathian, and some shouting from Leon and Tuulikki. A moment later Sonia reappeared, a dual blade in her right hand and Bram's collapsed Conga bow in the other; the pink fur on the sides had been all but burned away, and the rest of the limbs were partially singed. "The Rathian almost stepped on it. Can you still use it?"

Bram folded the bow into firing position and twanged the string a couple times. It wasn't in perfect condition, and the string would need to be replaced later, but it was still functional. "It'll see us through." As he stood up, however, his back felt light; he had to have lost more than half of his arrows, possibly more. "My arrows-"

"Uh… your bow was spared, but I think they were stepped on," Sonia muttered, "and those that weren't were caught in a burnt patch, so-"

"Forget it. I'll make do. This isn't going well though…"

"We need to _win_ , Bram," Sonia muttered, leaning around the tree again and unsheathing her other sword. "We need to _kill it_!"

"Sonia, _calm down_!" Bram snapped, grabbing her arm before she could rush out again. "I know how you feel, but we can't just rush in! That's not going to _work_ against a Rathian! We have to do this smart!"

"But-! Ugh… you're right. But we can't just sit around and _think_ , we need to get back in there and help!" The huntress sighed in dismay. "Wish we had one of your dad's solar flares…"

Bram reached back to pat his pouch. "A regular flash bomb should work just as well, provided we time it correctly."

Sonia looked at him curiously. "Like how?"

"This Rathian's very aggressive. It shouldn't be too hard to lure it into a trap."

"So… get it to charge at you then blind it and make it run into a tree or something?"

"Or something. Let's get back out there, but this time, play defensively. Look for the best chance to blind it."

"Alright, got it."

The two hunters slid around the tree, rushing back into the battle. Leon and Tuulikki were both worn down, but they looked relieved to see Bram returning in fighting shape. Sonia immediately rushed in, clashing one of her blades against the Rathian's skull plating and darting away, trying to pull the creature's attention away. It worked well enough, and the wyvern's head snapped around furiously in search of its new prey.

Meanwhile, Bram began looking around frantically for something they could use against a blinded Rathian. There weren't many good options, but one tree nearby caught his attention, an old and weathered thing that looked as though it had long since aged past its prime; there were next to no leaves on the boughs, the trunk was old and hollowed out by termites, and the branches seemed brittle. The only green remaining in its aging form wasn't even its own, lying in the serpentine ivy that climbed the trunk and hung between the branches. A solid hit to the base by something large might bring the whole tree down. And if it needed some help…

"Sonia! That one!" he shouted. The huntress glanced over her shoulder and followed his motion before nodding. The Rathian lunged at her, and she dipped out of the way, sprinting towards the base of the tree. "Close your eyes!"

Tuulikki and Leon, who'd been gathering themselves for another attack, averted their eyes when they saw him pull out the flash bomb. By then Sonia was at the base of the tree and ready to move, and the Rathian lunged her way. Bram pulled the pin on the flash bomb, hurling into the space between the two of them, and as Sonia dove to the side, the Rathian's eyes spun upwards as the glittering metal canister caught its attention.

Bram winced as a flash of light flared against his eyelids, but the Rathian's shriek told that the wyvern hadn't been so lucky. The archer lowered his arm and watched as the creature tried to slide to a halt, but its feet clipped a thick root and the beast lost its balance, tumbling forward and smashing headlong into the aged tree. There was a twisted _crack_ as a large fracture tore up the side of the trunk, and old rotting bits collapsed in on themselves. The aged tree groaned in resistance as it tried to remain standing, swaying to and fro as the Rathian lay in a daze, but still standing nonetheless.

Bram was already circling around the side, fumbling through the remaining arrows in his quiver and hoping he still had the one he was looking for. But his hand found one in particular: the blast arrow, coated in explosive black tar with bits of flint at the head for ignition. He was mildly annoyed at the thought that, of all the arrows he'd lost, the arrow he really had trouble shooting accurately was still there, but as he reached the far side of the tree he supposed that didn't matter; his target would be hard to miss, even with this poorly-balanced arrow. Pulling the bow taut, he aimed about three-quarters up the trunk and let the arrow fly. The arrow curved a bit to the right - again sparking that touch of annoyance - but the trunk was a large target, and the arrow struck true. With a small but sharp blast the arrowhead erupted, blowing a hole into the side of the rotting wood with enough force to make the entire tree sway sideways.

The splintering sounds from the base began to grow louder and stronger, and the aged tree began to collapse… right on top of the Rathian. The wyvern was just getting its bearings back, trying to blink through its blindness and push to its feet, when the base of the trunk pressed against its skull, and the rest of the tree came following after. The Rathian howled in momentary realization just before the trunk smashed down on top of it, dropping the struggling Rathian into the dirt.

"Haha, we got it!" Sonia shouted excitedly, rushing towards the downed creature. However, she slid to a halt a moment later as the wyvern began to move again.

Bram cursed under his breath as he reached for another arrow, watching as the trunk seemed to implode and collapse in on itself. Apparently the termites and bugs had done more work on the dead tree than he'd thought; waves of sawdust and woodchips began to roll out of the trunk like water, and the wood splintered apart like shattered glass. Enough of the trunk was still solid enough that the blow had done decent damage, but if the Rathian was able to _stand_ after having a tree fall on it…

The creature was hurting though, groaning in pain as it shook off the remaining wood shards and sawdust. However, the lines of ivy that had wrapped around the tree fell across the wyvern's back, draping over its wings, tail, and neck until the creature seemed to have gained new green stripes along its body. The Rathian attempted to shake those off as well, but the tangled mess of vines only grew more ensnared, snagged in its plates and spikes and wingtalons. Soon the wyvern's shaking changed to a frustrated pulling, then to a panicked struggle.

"It's stuck!" Tuulikki shouted. "Now's our chance!"

"Right!" Sonia shouted eagerly, diving in headfirst.

The next few seconds were a flurry of movement as the hunters converged on the trapped monster, sliding through the vines and lashing out at the creature's exposed flesh, looking to do as much damage as the opportunity provided. Bram launched arrow after arrow into the wyvern's hide, feeling the quiver on his back growing closer to empty with each shot. But they were finally doing solid damage, and blood was now pouring to the ground alongside the shattered scale shards that the other three were breaking.

The Rathian was wailing in fear and pain as it struggled to untangle itself, but could do nothing to escape. However, Bram saw light welling up in the creature's mouth, and he quickly shouted to the others. "Get away from it! Now!"

The other three hunters were able to scramble away from the wvyern before the creature belched flame, twisting its head and sending the fire across its legs and wings. The flames burned through the ivy almost instantly, snapping apart the tangles and giving the creature freedom, but simultaneously catching fire to the sawdust and woodchips on the ground. In a flash the forest floor around the Rathian's ankles was aflame as the fire devoured the dust, eating the remaining vines. In moments, the Rathian had freed itself, shaking loose the last lines of ivy and spreading its wings once more.

Even as the flames were dying away, Sonia was at the edge of them, waiting for her chance to charge in again. A change had come over her as the wyvern sagged wearily: the tension and aggression from before had faded, overcome with a look of stunned and hopeful excitement.

"Come on, finish it off! We're winning! We're _winning_!" she cried as she sprinted over the cinders straight towards the wyvern's face. The Rathian twisted its neck around to try and sink its teeth into her, but Sonia slid completely underneath the creature's head. As she rolled back to her feet she spun, swinging both of her dual blades into the creature's face. The first blade tore across the back of the wyvern's jaw and hacked into the creature's ear, cutting the whole thing off at the base; the second blade cleaved straight into the wyvern's right eye.

The Rathian screeched as Sonia yanked her axe free of the creature's eye, and the wyvern tried to stagger back from her. The huntress tailed after it, darting around the other side to attack creature's other eye, but the wyvern shifted its wing to cover its face, only for the axes to tear a gaping hole in the membrane. The wyvern sliced at the huntress with its wing talons, but Sonia ducked below them and lashed out again, her left axe clipping off the wyvern's snout, while her right blade swung up from below, cleaving into the underside of the Rathian's jaw.

The Rathian whined in agony as Sonia raised a leg, pressing her boot against the Rathian's face and pushing against it to wrench her axe free. Catching her balance, she dropped her stance to charge again, but the wyvern thrashed its head around wildly, forcing her to swing the broad blades in front of her before the Rathian's skull smacked against them, throwing her flat onto her back. Flames blazed up in its throat, but Bram fired an arrow at the base of its neck, and Leon thundered in from the side, slamming his shield into the side of the creature's skull, their combined efforts making it twist its skull sideways as only a small gout of fire flared uselessly into the dirt.

The Rathian bayed in anger, shoving Leon backwards and spinning to look towards Bram, but it paused as its remaining eye flickered back and forth. Sonia was rolling back to her feet as Ketrak flew in from the side, and the Rathian actually jolted back merely at the sound of the creature's buzzing, followed by another shiver of shock at Leon's loud, clanking footsteps. Bram fired another arrow which pierced into the creature's ankle, and it whined again. Its gaze darted around at the hunters encircling it, pressing their advantage, and with a strained whine the Rathian flared its wings, catching air under them as it prepared to take off.

"No! Don't let it run!" Sonia cried. "We've almost got it!"

Bram saw Leon turn and glare at the huntress for a moment, but Tuulikki darted towards the wyvern, planting her glaive against the ground and vaulting up onto the Rathian's spine. She twirled her staff, tearing the blade through the wyvern's webbing and cutting bloody slits into the creature's wings. However, it wasn't enough, and the Rathian took to the sky. Tuulikki cursed loudly, scrambling down the creature's tail and leaping off, slamming into the thick branch of a nearby tree. As the glaive user dropped back to the ground, the Rathian continued to gain height, until it was just below the canopy.

"Bram, shoot it down!" Sonia cried, and the archer let an arrow fly. However, the projectile glanced off the hard plating of the wyvern's thighs, sailing into the underbrush as the creature turned to fly away.

Bram drew another arrow, but the Rathian dipped in the air before he could fire, whining in pain. The creature coughed once, spitting out a gout of flame, and Bram blinked in confusion; for a moment he thought that the flame had been stained a sickly black color. The creature tilted to the left, and its wing clipped a towering tree. The limb crumpled, and with a howl the creature twisted in the air, careening through the air and smashing through several branches. The creature clipped a second tree on the way down, throwing it sideways and into the underbrush out of sight, and a few moments later there was a thunderous crash in the distance as the creature struck the earth.

"We got it, we got it!" Sonia cheered, charging into the underbrush after the fallen wyvern.

"Wait- Sonia, wait! Be careful, it might not be dead yet!" Leon shouted, chasing after her, with Tuulikki following close behind.

The hunters sprinted after the creature, following the trail of splintered branches and torn trunks. Ahead of them, one of the trees was leaning uneasily as a small storm of leaves fell from its boughs. As Bram burst through the last line of trees, he nearly collided headfirst into Leon, who had come to a halt just inside a gap between trees. He turned and looked at Bram almost in a daze, before returning his gaze to the Rathian. He seemed… displeased at the situation, but slightly excited as well as he strode forward towards a small glade, where the Rathian's body lay.

The beast looked well and dead. A long stretch of upturned earth and broken roots lay behind it where it had hit the ground, and the beast was completely motionless. Its face was wedged into the roots of a large tree, and its wings were splayed out wildly over bushes and small trees around it. Its back was covered with leaves that had fallen from the tree above when it had struck the trunk, and now the beast was surrounded with a halo of greenery, mixed with the brown earth and the pooling blood still leaking from its wounds. Sonia and Tuulikki were already next to the wyvern's body, Sonia cheering while Tuulikki had a more studious expression, reaching into her pouch to find a flare signaling their success.

"I can't believe we won!" Sonia had a grin plastered across her face, gleefully circling the creature. "That was… ha! I mean, that was almost _easy_!"

"...Easy?" Leon muttered.

"Okay, maybe not _easy_ , but… but _wow_! We beat it, and we're all fine!"

"Yes, quite the accomplishment," Tuulikki admitted, aiming a flare through a gap in the canopy and firing a brilliant green signal into the sky. "It was probably rather young, all things considered. It certainly lacked the presence and acumen you commonly see in its species… It was more a raging Bulldrome than a true queen, but still, quite an accomplishment."

"Y'know, you don't really need to water down our victory," Sonia huffed, turning to scowl at the glaive wielder.

"It is rather dismissive," Leon agreed.

"Ah… I apologize…"

Bram found himself staring at the wyvern from a distance as Sonia danced around the creature's carcass, stumbling over and leaning against the base of a tree. He found himself much like Leon, in a slight daze at their success. Sonia was right: as aggressive at the Rathian had been at the start, the fight had truly gone far better than he had feared. A victory against a Rathian so soon after getting their licenses… that'd be something to write about to the family.

As Bram pushed away from the tree, however, a shiver danced up his spine. Something was… _wrong_. The world seemed to dim, and the sound of Sonia's cheering seemed to grow muffled, and underneath it all was a strained hissing sound.

"What? What is-" He shook his head, but the static grew louder, pressing into his skull. It seemed all-encompasing, surrounding him on all sides, but he could feel the sound originating from somewhere… behind him! He spun, searching around, and his eyes landed on a deep patch of shadows cast by the thick bramble of overhanging branches. Bram gasped as a massive black shape abruptly took form from the darkness, stumbling backwards and reaching for his bow, but he froze in terror as the creature before him took shape, stepping - or rather, _floating_ \- out into the light.

It was a humanoid being, in the loosest sense: two arms, two legs, a single head, but the entire body was so hunched and bulbous that it was hard to think of it as 'humanoid'. Layers upon layers of jet-black, tattered cloaks covered the creature's body, so many that the being was as large and bulky as a fully-grown Popo, hiding its true physique beneath. The frayed, shredded clothing fluttered and twisted in the breeze, giving the further impression that it was covered in thick, tangled fur or even fine feathers. Hidden in the 'fur', Bram could see a pair of thin, spindly hands ending with long fingers hanging out of the cloaking, wrapped in dirty old bandages to hide every inch of flesh. The thick cloaks hung so low that it was a challenge to see its feet, but Bram already knew what lay beneath: what feet the creature had were covered in old, pointed black greaves… but they never touched the ground. The tips of the boots grazed the earth, sliding over the ground as though it was a marionette, hanging by invisible strings to hover in the air.

Its head was stooped low, leaving its hunched back and the layers of cloaks to slope up into a hump behind him, but though the thing was a being of darkness and filth, covering its face was a pristine white mask. Even that made it only appear more unnatural, however, as the mask had no defining features at all; it was merely an ovaloid metal plate with a thin crease straight down the center, and two small slits to indicate eyes. But even with the slits in the mask, Bram couldn't see, and had never seen, the creature's eyes. He half-suspected that it didn't _have_ any eyes, and the other half suspected that the thing didn't even have a _face_ underneath that white plate.

The final distinction the being had were the bells. Across its massive, bulbous body, hanging from the tattered cloaks by frayed black threads, were thousands of small, spherical, silver bells, each of them lacquered with their own individual color that was unlike any of the others. They shifted in the light, vanishing and reappearing as the 'fur' covering the creature hid and revealed them in the wind. They swayed in the breeze as the being approached Bram, but not a sound could be heard… except the being's almost-inaudible, hissing breaths, a sound not unlike static. And directly under the creature's mask was a single, much larger bell, lacquered with red trim and looped through by a golden twine which Bram assumed was hanging around its neck.

He had seen this creature before… too many times. Even seeing it once was more than enough. The last time he'd only seen the creature's hand… and a few minutes later Sonia had nearly been killed in a rockslide, then got infected with Hellrot. He didn't know if this thing had a name that it chose to go by, but he knew what it was, and he knew what it meant when it showed itself. Even if the being hadn't given him a name, Bram had a title for the thing:

 _Curse_.

Bram was frozen in horror as Curse approached him, floating across the earth. As it neared, it turned slightly, moving to circle around the hunter and keeping a small distance between them. Bram was almost unable to break his gaze on the thing, though his eyes flickered towards the others; they were all still standing around the Rathian, focused on observing the defeated wyvern's body, unaware of the specter behind them. The white mask on Curse's face shifted slightly, as though to meet eyes with him, and a long, painful silence descended between the two, with only the static-like breathing of Curse to break it.

Eventually, Bram found his courage, swallowing and glaring at the being. "W-why are you here?" he whispered hoarsely. His eyes darted quickly to Sonia and the others, before snapping back to Curse. "What… what's going to happen?"

Curse paused its circling, and its right arm flickered and vanished, pulled into the mass of torn cloaks and glittering bells. The next moment the hand returned, and the strings of three different bells were hanging from three different fingers, each of them a different color: a cyan bell, a white bell, and a lavender bell. Bram immediately locked his eyes on the lavender bell; the last time it had rang, Sonia had nearly _died_! However, Curse's other hand appeared from the wrapping, reaching up to stroke its fingers against the red bell hanging around its own neck.

Bram stood stock still, watching the bells and waiting. One of the bells was going to ring. Waiting. One of them had to ring, that's the way it always was. _Waiting_.

But none of the bells shivered. None released their soft chiming. They were all perfectly still.

"I don't- I don't understand…" Bram muttered. "Why isn't-? What are you doing? Is this some kind of _joke_?!"

Curse's head tilted slightly at the accusation, but even as Bram said the words, the bells began to change. The silvery color shifted, darkening as though they were stained with black ink. Bram's eyes widened in horror at the sight, but the next moment they were back to normal. The hunter blinked; had it just been his imagination? No, it couldn't be; nothing with Curse was _ever_ his imagination.

"Is something wrong, Tuli?"

Bram blinked at the sound of Leon's voice. It was nearly impossible to hear through the static, and his voice seemed cracked and distorted.

"Oh, it is… nothing," the huntress replied, her voice just as mangled. "I simply… the Rathian was acting so strangely, more violent than usual. I wonder why…"

"Is that uncommon? I've never seen a Rathian fight outside the arena before, so…"

"No, it is probably just young. They tend to be more aggressive during their early years, eager to claim territory of their own. But the coloring of its scales… I must be tired, the shadows are making me think they're darker than usual…"

Bram turned to glance at the glaive wielder. She still had a concerned look on her face, staring at the body curiously. Was something wrong with the Rathian? Tuulikki would know better than any of them; her own Rathian armor gave testament to her experience with the creatures. He turned back to face the specter-

Curse had vanished. Bram stared at the spot where the black-cloaked being had once been, but the creature was no more. The static in his head began to fade, finally, returning the sound of the forest to Bram's ears… and the sound of Sonia's continued gleeful cheering. He didn't understand: Curse had appeared! That had to mean _something_ , even if the bells didn't ring!

Didn't it? Curse had never appeared and then NOT rang one of its bells; what was that supposed to _mean_? The Rathian was _dead_! But if the danger wasn't coming from the Rathian, then where _would_ it come from? _Was_ there a threat? Without any guesses as to what he needed to look for, he was at a loss. Something endangered them… but he just couldn't see anything that might-

The archer froze, looking back at the Rathian. An invisible danger? Like the toxin, or whatever had afflicted the Kelbis? Something had killed and entire herd of the blue herbivores without even scratching them… and they'd managed to defeat a Rathian fairly easily as well? Had the wyvern been young, as Tuulikki speculated, or had there been something _else_ that had given them an edge?

"No… no, no, no!" Bram gasped. "Sonia, get away from it!"

The huntress froze at Bram's shout, turning in surprise, but upon catching sight of his expression, she pulled back from the Rathian like it was on fire. Leon reacted next, swinging his shield up as though he expected the creature to leap back to its feet.

"What's wrong?!"

"I don't… I'm not sure," Bram admitted, approaching cautiously. "But Tuulikki's right, something's not right here."

Bram wasn't an expert in Rathians by any means, but he couldn't help but feel as though its hide was a little darker than usual, like Tuulikki had said. The black toxin's effects? The Kelbis hadn't shown any signs, but… His gaze darted to the Rathian's head, wedged up against the base of some tree roots. Saliva crawled down the roots of the tree, mixed with a spattering of blood flowing out from its wounds, but there was something unnatural about it. Bram gave a wide berth as he circled around, an arrow out of his quiver and positioning herself in front of the wyvern's skull. He carefully pushed the point of the arrow into the gap between its teeth, using the steel rod as a lever to pry open the creature's mouth. Once it was open, he tilted his head to peer inside, not knowing what he expected to find …

The Rathian's tongue was stained black. Or maybe not _stained_ , per se, but its saliva seemed to be mixed with a strange black tint, like oil on water. Black like the Kelbis' livers. A look to the side, where the others had left wounds on the beast's face and neck, and he could see that the blood draining from the creature's body seemed tinted with a thin darker color. But why was the saliva tainted black? The Kelbis had only shown signs of infection in their livers... hadn't they?

"Poison," he muttered, looking back at the others. "Black, like the one in the Kelbis."

"You mean… we didn't…?" Sonia looked broken-hearted. "I thought we… I thought this meant we were…" Her expression froze, however, her eyes widening in horror. " _BRAM_!"

Bram spun as a shiver raced through the Rathian's body, and a hiss snapped his attention back to the creature's head. The wyvern's chest swelled as the Rathian took a deep breath, and its eyes snapped open. The wyvern's bright yellow eyes were wide and crazed, darting around wildly for a moment before snapping to Bram. His blood ran cold in his chest; the beast's eyes were horribly bloodshot, tinting the sclera to the point where it was as though they were _glowing_ a black-tinted red. And those eyes were staring at him with a bloodthirsty rage like he'd never seen before.

"It's still _alive_?!"

He heard Leon curse as the Rathian's body began flailing wildly on the ground, scrambling to get its feet back under it. Bram yelped in shock as one of the creature's wings batted him away, throwing him into the base of a tree. Tuulikki's voice rang out, yelling at them to _move_ as flames began to well up in the back of the Rathian's throat. Bram cursed, looking around frantically before glancing straight up the tree he was wedged against. As quickly as he could he pushed up, spun about, then kicked off the trunk to jump up and grab hold of the lowest branch, clambering to pull himself up as the swell of flames gushed from the Rathian's mouth.

The blast of flame was hotter and more powerful than anything the Rathian had released before. The fireball that roared towards where Bram had just been laying erupted in a thunderous explosion that shook the entire tree, and the shockwave blew Bram even higher into the tree, nearly slamming him into one of the thicker branches. He gasped, scrambling to grasp any loose limbs before he could plummet back to earth. A groan echoed through the tree, and Bram suddenly found himself tilting sideways as the trunk was started to fall, dragging Bram down with it. The archer cursed, leaping wildly from the tree only a second before it hit the earth, falling raggedly into the thicket.

The archer winced as he pushed out of the bushes, spinning around and reaching for his bow and arrows. However, he faltered upon realizing how few arrows he really had; he only had about half a dozen left! Already the Rathian was upon him, screaming like a creature unhinged, and his blood chilled in his veins; how had it moved so _quickly_? It was supposed to be half-dead!

Bram dove to the side as it stormed over where he'd just been standing. He rolled back to his feet, grabbing one of his sparse remaining arrows and spinning to aim, but the Rathian had turned on him just as quickly and its fangs were bearing down on him. In his panic he let the arrow fly wildly, and though it managed to clip the Rathian's skull, the wyvern didn't even _flinch_. Bram desperately stumbled away from the creature's snapping fangs, each bite so close that Bram could feel the wyvern's hot breath.

Light swelled in the creature's gullet as one snap came dangerously close to taking off Bram's arm, and the next moment the Rathian belched out a sharp billow of flame. Bram cursed, dropping his bow, and raising his left arm to block, gasping in pain as the fire smacked against the Kut-Ku plating. The pink scales managed to repel the worst of the flames, but terrible pain tore across his arm, and the hunter yelped as the less fireproof stretches of armor caught fire. The Rathian didn't plan to give him time to pat them out, however, opening its mouth wide to clamp down on him.

Leon slammed into him, throwing the both of them to the ground as the Rathian's fangs snapped shut where he'd once stood, before rolling to his feet and holding up his shield to protect them. Sonia was shrieking with fury as she threw herself at the wyvern's neck, howling bloody murder as she tried to hack her way through the wyvern's throat with her dual blades. Tuulikki wasn't far behind, aiming instead for the Rathian's legs and trying to cut the creature's feet out from under it with her curved glaive.

However, fierce though their attack was, the Rathian did little more than wince before turning to retaliate. Sonia was its first target, and fast as she was she was still caught off guard as the Rathian's fangs came down upon her. The Rathian managed to clamp down on her left dual blade, yanking her to a halt. The wyvern yanked the blade from her grasp, throwing the huntress to the ground before biting down, and the bone blade shattered in the Rathian's maw, sending a rain of broken shards to the earth below. The Rathian took only a moment to spit out the remains of the blade before turning its attention back to Sonia as the huntress was pushing to her feet.

"Stay down!" Leon hissed, before darting towards her instead. Rather than lunging for another bite attempt, however, the Rathian abruptly spun, swinging its tail low over the ground. Leon slid next to the huntress just as she stood upright, and he spun to point his shield towards the oncoming tail, only for the bulk of the appendage to slam into him. Even if he had managed to brace himself, the blow threw him off his feet, slamming him into Sonia and hurling both of them across the ground and into the base of another tree.

Tuulikki had been just as close as the other two, but had used her glaive to vault herself up and over the Rathian's tail as it swept under her. But as the Rathian's swing slid to a halt, its eyes snapped upwards to spot her, and the creature charged the huntress even as she was descending. The Rathian opened its wings, swinging to the left and catching the huntress within the webbing mid-air, before hurling her sideways and into the trunk of a tree. Tuulikki cried out once in pain as her glaive flew from her grasp, and she fell to the ground, bouncing off the roots and rolling into the dirt.

"No…! Sonia!" Bram cried, to his knees. How had this happened? They were supposed to have beaten the Rathian, but barely thirty seconds after it… _woke up_ , and they were all…? The others were still moving, painfully trying to rise as well, but-

He realized his shout had pulled the Rathian's attention back to him. There was no hesitation as it spun to face him, and fire swelled up in its gullet again, preparing to launch a fireball. Bram paled, trying to push upright, but a lance of pain from his burned arm shot through his body, and he crumpled to the ground again. He looked in horror towards the wyvern, and knew he couldn't dodge, not this time.

"Bram, no!" Sonia shrieked as the fireball roared from the creature's mouth. Bram raised his arms instinctively to cover his face, expecting unimaginable pain…

There was a _clang_ and thunderous blast, and though he could feel small tongues of flame biting at his legs, it wasn't nearly as bad as he'd expected. He lowered his arms, looking up in surprise at the sight of someone standing between him and the Rathian, bearing a towering shield. It wasn't Leon; the person wore light blue plate armor, and his weapon was a greyish-white… gunlance. With a gruff scoff, the man pulled the shield from the ground.

"You alright, kid?" the gunlancer asked. The archer blinked in shock, recognizing the voice, the armor, the weapon.

"G-Grim? Erm, Ysengrim?"

"Hmm?" The man turned his head to examine Bram. His eyes were barely visible through the slits in his helmet, but Bram could see them light up a little in recognition. "Oh, it's you. Why are you-? Eh, doesn't matter. You still okay?" Bram nodded, his head swimming slightly in surprise at his own survival. "Right, good to hear…"

On the other side of the shield, however, the Rathian bellowed in rage, wisps of black smoke swelling out of its gullet. Ysengrim turned back to face the creature as the wyvern stepped towards him and raised his gunlance, aiming the tip at the beast's skull. With a resounding blast the weapon fired off a shell into the Rathian's face, fracturing scales and making the wyvern shriek. As the creature staggered backwards, the man pressed forward, thrusting the point of his lance into the creature's neck.

A pair of hands grabbed Bram's shoulder and yanked him to his feet, and for a moment Bram struggled in fear, before being spun around and finding another familiar face.

"Now, now, no need to be shy! It's just me." Bram blinked at the sight of Reynardine giving him a winning smile, quickly looking him up and down. "Well, you look like crap, but at least you're still in one piece." For a moment the man's grin faltered, and his eyes narrowed seriously. "Has it bitten you anywhere? Poisoned you? Breathed that haze on you at all?"

"What? No, I-"

"Great! Wonderful! Make sure you _keep_ it that way. Now, while Grim keeps the queen busy, let's get you back to your girl over there; she looks like she's about to have a conniption."

With surprising strength, the switch axe user pulled Bram away from the battle. "You- but what about-" Bram glanced back towards Ysengrim, but the gunlancer appeared to be doing… pretty damn well against the Rathian on his own.

"He'll be fine. Rathians aren't a big deal, even in the state it's in, and you've softened this one up for him already."

"Bram!" Sonia shouted as she rushed up, pulling the archer away from Reynardine and looking him over with a relieved expression. Another quick pull dragged him with her behind a tree, out of sight of the Rathian. Bram could see Tuulikki and Leon behind another tree nearby as well.

He could also see that they were all in bad condition. Despite having come to recover him, Sonia was walking with a limp, her right eye was swelled shut and covered in a trail of blood, and her breath hitched slightly with each breath. Leon's lance was nowhere to be seen, his shield was badly dented, and though he was trying to appear stoic he was clearly clutching his shield arm painfully. Tuulikki seemed the best off of them, but even so her breathing seemed strained, and one hand hovered over her chest while the other was holding onto Ketrak; the bug seemed to be wounded as well, though Bram couldn't tell exactly how badly. However, the glaive wielder's expression had contorted into a vicious snarl at the sight of the switch axe user.

"You! What are you doing here?!" she snapped, looking around in search of Rikki.

"Aw, are you excited to see me, little Tuli?" Reynardine purred. "We actually just happened to be in the area, and saw your flare-"

" _Leave_! This is our hunt, so you can just-"

"So eager to get rid of us? Even after Grim kept your friend here from being _flambéed_?" Rey grinned, reaching up to squeeze Bram's shoulder, though that only caused Tuulikki's scowl to deepen further. "If you ask me, it seems more like we've come to your rescue. You should be _grateful_ to us." The glaive wielder winced, and the switch axe user sneered at her. "And it's only been a few months since the exam… are you really telling me that you've brought these three on an officially sanctioned Rathian hunt? I don't believe there's anything keeping us from stepping in to deal with this Rathian…"

"Rey! Move!"

A bellow from Ysengrim caught the group's attention as the Rathian thundered around the gunlancer, charging their position. The collection of hunters scattered as the winged creature's head swung around the side of the tree trunk, howling furiously as it unleashed a jet of flame that set a dozen small trees and bushes aflame. Bram and Sonia ran around another tree, feeling the flames licking at their ankles. Leon leapt in front of Tuulikki, blocking the flames as best he could, but he'd been caught off guard and toppled over as the flames seared across his greaves, forcing Tuulikki to catch him and help him scramble backwards.

Glancing around the other side, Bram saw Reynardine race around the very tree the Rathian had come around, catching the wyvern from behind. Kicking off the trunk of the tree, Rey vaulted off the Rathian's tail, swinging his switch axe out from its sheath and cleaving it down onto the wyvern's spine. The creature screeched in agony, twisting its head around to snap at the hunter, but Rey kept his balance with practiced precision, dipping left and right and hacking his weapon into the creature's back over and over again.

With a hiss of frustration the Rathian twisted its body around, tucking in one wing and tilting its torso before lunging towards the tree, trying to crush the hunter with its bulk. Reynardine was too quick, however, leaping up the tree and grabbing hold of a low-hanging branch with one hand while keeping his switch axe tight in the other as the wyvern smashed into the trunk beneath him. The creature groaned, twisting around in search of him, only to find Ysengrim as the gunlancer thrust his lance into its leg before firing off a shell, sending the wvyern collapsing to the ground.

"Look out below!" Reynardine laughed, letting go of the branch and dropping towards the wyvern. He fluidly switched his weapon to sword mode mid-flight, cleaving the blade into the Rathian's back as he hit the ground.

Bram was shocked as he watched; the Rathian was actually wailing in pain as the switch axe user's weapon hacked into its spine and the gunlancer's weapon punched into its chest and legs. He and the others could barely get the Rathian to wince after it had started acting so aggressive, but now these two were actually able to make it cry out like this? He knew that they were high rank, but still…

The pair of them didn't manage to kill the creature before it could stand again, and soon the wyvern managed to kick Ysengrim back far enough that it could get its feet back under it, before shaking Reynardine off. The Rathian looked magnitudes worse than it had only a minute before, but the Rathian seemed undeterred, despite its wounds; it hardly seemed to slow down at all as it howled in rage and lunged towards Ysengrim with a wild fury. Stalwart though he was, the hunter apparently held no ideas that he could repel a charging wyvern, and leapt out of the way, giving the creature a sharp jab to the leg before it stormed past him, nearly smashing headlong into a tree in its fury.

A yelp of shock echoed out from behind the tree, however, and the Rathian curled its head to find Leon on the other side. Leon tried to run to the safety of another tree, but in trying to keep an eye over his shoulder at the Rathian, took his attention away from the path in front of him as he tripped over a root. He tried to scramble away, but the Rathian was on him in a second. He raised his shield in a hopeless attempt to block, but the Rathian simply planted a foot on top of him, pulling a strangled cry from the lancer. A twist of its leg, and the Rathian forced the shield lower, revealing Leon's head, and its maw opened wide as it leaned down to clamp its fangs down over his skull, and a cry of horror echoed out from Tuulikki…

There was a blur of azure and crimson from the side, and a sharp blast erupted across the Rathian's face, sending it howling backwards. Leon struggled back to his feet, coughing and gasping for air as he clutched his chest, but the Rathian turned on him again, firing a stream of flame at him. However, a broad red shield swung in front of the lancer, repelling the flames. As the fire died away, Leon looked up to find the last of the Progressive trio in front of him. Rikki spared a glance back at the lancer, before lunging towards the Rathian, swinging his heavy red blade down onto the crown of the Rathian's skull, splitting scales and tearing a deep gash into the creature's head. The wyvern howled in pain, taking one step back, and Rikki followed after, spinning completely around to build up momentum before smashing his sword into the creature's jaw.

A dim yellow glow swelled out from the pommel of the blade, and as the Rathian reeled, Rikki pulled his blade inwards and slid the sword into a thin chamber within the shield; with a sharp twist of the hilt and a gust of steam, the energy within the sword's phial transferred into the shield. Pulling the sword free, Rikki lunged at the Rathian again, swinging the shield up and shoving the point of the base between the creature's teeth. A sharp blast roared through the forest as a small explosion burst from the tip of the shield into the Rathian's mouth, and the creature's shrieked in agony, staggering away from the hunter in pain.

Rikki didn't continue his assault, however, immediately pulling back as Reynardine and Ysengrim caught up and took the creature's attention. He quickly returned to Leon, reaching out a hand to help the lancer back to his feet. Leon hesitated for a moment before accepting the gesture, wincing as he was pulled up. Before either of them could say anything, however, Tuulikki appeared, shoving between them with a venomous look on her face.

" _You_! Go away, you and your friends!"

"...You're _welcome_ , for saving your friend," the hunter replied flatly. "Save your breath, dear sister. Now isn't really the time-"

"We can take of this _ourselves_! We don't need your help, or from any _Progressive-_ "

"Ugh… I don't have time for this."

Rikki reached back into his pouch, and with a snap of his wrist tossed something into Tuulikki's face. The huntress' eyes widened in shock as a small red ball smacked against her forehead and popped, unleashing a hiss of red smoke. The huntress shrieked in fury and shock, pulling back and coughing as the tranquilizer filled her mouth and nose, slamming into Leon who was barely stable enough to catch her. The huntress stumbled and slumped over, her eyes drooping as she tried to fight off the effects of the drug.

"Get her somewhere safe before her _pride_ kills her," Rikki grumbled, turning back to face the Rathian. Leon hesitated for a moment before nodding and pulling one of Tuulikki's arms over his shoulder. The huntress tried to shake herself free, but the tranq had done its work on her.

"You… how _dare_ you…!"

"Stand back, Tuulikki," her brother replied simply. "You _and_ your friends. This is _our_ hunt now."

* * *

 _ **Verexiria and Dokudzu belong to Astragon**_

* * *

 **Author's Note: Please Review! Thanks for reading this chapter about disease!**

 **Wow, been a while, huh? Sorry for the wait, folks, but this chapter really had me on the ropes trying to pull it together. I'm pretty pleased with the result, and hopefully you do to. I'm working pretty hard on the next few chapters, so hopefully the wait for the next ones won't be too long.**

 **So I bought Stories. It's pretty interesting, if not a little simple. I'm not a big fan of the childish story (though I understand why they use it, considering the premise of being a rider), and honestly I find Navirou pretty annoying. The rock-paper-scissors battle mechanics seem to add a lot of randomness to the game, when the rest of the series seems to have focused on timing, skill, and preparation, rather than 'paper beats rock'. I've gotten to the volcanic area, but honestly I've sort of fallen away from the game to prepare for Shadow of War, and who knows how long it'll be before I get back into it. Still, if I do find myself playing it again, I'll probably try to make a team consisting of some noteworthy monsters that showed up in my stories: a Stygian named Charon, a dragon-element Silver Rathalos, a thunder-element Gold Rathian, a Barioth, etc. If anyone else has played the game, are there Gobuls? I'd like to have Goliath on my team if I could.**

 **As much as I like writing in Google Docs for convenience, its spellcheck does get a little annoying at times. Sometimes it doesn't tell me when I've spelled things wrong… or tells me to change the word to something I really don't want. Please stop asking if I want to have a group of pack Poops pulling the wagons Google. I know what I'm about here.**

 **And finally we meet Curse, who, as I've mentioned before, is the reason Bram doesn't like bells. I wonder if you can figure out what his deal is? I hope I did his appearance justice, but his appearance is meant to be an amalgamation of Curse Risu (his namesake) from Dorohedoro, No Face from Spirited Away, and a little bit of the Nazgul from Lord of the Rings. I think the hardest thing to explain was his posture, which is reminiscent of the Dancer of the Boreal Valley from Dark Souls 3, though more floating instead of walking. And there is a solid reason why Bram is genuinely afraid of him as well.**

 **Also, I did decide to use the natural 'traps' that are appearing in World here in this chapter. I want to make better use of natural elements in the story. World seems to be taking this into account, which is pleasing.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading!**

 **Listening: The Adventure Zore, Revolutions Podcast  
Playing: Breath of the Wild, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, MHGen, Shovel Knight, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 Remix, Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy, Splatoon 2, MH Stories Demo, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, Mario Kart 8, Dishonored  
Reading: Tsurezure Children by Wakabayashi Toshiya**


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